Marcus Smart hoping locker room outburst will inspire teammates

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Marcus Smart hoping locker room outburst will inspire teammates Empty Marcus Smart hoping locker room outburst will inspire teammates

Post by bobheckler Wed Nov 14, 2018 11:39 am

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/marcus-smart-hoping-locker-room-outburst-will-inspire-teammates



Marcus Smart hoping locker room outburst will inspire teammates



By Chris Forsberg
November 13, 2018 3:09 PM



BRIGHTON, Mass. - As Celtics players stewed in the visitor’s locker room following the loss in Portland on Sunday night that ended a dismal 1-4 road trip, veteran Marcus Smart addressed his teammates, demanding that players stop making excuses for the team’s uneven play and begin putting in the effort necessary to thrive.

Smart, who could be seen visibly upset on the bench as the Celtics lost in Utah on Friday night, said his frustrations had been building throughout the lackluster trip and he thought somebody in the locker room needed to verbalize that Boston’s underwhelming play was unacceptable.

"I hate losing. I probably hate losing more than I love winning,” Smart told NBC Sports Boston after practice Tuesday at the Auerbach Center. "Especially with the team that we have and the potential that we have, we shouldn’t be losing games that we know we should win. Let alone, getting down 20 early and putting more pressure on ourselves and more stress on ourselves to come back.”

His message to the team?

"Just that we can’t be OK with being fighters. Brad came in and he gave us the whole speech about, ‘You know you guys are fighters, you’re resilient,' for us to keep coming back down 20. But, as a team, I just felt like we shouldn’t even accept being down 20 and having to fight to come back. And there’s only so much that Brad and the coaching staff can do.

"We cannot be OK with that. We have to look ourselves in the mirror, look at one another, hold each other accountable, and figure out what’s going on.”

Even Smart isn’t sure what exactly is wrong with the Celtics but both he and his teammates have suggested that it might simply boil down to not putting forth the sort of effort and energy necessary over the full 48 minutes. Smart, who was one of the Celtics’ more consistent energy-givers on the five-game trip, said he felt like someone other than the coaching staff had to tell the team that they needed to figure it out.

"We needed to hear something because obviously what we’re doing isn’t working,” said Smart. "The norm of just coming in and, ‘Hey, we’re going to figure it out.’ The definition of insanity, everybody knows, is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. So it’s insane.

“It’s something that I just felt like, I was tired of it so I know those guys were. So I just said what was on my mind. I’m sure everybody else was thinking it, but I just said it. I hope they didn’t take it the wrong way and I hope it gives us the boost that we need because we have a chance to be really great. But not at the rate we’re going.”

Stevens wasn’t surprised to find out that Smart had tried to light a fire under his teammates.

"I've seen nothing change about Marcus Smart since he walked in the building. He's been that way since he got here, and he's been willing to step up and say things since he's been here,” said Stevens. "He wears his heart on his sleeve, as you all know, and he's extremely passionate.

"But he hates to lose. Obviously, we all do, and it's been a tough stretch. We've played good teams. They've outplayed us. And, at the same time, Marcus is a guy whose voice you expect to hear.”

Smart, the No. 6 pick in the 2014 draft, is easily Boston’s longest-tenured player. Now in his fifth year, Smart said he felt the locker room simply needed to hear a voice speak up.

"I expect, if they feel like I’m not doing my job, to say something to me as well,” said Smart. I feel like as a team, we weren’t doing our job — as a team. So I felt like we should hear that. I wasn’t going to wait for anybody else to say it. That’s kinda the thing, everybody waits for somebody else to do it, but it could have been done by you. So I just decided to say it.”

Smart said it’s unfathomable how Celtics players can come to practice each day and beat each other up, playing a high level of basketball, and then look like a shell of themselves in games. He wants that to change immediately.

"We come into practice every day and we beat each other up,” said Smart. "Then we get out there and it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re not going to beat these guys,’ or, ‘We don’t want to fight.’

"We're no longer the hunter. We’re the hunted now. Everybody is coming after us, everybody sees and reads what’s been said and what we’ve done. And, rightfully so as competitors, they take it as a disrespect to them, they want to go out and prove what they can do, so we’re going to get everybody’s best game. And if we’re not expecting that then, we’re going to continue to keep going into these deficits and getting our ass kicked.”



bob
MY NOTE:  "I hate losing. I probably hate losing more than I love winning,”.  Reason #147,328 why I love Mahcus Smaht and was ecstatic when Danny re-signed him this summer.  If he could shoot he'd be All-World.  Al may be the team's Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jaylen Brown might be their Socrates and Kyrie might be their Mr. Wizard but Smart is their Achilles (shooting heel and all).  He's the one they follow into battle because he wants to be on the front line.


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Post by dboss Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:21 pm

There is only one thing wrong.

The Celtics need to start making a higher percentage of those wide open 3 point shots.

Eight of your top 10 teams in 3PA are in the East.

This weapon is here to stay for the foreseeable future unless they move the line back or add a 4 point shot.

The Celtics remain # 1 in defending the 3 (.311%)

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Post by dbrown4 Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:40 pm

Agreed, Bob. Could not have said it any better. He needs to start if Brad's making a line up change any time soon.

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Post by gyso Wed Nov 14, 2018 1:48 pm

I see a problem on defense.  

Our perimeter defender allows the opposing player to get his shoulder past our defender.  Then the opposing player drives to the paint with our defender chasing him.  If someone in the paint actually steps up to defend the player with the ball, their player dumps it to another player that fills in under the basket from the weak side.

Result:  Easy basket.  Over and over again.

Our defending player has to stay in front the other player or at least force him laterally.  But he doesn't.  It is a continual layup drill.

It is not on pick and rolls.  It happens when we are covering them one on one.

It is just something I have noticed and I do not remember it happening before.

Doesn't the term, "ICE", mean to push your opponent laterally to another defender?  We are not doing it.  Perhaps we suffer from a lack of effort on defense because everyone keeps harping on our offense and that is where our focus is on.

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Post by dboss Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:11 pm

Yes there are problems on defense as well but there are a lot of very talented offensive players in the league. our guys have been tasked with defending the perimeter so they are more vulnerable to dribble penetration. We do not have a shot blocker back their to cover for these mistakes and our defensive rotations often find themselves velcroed to their man. A guy gets beat but no one comes o help. These are things that must be worked out but they have the type of quickness and athleticism on this team to play much better.

A Good offense is a good defense. Making shots at a higher percentage provides more time to set up their half court defense.
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Post by gyso Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:11 pm

Having very talented offensive players in the league is not a new thing. Celtics perimeter defenders getting continually beaten off of the dribble is, IMO.

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Post by dboss Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:28 pm

Marcus is absolutely correct.

There was a lot of slippage in the defense on the road. I think it turned into a mental thing. Grinding on defense all game long when your offense is sputtering is very difficult but at the same time it is a defining element of who the Celtics are supposed to be.

Effort, energy and execution was missing during the 5 game road trip. Each game where Marcus came into to the game you could see how the defense seemed to ramp up. I also thought that in game adjustments were just not there.

I am going to provide some interesting stats in another thread
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