absolutely amazing-who's your favorite

[rollie mass]

what this team has accomplished with collection of players put together throughout the season,turner zeller,crowder,jerebko,datome  and isiah while shedding rondo and green.Then injuries to sullinger and olynck and now isiah.Timing,consistency and knowing your own players more than by name is crucial at this level  but they are somehow are not just playing but winning.With hardly a practice .I can't name a new celtic who hasn't stepped up or how bass and bradley have been playing.Zeller will get even better under brad,Turner will have a offseason to work on his game,olynck another year of strength.The new guys jerebko and datome both crowd favorites i hope stay.

[coffee425]

what this team has accomplished with collection of players put together throughout the season,turner zeller,crowder,jerebko,datome  and isiah while shedding rondo and green.Then injuries to sullinger and olynck and now isiah.Timing,consistency and knowing your own players more than by name is crucial at this level  but they are somehow are not just playing but winning.With hardly a practice .I can't name a new celtic who hasn't stepped up or how bass and bradley have been playing.Zeller will get even better under brad,Turner will have a offseason to work on his game,olynck another year of strength.The new guys jerebko and datome both crowd favorites i hope stay.

For me it's Marcus and Jae. Defense and  effort plays mean so much for a team that's low on talent, and these two guys are the spark for both units

[crimson_stallion]

For me it's Marcus and Jae. Defense and  effort plays mean so much for a team that's low on talent, and these two guys are the spark for both units

I agree 100%

I don't think you can really measure (with simple stats) just how much impact Smart and Crowder have had on this team's recent success...and I'll throw Bradley in there too.   

Three key things that have driven this great run:
1) A dramatically improved defence
2) One of the lowest turnover rates in the league
3) Winning hustle plays

Smart, Bradley and Crowder have been key guys in achieving that.

Rondo is very talented, but he was also a turnover machine and rarely finishes a game with less than 4 turnovers.  Smart and Bradley usually finish with 3 or less combined.

Smart obviously hasn't passed the ball like Rondo, but his assist-per-turnover ratio has been phenomenal, especially for such a young guy in his rookie season.

With Avery + Smart in the game you have arguably the best defensive backcourt in the NBA, and yet those two guys also have among the lowest turnover rates in the game for guys who play as many minutes as they do.

Keeping turnovers down means less easy transition layups/dunks for the opposition, and when you combine that with stifling half-court defence it makes this team very tough for opponents to score against this Celtics team...and as we all know, any time you play great defence you're giving yourself a chance to win. 

When we have Smart/Bradley/Crowder/Bass/Zeller on the court it's hard to imagine many NBA defences being better than that.   

[Rosco917]

Smart is the Bulldog. Crowder is the Predator, Bradley is the Cat. This trio will lead this team to the next rung.

[manl_lui]

Smart is the Bulldog. Crowder is the Predator, Bradley is the Cat. This trio will lead this team to the next rung.

I see them all as good role players on a team with two all-stars leading to the next ring. Also, idk about Bradley or how I feel about him, but I definitely want to keep Smart and Crowder long-term 

[Celtics4ever]

Smart tenacity seems to be contagious to the whole team.   When he was hurt earlier in the season we lost a lot of our toughness.   He has leadership skills beyond his years.

[Eja117]

Smart and IT, with Zeller close behind

[Chris22]

Crowder and Smart.

I love those guys.

They play like Kevin Garnett.

[Snakehead]

I love Smart and Olynyk most out of the current Celtics.  Both have very high potential to me and some of their issues I think are very fixable.  Both are game changing players. 

Smart's defense is unreal for a rookie and I think his offense just needs consistency and work on a few things (like a floater).  He is a better passer already than I expected.   I don't think his potential gets enough credit from the media considering I think he's certainly one of the very elite perimeter defenders already and he shows flashes of brilliance on offense.

Olynyk's ability to shoot, drive, and pass as a big can disrupt everything an opposing defense wants to do, even if he isn't scoring a lot on his own.  And if he becomes a more aggressive scorer he could be a very good player.

I really do like practically the whole team right now which is nice.  Only people that agitate me on the floor are often Pressey and Young (because he is one of the worst defenders I have ever seen... he is young though).  Obviously I want to add talent and all but they are a fun group to watch.

[BDeCosta26]

Regardless of what you think of his offensive potential, and last night showed a bit of what that may be, Smart is everything to this team. Bradley and Crowder are close behind, but Smart is the heart and soul of this team, and his infectious energy and toughness trickles down to everyone else on this team.

That's why he's untouchable. Not because he's going to be the next Westbrook, but because he's already one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he has leadership skills beyond any rookie I've seen in some time. Keep Smart, and all the things that made you love this team like their hustle and determination will stay here for years to come.

[Wretch]

Smart is the Bulldog. Crowder is the Predator, Bradley is the Cat. This trio will lead this team to the next rung.

I see them all as good role players on a team with two all-stars leading to the next ring. Also, idk about Bradley or how I feel about him, but I definitely want to keep Smart and Crowder long-term

If Smart can develop his jump shot I see him as being like Dennis Johnson and I considered DJ to be more than just a role player on the teams from the 80s.  DJ was a great team-mate, a tenacious defender, and tough as nails, he also could make tough shots.  I think Magic, said DJ was the best defender he played against.

[Chris22]

Smart is the Bulldog. Crowder is the Predator, Bradley is the Cat. This trio will lead this team to the next rung.

I see them all as good role players on a team with two all-stars leading to the next ring. Also, idk about Bradley or how I feel about him, but I definitely want to keep Smart and Crowder long-term

If Smart can develop his jump shot I see him as being like Dennis Johnson and I considered DJ to be more than just a role player on the teams from the 80s.  DJ was a great team-mate, a tenacious defender, and tough as nails, he also could make tough shots.  I think Magic, said DJ was the best defender he played against.

Good read.

When we first got Smart, I tried to think of someone to compare him to and Dennis Johnson was the only one I could come up with.

[spikelovetheCelts]

Smart is a given. But I think Zeller's Growth has helped the team. We needed a Center and he has delivered. KO's skill set is not found to many places either. He should blossom the rest of the Season. Turner and IT Ball handling at crunch time is a big to close out games.
Really hope to go to a Playoff game and root for This "TEAM".

[SHAQATTACK]

Smart and IT, with Zeller close behind

Bingo

[shrinkage36]

Smart is the Bulldog. Crowder is the Predator, Bradley is the Cat. This trio will lead this team to the next rung.

I see them all as good role players on a team with two all-stars leading to the next ring. Also, idk about Bradley or how I feel about him, but I definitely want to keep Smart and Crowder long-term

No one knows if Smart's going to be a role player IMO. How can we predict freshmen? Anyways, yesterday, without the offensive plays being run for him, he swallowed up 25pts, 9boards, couple of steals. Not even accounting the major impact he just has on the game. Blocking shots, drawing fouls even away from the ball.

He's already intimidating players not to do anything in the offense. His impact on the game will huge one day. He's just all over the place, and his instincts are impeccable. The Larry Bird pass he made yesterday was the point. Next year when he's had an ENTIRE off season with position coaches, working on floaters, finishing, short jumpers and improving his overall jump shot, no telling whom he can be. I saw after a play yesterday, he was giving instructions to all the starters in a mini huddle, and all were listening to him.

As they mentioned about his defense, it's just like Mozart in music. It's a beauty to watch. The only reason he could not get more aggressive with Westbrook down the stretch was because of foul trouble., and superstar favoritism.