Celtics Legend Bill Russell Appreciated Marcus Smart Sticking Up For His Teammate

https://nesn.com/2018/05/celtics-legend-bill-russell-appreciated-marcus-smart-sticking-up-for-his-teammate/



Celtics Legend Bill Russell Appreciated Marcus Smart Sticking Up For His Teammate



by Mike Cole on Wed, May 16, 2018 at 8:38AM



Photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images



Marcus Smart earned praise from Brad Stevens, LeBron James and probably myriad others for his performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night. But one plaudit stood out above the rest.

Smart was the backbone of the Celtics’ comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, a win that has Boston two games from the NBA Finals. The guard was all over the place, diving on loose balls, grabbing rebounds in traffic, setting up teammates and also chipping in with 11 points.

His all-around effort even caught the attention of Celtics legend Bill Russell. Most notably, Russell was impressed with how Smart defended Al Horford, who went crashing to the floor after a dirty two-handed shove from Cavs no-show J.R. Smith.

Russell congratulated Smart and the Celtics with a series of post-game tweets after the win.

TheBillRussell @RealBillRussell 12h #marcussmart has it correct always stick up for your teammates. #CelticsNation #CelticsVsCavs @Al_Horford @NBA @espn Really enjoying the @celtics play Team work!

TheBillRussell @RealBillRussell Sorry @smart_MS3 could not find you, congratulations @celtics. Great Win 8:04 PM - May 15, 2018


Not a bad feather in the cap for Smart and the rest of the Celtics.



bob
MY NOTE: Straight from a basketball god's mouth to Marcus Smart's ear...


.