Marcus Smart Shows Off Rugged Game

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/02/boston_celtics_denver_nuggets_7.html



Boston Celtics notes: Marcus Smart shows off rugged game, Isaiah Thomas racks up the assists




Denver Nuggets guard D.J. Augustin, front, reaches out for a loose ball as Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, in Denver. Boston won 121-101. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)


Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on February 22, 2016 at 1:05 AM, updated February 22, 2016 at 2:13 AM




DENVER -- The strategy did not last long at all, but even trying it for the briefest stretch showed how much faith the Boston Celtics have in Marcus Smart's strength and competitive vigor.

For just one possession, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens asked Smart to defend Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried -- also known as "The Manimal" for the emphatic, urgent way he plays basketball. Smart fronted Faried nicely but picked up a third foul while doing it. Stevens quickly subbed in Jae Crowder to change the matchup, an admission, perhaps, that the idea had been crazy from the start.

It was nuts, but Smart can make some nutty tactics work. The guard held his own against 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis for a stretch earlier this season and routinely guards bigger players. Smart didn't stay on Faried long Sunday, but still finished Boston's 121-101 victory with four steals, a charge drawn, and one of the most exciting spinning, over-batted passes the world will ever see. Add in some streaky shooting, a handful of irritated opponents and a technical foul -- which he later disputed -- and Smart showed off just about his entire repertoire, good and bad.

"I think you coach each guy a little bit differently," Stevens said. "But I think his spirit, his competitiveness, are things that you prioritize above all else when you're coaching him. You don't want to hinder that or hamper that in any way."

On the Celtics, Smart has plenty of competitive company. Even before he entered the game, Jae Crowder had picked up two steals. Avery Bradley loves challenges, too, and it's incredible Isaiah Thomas can burst to the hoop the way he does with that massive chip on his shoulder. During the third quarter, Thomas could be seen yapping at Nikola Jokic even though Thomas needed to look up more than a foot to do it. Up and down the roster, the Celtics compete.

Even around guys like that, Smart's will stands out. Beware of throwing entry passes in his vicinity:

https://vine.co/v/irwDZILJugT


And good luck if you and he both chase after the same loose ball:

https://vine.co/v/irwpHq9ZFEi


Smart probably even sleeps violently, waging war with his blanket and whichever pillow dares to rest underneath his head. His game is loud.

"He always plays like that," Jared Sullinger said.

The Celtics forced 24 turnovers and showed pride they regained the defensive identity they had lost in recent weeks. Despite a mid-game lull, they scored with elite efficiency, stampeded on top of the Nuggets early and responded after a 26-point lead was cut to five.

Six minutes after Denver pulled that close, Smart slid over into the paint to take a charge on the 7-foot, 280-pound Jusuf Nurkic. Smart knows how to flop (sometimes too aggressively), but took that contact straight to the chest. As Jae Crowder ran over to pull his teammate off the court, a television microphone picked up one of the Celtics telling Smart, "That's what the (expletive) I'm talking about."

Smart will continue to grow as a playmaker and scorer, but already knows how to help his team on a 4-for-12 shooting night. When one reporter suggested Smart antagonizes other teams and everybody needs a guy like that, Stevens cut in, "I would agree with that."


Thomas the assist man

After reaching the double-digit assist mark in seven games entering Sunday, Isaiah Thomas did so again in Denver ... during the first half. Before the break, the 5-foot-9 guard racked up nine points and 10 assists, turning the ball over just once.

"On the pick-and-rolls they were kind of doubling me, keeping two guys on me, so I gave the ball up," Thomas said. "And my job is just to make the right play, and I tried to read the defense and the guys knocked down shots."

"He played great," Evan Turner said. "Obviously he gave the ball up and we made shots for him and he made the right play. And once he's passing it and getting us the ball and everything like that, you have to really pay attention to us. And you have to play him honest, and once you do that he's gonna win the battle nine times out of 10."


Turner the marksman?

Evan Turner only hit nine 3-pointers before the All-Star break, but has drilled one in each of the last two games. After pushing himself to 2 for 3 from deep after the break, he (sort of) warned his opponents not to leave him.

"I mean you've got to respect a 15 percent 3-point shooter, you know what I'm saying?" Turner said. "A guy like that is always lethal, so you can never really ease up. It's 15 percent but it's a big 15 percent."

Sticking with a recent trend, Turner played a big role off the bench. The playmaker notched 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in the first half before finishing with 17, nine and five, respectively.

Over his last 19 games, Turner has averaged 10.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds. He has delivered more assists off the bench than anyone else in the NBA.



bob


.