How many games will Marcus Smart be suspended for?

[jpotter33]

The suspension ultimately cost us this game.

Yep. They looked lost out there without both Smart and IT.

[celtics2030]

Either or and they win the game in different ways

you get smart in their last 5 minutes , and they squeak it out because defensively they would get the needed stops.....

you get IT in there and he puts the pressure with buckets...

Together its even more convincing that they win this game..

Im not going to kill Smart for that Flagrant,

But it really stings for this type of loss.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

The suspension ultimately cost us this game.

Yep. They looked lost out there without both Smart and IT.

We needed Smart on defense. We usually have one of AB and Smart in the game defending majority of games. Smart could have put the clamps on KCP while AB would have had RJ and we would be looking at a victory.

[GreenWarrior]

i'm not blaming this loss on the lack of Smart or IT. they got a 10 pt. lead in the 2nd half and stopped playing after that. they didn't keep their foot on their throat, they stopped moving the ball, the team as a whole stunk. coach included.

during the win streak everyone was praising the "next guy up" philosophy. well no one stepped up.

[jpotter33]

i'm not blaming this loss on the lack of Smart or IT. they got a 10 pt. lead in the 2nd half and stopped playing after that. they didn't keep their foot on their throat, they stopped moving the ball, the team as a whole stunk. coach included.

during the win streak everyone was praising the "next guy up" philosophy. well no one stepped up.

We should have won without them, and we blew the game. But having either one of them would've probably not even made this a game. We just looked discombobulated the whole game.

[sed522002]

Sounds like coach and players feel like the suspension was fair:

Jay King ?@ByJayKing
Evan Turner didn't guess how eager Marcus Smart will be for redemption: "obviously, as a team, he owes us one.

"

A few of Smart’s teammates said they didn’t see the play live or on replay, but forward Jonas Jerebko added a telling qualifier.
“If the NBA suspends you for one game then you did something wrong,” he said. “I told him that we really need him. It’s only (14) games left (in the regular season). You’ve got to keep your head and play out the games.”

Following Friday's game Smart tried to explain away the chop to Bonner’s groin as being an accident that occurred while he was fighting through a screen, but Stevens indicated he wasn’t buying that explanation.

“He realizes he impacts his team when he’s not on the court anymore,” the coach said. “I’ll let him say whatever he feels like saying. But from our standpoint it was unacceptable and the punishment is what it is.”

[jpotter33]

Sounds like coach and players feel like the suspension was fair:

Jay King ?@ByJayKing
Evan Turner didn't guess how eager Marcus Smart will be for redemption: "obviously, as a team, he owes us one.

"

A few of Smart’s teammates said they didn’t see the play live or on replay, but forward Jonas Jerebko added a telling qualifier.
“If the NBA suspends you for one game then you did something wrong,” he said. “I told him that we really need him. It’s only (14) games left (in the regular season). You’ve got to keep your head and play out the games.”

Following Friday's game Smart tried to explain away the chop to Bonner’s groin as being an accident that occurred while he was fighting through a screen, but Stevens indicated he wasn’t buying that explanation.

“He realizes he impacts his team when he’s not on the court anymore,” the coach said. “I’ll let him say whatever he feels like saying. But from our standpoint it was unacceptable and the punishment is what it is.”

[/b]

I totally disagree with that move by Stevens. He basically just called his own player a liar to the media. What kind of message does that send to other players?

Even if he truly thought Marcus wasn't being truthful, he shouldn't present it like that to the media or even just avoid the question altogether. I can't see any benefit in publicly calling out your player like that in this type of situation. He could have sent his own stern message to Smart privately, but it's absolutely uncalled for for him to say this to the media.

[sed522002]

Sounds like coach and players feel like the suspension was fair:

Jay King ?@ByJayKing
Evan Turner didn't guess how eager Marcus Smart will be for redemption: "obviously, as a team, he owes us one.

"

A few of Smart’s teammates said they didn’t see the play live or on replay, but forward Jonas Jerebko added a telling qualifier.
“If the NBA suspends you for one game then you did something wrong,” he said. “I told him that we really need him. It’s only (14) games left (in the regular season). You’ve got to keep your head and play out the games.”

Following Friday's game Smart tried to explain away the chop to Bonner’s groin as being an accident that occurred while he was fighting through a screen, but Stevens indicated he wasn’t buying that explanation.

“He realizes he impacts his team when he’s not on the court anymore,” the coach said. “I’ll let him say whatever he feels like saying. But from our standpoint it was unacceptable and the punishment is what it is.”

[/b]

I totally disagree with that move by Stevens. He basically just called his own player a liar to the media. What kind of message does that send to other players?

Even if he truly thought Marcus wasn't being truthful, he shouldn't present it like that to the media or even just avoid the question altogether. I can't see any benefit in publicly calling out your player like that in this type of situation. He could have sent his own stern message to Smart privately, but it's absolutely uncalled for for him to say this to the media.

He did the same thing with Rondo and "Birthday Gate", that's the way he operates. They're always commenting on how Brad is a straight shooter. He's really letting Smart know that this won't be tolerated.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Sounds like coach and players feel like the suspension was fair:

Jay King ?@ByJayKing
Evan Turner didn't guess how eager Marcus Smart will be for redemption: "obviously, as a team, he owes us one.

"

A few of Smart’s teammates said they didn’t see the play live or on replay, but forward Jonas Jerebko added a telling qualifier.
“If the NBA suspends you for one game then you did something wrong,” he said. “I told him that we really need him. It’s only (14) games left (in the regular season). You’ve got to keep your head and play out the games.”

Following Friday's game Smart tried to explain away the chop to Bonner’s groin as being an accident that occurred while he was fighting through a screen, but Stevens indicated he wasn’t buying that explanation.

“He realizes he impacts his team when he’s not on the court anymore,” the coach said. “I’ll let him say whatever he feels like saying. But from our standpoint it was unacceptable and the punishment is what it is.”

[/b]

I totally disagree with that move by Stevens. He basically just called his own player a liar to the media. What kind of message does that send to other players?

Even if he truly thought Marcus wasn't being truthful, he shouldn't present it like that to the media or even just avoid the question altogether. I can't see any benefit in publicly calling out your player like that in this type of situation. He could have sent his own stern message to Smart privately, but it's absolutely uncalled for for him to say this to the media.

He did the same thing with Rondo and "Birthday Gate", that's the way he operates. They're always commenting on how Brad is a straight shooter. He's really letting Smart know that this won't be tolerated.

I have heard so many coaches speak this same way in these situations.

Doc Rivers on RR tossing the ball at the ref (2 game suspension)

"You're always disappointed when that happens," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "You should never put yourself in front of the team..."