Smart letting the league know

[MBunge]

Korver was tossing bricks tonight, thankfully.

Marcus was nuts. Really didnt look that small on milsap. He is a load. Bull. What a game! 

a large part of that was because he wasnt getting into his favorite spots and positions. smart just denied him the ball and position. then his last shots he had to run and was moving sideways quite a bit when he shot. hard for even him to make those.

credit the defense tonight.

A large part because Millsap is really... not that big. Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Millsap is 6'7, which is smaller than many SFs these days.

Sweet Mary!  Millsap is a multi-time all star and leading scorer on a 48 win playoff team who just destroyed every other guy Stevens threw at him.  If people aren't allowed to get excited about Smart's play tonight, why should we even bother watching?

Mike

[Ilikesports17]

Korver was tossing bricks tonight, thankfully.

Marcus was nuts. Really didnt look that small on milsap. He is a load. Bull. What a game! 

a large part of that was because he wasnt getting into his favorite spots and positions. smart just denied him the ball and position. then his last shots he had to run and was moving sideways quite a bit when he shot. hard for even him to make those.

credit the defense tonight.

A large part because Millsap is really... not that big. Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Millsap is 6'7, which is smaller than many SFs these days.

Sweet Mary!  Millsap is a multi-time all star and leading scorer on a 48 win playoff team who just destroyed every other guy Stevens threw at him.  If people aren't allowed to get excited about Smart's play tonight, why should we even bother watching?

Mike

Its fair to note. Marcus is a terrific defender, Im sure Koz would give him tremendous credit for shutting down Millsap tonight, but this does not mean we can trust Smart to shut down real  big men with any regularity. It also doesnt mean we cant trust him to do so (Hes given Porzingis, Bosh, and a few others some issues in the post in the past).

Marcus shut down a terrific player who had a 3-4 inch size advantage on him, who had been killing our forwards all night long. THat is what happened. That is impressive. Kid is big time.

[crimson_stallion]

Lets put it simply.

Marcus Smart as a general rule is highly inconsistent. There is a very, very large disparity between Marcus Smart at his best, and Marcus Smart at his worst. 

Unfortunately we tend to see "Marcus Smart at his worst" far more often then we see the other version.  I would go so far as to say the ratio is something like 8:1.

HOWEVER fair is fair, and just like any other guy, Smart deserves credit when he has earned it.  In the Playoffs so far he has been pretty darn good, and has without a doubt been one of our top 4 or 5 most consistent players over this series.  Today in particular he was spectacular - Smart, Jerebko, Amir and Thomas were the clear MVP's of this game, and you could make a legitimate argument that Smart played the best of them all.  Turner was pretty good too, but he made a lot of mistakes. 

I am never afraid to call out a player when they play badly.  It's only fair I give credit to a guy when he plays well too.  Today Smart played one hell of a game, and he has earned some credit/respect from me throughout this series.

Lets also take not of the fact that Smart is still only 21 years old - he is a year younger than Buddy Hield. 

I don't believe in jumping on the "youth" bandwagon the way a lot of people do, but when you have a guy who is giving you strong production in critical Playoff games at the age of 21, that's very promising to see.

The biggest thing with Smart today was IMHO the mental side.  He didn't force so many bad shots, he drive to the basket with aggression and with the intention of scoring (rather than the hope of drawing a foul), and he maintained his composure emotionally better then he usually does - despite it being a pretty physical game.

Of course the fact that his shots were falling helped (as it always does) but learning to play with more discipline (as he did tonight) is the first big step towards Smart maturing as a playing and becoming a more consistent contributor.  Credit to him for taking that step, if it's just for one game. 

[the TRUTH]

What an amazing defensive effort tonight on Milsap.

Smart just put a memo out there to DPOY voters next year.

Agreed. That dude makes some of the most boneheaded plays you'll ever see, but he's tough as nails, one of the most competitive players I've ever seen and a great defender.

[vjcsmoke]

Smart played an incredible game!  He helped shut down a guy who was torching us all night long, and limited Millsap to 1-5 shooting once he guarded him mano a mano.  Smart also made some incredible shots, including one stretch where he scored 8 points in a row for us in the 4th quarter, including back to back 3s!  Marcus was also instrumental in the OT frame, making two great passes in a row setting up teammates for scores that put us in great position to win!

Let's give credit where it's due and life up a pint to Marcus Smart!  He made a bunch of big time plays that helped us win our 2nd playoff game and knot up the series!!

[Ilikesports17]

Smart played an incredible game!  He helped shut down a guy who was torching us all night long, and limited Millsap to 1-5 shooting once he guarded him mano a mano.  Smart also made some incredible shots, including one stretch where he scored 8 points in a row for us in the 4th quarter, including back to back 3s!  Marcus was also instrumental in the OT frame, making two great passes in a row setting up teammates for scores that put us in great position to win!

Let's give credit where it's due and life up a pint to Marcus Smart!  He made a bunch of big time plays that helped us win our 2nd playoff game and knot up the series!!

11 points in a row!

He had the and one layup, a steal on Milsapp, a huge dunk, and then back to back threes with at least a rebound or two thrown in there.

dominant stretch from him.

Then those passes in OT. Tremendous.

[LarBrd33]

I hope that was actually a break-out game from him.  Aside from the 1-11 performance in Game 2, he's been pretty solid. 

15 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals with 50%/50%/67% shooting in game 1. 

11 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks with 50%/50%/75% shooting in game 3. 

20 points, 5 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals with 47%/38%/100% shooting in game 4. 

Nice performances.  I hope he builds on it.  It's encouraging.  The timing of his surge was great, because Reggie Miller had just blasted him for taking horrible 3-pointers, but he followed it up by nailing two of them in a row.   He's still shooting under 40% for the series.  Really, Smart still is a pretty bad shooter, but he seems to make up for it with the clutch gene. 

[Csfan1984]

Smart made Reggie look foolish. The comments about the shots and covering Milsap. Smart was big.

[Drucci]

I hoped these playoffs would help Marcus get some major experience but to shut down Millsap who must be twice his size and was absolutely on fire from everywhere on the floor AND to knock down clutch threes AND to make great decision making in OT and rebound like a madman... wow. Sure, he still had some cringy moments but that's to be expected : he has shown that he performs like a special player in the biggest moments.

[mr. dee]

Korver was tossing bricks tonight, thankfully.

Marcus was nuts. Really didnt look that small on milsap. He is a load. Bull. What a game! 

a large part of that was because he wasnt getting into his favorite spots and positions. smart just denied him the ball and position. then his last shots he had to run and was moving sideways quite a bit when he shot. hard for even him to make those.

credit the defense tonight.

A large part because Millsap is really... not that big. Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Millsap is 6'7, which is smaller than many SFs these days.

Sweet Mary!  Millsap is a multi-time all star and leading scorer on a 48 win playoff team who just destroyed every other guy Stevens threw at him.  If people aren't allowed to get excited about Smart's play tonight, why should we even bother watching?

Mike

Its fair to note. Marcus is a terrific defender, Im sure Koz would give him tremendous credit for shutting down Millsap tonight, but this does not mean we can trust Smart to shut down real  big men with any regularity. It also doesnt mean we cant trust him to do so (Hes given Porzingis, Bosh, and a few others some issues in the post in the past).

Marcus shut down a terrific player who had a 3-4 inch size advantage on him, who had been killing our forwards all night long. THat is what happened. That is impressive. Kid is big time.

Smart have problems with lengthy shooters (see Durant) and smaller quick guards, but he doesn't shy away from physicality against bigger men (Millsap, Mosgov, Cousins)

[Eddie20]

Korver was tossing bricks tonight, thankfully.

Marcus was nuts. Really didnt look that small on milsap. He is a load. Bull. What a game! 

a large part of that was because he wasnt getting into his favorite spots and positions. smart just denied him the ball and position. then his last shots he had to run and was moving sideways quite a bit when he shot. hard for even him to make those.

credit the defense tonight.

A large part because Millsap is really... not that big. Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Millsap is 6'7, which is smaller than many SFs these days.

He still has 5 inches on Smart.  And a lot of taller players can't guard him.

Um no, he doesn't. Smart is 6'4.

Marcus Smart was measured at 6'2 without shoes at the combine
Milsapp measured 6'6.25.

Last time I checked, they played with shoes. Draftexpress has Marcus Smart at 6'4 with shoes, and he was also listed at 6'4 in the media guide last time I was at a Celtics game. Millsap is 6'7.25 with shoes.

Bottom line is that Millsap is not as big as you may think he is. Certainly comparable in length to some of the SFs Smart has already guarded this season.

You must of missed the game 7-3 Porzingis was going off on us and Smart was put on him and the big man was completely locked up.

[Dino Pitino]

Lets put it simply.

Marcus Smart as a general rule is highly inconsistent. There is a very, very large disparity between Marcus Smart at his best, and Marcus Smart at his worst. 

Unfortunately we tend to see "Marcus Smart at his worst" far more often then we see the other version.  I would go so far as to say the ratio is something like 8:1.

HOWEVER fair is fair, and just like any other guy, Smart deserves credit when he has earned it.  In the Playoffs so far he has been pretty darn good, and has without a doubt been one of our top 4 or 5 most consistent players over this series.  Today in particular he was spectacular - Smart, Jerebko, Amir and Thomas were the clear MVP's of this game, and you could make a legitimate argument that Smart played the best of them all.  Turner was pretty good too, but he made a lot of mistakes. 

I am never afraid to call out a player when they play badly.  It's only fair I give credit to a guy when he plays well too.  Today Smart played one hell of a game, and he has earned some credit/respect from me throughout this series.

Lets also take not of the fact that Smart is still only 21 years old - he is a year younger than Buddy Hield. 

I don't believe in jumping on the "youth" bandwagon the way a lot of people do, but when you have a guy who is giving you strong production in critical Playoff games at the age of 21, that's very promising to see.

The biggest thing with Smart today was IMHO the mental side.  He didn't force so many bad shots, he drive to the basket with aggression and with the intention of scoring (rather than the hope of drawing a foul), and he maintained his composure emotionally better then he usually does - despite it being a pretty physical game.

Of course the fact that his shots were falling helped (as it always does) but learning to play with more discipline (as he did tonight) is the first big step towards Smart maturing as a playing and becoming a more consistent contributor.  Credit to him for taking that step, if it's just for one game.

"Lets put it simply", lol, right. Followed by negging and bet-hedging and backhanded-compliment-giving meant to downplay the very, very simple fact that Smart is proving you very wrong. If you ever decide to eat crow, then eat it. Don't just sniff the crow and let the crow roll around in your mouth and then spit it into your napkin and say you'll save it for later. "You could make a legitimate argument that Smart played the best of them all", hahahahahaha, no. To those in Celtic fandom who never invested themselves in a massive, permanent misjudgment of Smart, he was indisputably the best Celtic last night and there is zero legitimate argument otherwise and it's cause for celebration not awkward backtracking.

[Celtics4ever]

I think in his mind in the fourth, he was going to war in a duel with Milsap when the game was on the line.   It was nice to see him rise to the occasion.   He has had a few good games this series, and  some where he had some issues.  He is shooting .38% in this series from the field (ugh) and about that from the 3P line which is good.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smartma01.html

Great game last night. It was a good game to watch.

[kozlodoev]

Korver was tossing bricks tonight, thankfully.

Marcus was nuts. Really didnt look that small on milsap. He is a load. Bull. What a game! 

a large part of that was because he wasnt getting into his favorite spots and positions. smart just denied him the ball and position. then his last shots he had to run and was moving sideways quite a bit when he shot. hard for even him to make those.

credit the defense tonight.

A large part because Millsap is really... not that big. Hate to rain on everyone's parade, but Millsap is 6'7, which is smaller than many SFs these days.

Sweet Mary!  Millsap is a multi-time all star and leading scorer on a 48 win playoff team who just destroyed every other guy Stevens threw at him.  If people aren't allowed to get excited about Smart's play tonight, why should we even bother watching?

And Isaiah Thomas is also an all-star on a 48 win team but that doesn't make him a lick taller than 5'9.

I was responding to a comment which, literally, said that Smart "didn't look that small" on Millsap -- and this is due to the fact that Millsap is smaller than most people think, and Smart is perhaps bigger than most people think. That is all.

[Smart457]

Lets put it simply.

Marcus Smart as a general rule is highly inconsistent. There is a very, very large disparity between Marcus Smart at his best, and Marcus Smart at his worst. 

Unfortunately we tend to see "Marcus Smart at his worst" far more often then we see the other version.  I would go so far as to say the ratio is something like 8:1.

HOWEVER fair is fair, and just like any other guy, Smart deserves credit when he has earned it.  In the Playoffs so far he has been pretty darn good, and has without a doubt been one of our top 4 or 5 most consistent players over this series.  Today in particular he was spectacular - Smart, Jerebko, Amir and Thomas were the clear MVP's of this game, and you could make a legitimate argument that Smart played the best of them all.  Turner was pretty good too, but he made a lot of mistakes. 

I am never afraid to call out a player when they play badly.  It's only fair I give credit to a guy when he plays well too.  Today Smart played one hell of a game, and he has earned some credit/respect from me throughout this series.

Lets also take not of the fact that Smart is still only 21 years old - he is a year younger than Buddy Hield. 

I don't believe in jumping on the "youth" bandwagon the way a lot of people do, but when you have a guy who is giving you strong production in critical Playoff games at the age of 21, that's very promising to see.

The biggest thing with Smart today was IMHO the mental side.  He didn't force so many bad shots, he drive to the basket with aggression and with the intention of scoring (rather than the hope of drawing a foul), and he maintained his composure emotionally better then he usually does - despite it being a pretty physical game.

Of course the fact that his shots were falling helped (as it always does) but learning to play with more discipline (as he did tonight) is the first big step towards Smart maturing as a playing and becoming a more consistent contributor.  Credit to him for taking that step, if it's just for one game.

"Lets put it simply", lol, right. Followed by negging and bet-hedging and backhanded-compliment-giving meant to downplay the very, very simple fact that Smart is proving you very wrong. If you ever decide to eat crow, then eat it. Don't just sniff the crow and let the crow roll around in your mouth and then spit it into your napkin and say you'll save it for later. "You could make a legitimate argument that Smart played the best of them all", hahahahahaha, no. To those in Celtic fandom who never invested themselves in a massive, permanent misjudgment of Smart, he was indisputably the best Celtic last night and there is zero legitimate argument otherwise and it's cause for celebration not awkward backtracking.

Smart was great but lets not get carried away. He wasn't better than IT or more important then him. Smart played a fantastic game as a role player. IT is the lead dog. The game doesn't go anywhere without IT scoring at the rim and then getting the defense to cave for other shooters.

Smart is still primarily a spot up shooter and at times a creator but with a short leash. Don't get it twisted. Smart was unbelievable last night but to me IT being his usual self is still more important than Smart going off and playing lock down defense.