guess smart shut some posters up

[Evantime34]

Nothing has changed really.  He's a good defender that tries hard.

He still needs to work on every facet of his offense.  He was the worst offensive guard in the league this year and last night didn't change that. 

He's a role player.  Period.

the role he played in the second half last night was that of the best player in the game.

[hwangjini_1]

He's still got to show he can have decent offensive success over a long sample, but last night was really something.  Renewed my hope that he can reach a level higher than defensive backup.

i understand exactly what you are saying and agree. but....at the same time, i dont know if i  have ever seen a player take over a game DUE TO DEFENSE AND ALL AROUND EFFORT like this before.

even if smart turns out to be a mediocre scorer/shooter, the rest of his game will still create multiple wins every season. the closest i have seen to someone doing this recently is KG in his prime.

[spikelovetheCelts]

Nothing has changed really.  He's a good defender that tries hard.

He still needs to work on every facet of his offense.  He was the worst offensive guard in the league this year and last night didn't change that. 

He's a role player.  Period.

And you are an average blogger. You can't coach heart and Smart has it like Pete Rose. He will rise because he works hard.

[rollie mass]

He had a great game, but to shut people up he needs to do it consistently in all reality.  Good game 1 and 4, not so good game 2 & 3.

I think he rose to the occasion last night and almost got in a duel with Milsap scoring late in the game.

If Marcus Smart played like that consistently he'd be one of the twenty best players in NBA history.  So saying he needs to be a hall of fame type player to shut people up, makes me think some people have unrealistic expectations.

Actually, he wasn't particularly good yesterday either -- except for the last 10 minutes of the game. But that has now been permanently erased from the minds of most folks, it seems.

i think you should rewatch the game-his defense on korver was elite pushing him off his spots,playing physical and getting over screens
  the smart putback of a turner miss on layup by running the court,not quitting or watching the play and putting himself in that position,missed another offensive put back by a fraction ,there he was again putting himself in position wiht hustle and desire
marcus was instrumental in many of the celtics beyond belief comebacks with use of defence
this is exactly the type of poster that doesn't see the game and totally minimizes the smart shutting down corver-in the subject title its says shut SOME POSTERS  up,
  this guy is the perfect example of blinded by ignorance or he never played-

[kozlodoev]

even if smart turns out to be a mediocre scorer/shooter, the rest of his game will still create multiple wins every season.

Right now the team has considerably more modest goals for him -- to prove he can be kept on the floor without offsetting his defensive contribution with ill-advised shots, ill-advised fouls, and generally poor offensive performance.

It kind of worked for part of the game yesterday -- but a lot of his play in the third quarter was particularly hard to stomach.

[kozlodoev]

He had a great game, but to shut people up he needs to do it consistently in all reality.  Good game 1 and 4, not so good game 2 & 3.

I think he rose to the occasion last night and almost got in a duel with Milsap scoring late in the game.

If Marcus Smart played like that consistently he'd be one of the twenty best players in NBA history.  So saying he needs to be a hall of fame type player to shut people up, makes me think some people have unrealistic expectations.

Actually, he wasn't particularly good yesterday either -- except for the last 10 minutes of the game. But that has now been permanently erased from the minds of most folks, it seems.

i think you should rewatch the game-his defense on korver was elite pushing him off his spots,playing phyical and getting over screens  the smart putback of a turner miss on layup by running the court and putting himself in that position,missed another offensive put back by a fraction ,there he was again putting himself in position wit hustle and desire
marcus was instrumental in many of the celtics beyond belief comebacks with use of defence
this is exactly the type of poster that doesn't see the game and totally minimizes the smart shutting down corver-

Yes, we should all rewatch the game and get in line. Marcus Smart will be the starrest of stars.

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/ben-rohrbach/2016/04/25/five-minutes-made-marcus-smart-playoff-hero

[droopdog7]

I love heart and hustle just like everyone else.  But I'm not going to get confused and call Smart a star, or even a budding star. 

Way too many holes in his game for any of that nonsense.

[D Dub]

If it's J Randle on Milsap down the stretch, we're down 3-1. 

Nuff said.

[Ilikesports17]

He had a great game, but to shut people up he needs to do it consistently in all reality.  Good game 1 and 4, not so good game 2 & 3.

I think he rose to the occasion last night and almost got in a duel with Milsap scoring late in the game.

If Marcus Smart played like that consistently he'd be one of the twenty best players in NBA history.  So saying he needs to be a hall of fame type player to shut people up, makes me think some people have unrealistic expectations.

Actually, he wasn't particularly good yesterday either -- except for the last 10 minutes of the game. But that has now been permanently erased from the minds of most folks, it seems.

i think you should rewatch the game-his defense on korver was elite pushing him off his spots,playing phyical and getting over screens  the smart putback of a turner miss on layup by running the court and putting himself in that position,missed another offensive put back by a fraction ,there he was again putting himself in position wit hustle and desire
marcus was instrumental in many of the celtics beyond belief comebacks with use of defence
this is exactly the type of poster that doesn't see the game and totally minimizes the smart shutting down corver-

Yes, we should all rewatch the game and get in line. Marcus Smart will be the starrest of stars.

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/ben-rohrbach/2016/04/25/five-minutes-made-marcus-smart-playoff-hero

Is Brad Stevens still a bad coach? or have you gotten off that train yet.

Also, Smart is not a star, not even close. I still am not sure if he has star potential. I think Im leaning towards no. However, stars make big plays when you need them too. Marcus clearly has a knack for the big play. He also has a terrible shot, a knack for the stupid play, and has a lot of difficulty finishing at the rim.

But all 3 of those are very fixable things. As the game slows down for him, he will improve his finishing. Shooting is typically something players improve a lot, and the mental mistakes will presumably go away with age.

Marcus has always been a guy who makes big plays when you need him to. Now hes proven hes just as clutch in the playoffs. Thats worth major points.

A very flawed player for sure, but you cant just watch a performance where he takes over an absolutely must win playoff game on both sides of the ball for the 4th quarter and OT and just brush it aside.

[Ilikesports17]

Only guy from the 2014 draft to make a real impact on a playoff game.

I may be missing someone but i dont think so.

Bogdanovich I guess.

[LarBrd33]

Last time people overreacted to a Marcus smart game was when he had his big night against Westbrook and followed it up with like two straight months of below 40% shooting.

He's shooting 38% for the series.  Until he does this consistently the completed warranted criticism will remain.  He was 1-11 in game 2.   I said it in the two other threads about him - it was a huge performance. He is still an awful shooter, but he seems to make up for it with the clutch gene.

[kozlodoev]

But all 3 of those are very fixable things. As the game slows down for him, he will improve his finishing. Shooting is typically something players improve a lot, and the mental mistakes will presumably go away with age.

Yup, that's why some GMs keep drafting big dudes because "you can't teach size". How is that working out most of the time?

The proof is in the pudding. Sullinger's weight and Rondo's free throws are also "very fixable things".

[PhoSita]

He's still got to show he can have decent offensive success over a long sample, but last night was really something.  Renewed my hope that he can reach a level higher than defensive backup.

i understand exactly what you are saying and agree. but....at the same time, i dont know if i  have ever seen a player take over a game DUE TO DEFENSE AND ALL AROUND EFFORT like this before.

even if smart turns out to be a mediocre scorer/shooter, the rest of his game will still create multiple wins every season. the closest i have seen to someone doing this recently is KG in his prime.

I agree, it's hard to even think of examples of guys who impact the game defensively like Smart does. Tony Allen is probably the most similar.

Still, I think to be a long term starter he will need to become a credible threat to do SOMETHING offensively on a regular basis.

[LarBrd33]

But all 3 of those are very fixable things. As the game slows down for him, he will improve his finishing. Shooting is typically something players improve a lot, and the mental mistakes will presumably go away with age.

Yup, that's why some GMs keep drafting big dudes because "you can't teach size". How is that working out most of the time?

The proof is in the pudding. Sullinger's weight and Rondo's free throws are also "very fixable things".

It's much easier to make a decent defender out of a bad one (Ray Allen for example) than it is to make a good offensive player out of a bad one.  Guys like rondo and Rubio were always just a consistent shot away from being superstars. It usually doesn't happen. Hopefully Marcus is breaking out, though.  He didn't improve in year 2, but maybe it's finally happening in the playoffs.

[Ilikesports17]

But all 3 of those are very fixable things. As the game slows down for him, he will improve his finishing. Shooting is typically something players improve a lot, and the mental mistakes will presumably go away with age.

Yup, that's why some GMs keep drafting big dudes because "you can't teach size". How is that working out most of the time?

The proof is in the pudding. Sullinger's weight and Rondo's free throws are also "very fixable things".

It's much easier to make a decent defender out of a bad one (Ray Allen for example) than it is to make a good offensive player out of a bad one.  Guys like rondo and Rubio were always just a consistent shot away from being superstars. It usually doesn't happen. Hopefully Marcus is breaking out, though.  He didn't improve in year 2, but maybe it's finally happening in the playoffs.

Absolutely. I agree with both comments. I think that Marcus's issues are fixable. I think Rondos issues were fixable. I think Sullys, looking back, were not, but 3 years ago I would have said otherwise. There's no garuntee smarts shot will improve. He could well be a Rondo TA type shooter his whole career.

I just think they are all very improvable things.