Chase Hughes: Isaiah Thomas was asked about his return to Boston on Wednesday. When discussing his former teammate Marcus Smart, IT said: “He flops.”
Marcus Smart Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 03/06/94
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight:227 lbs. / 103 kg.
Salary: $12,553,571
Born: 03/06/94
Height: 6-3 / 1.91
Weight:227 lbs. / 103 kg.
Salary: $12,553,571
Mark Murphy: Marcus Smart on losing Gordon Hayward: “We love seeing Gordon the way he’s been playing. We love seeing that Gordon. We just all feel so bad for him because he worked so hard to come back from one injury, with all the things he’s been doing, and now this happens.”
Marcus Smart fined
Tom Westerholm: The NBA announces Marcus Smart has been fined $15,000 for criticizing the officiating last night.
Jared Weiss: Brad on Smart yelling at coach: “This is the part about Marcus that I love. His fire, his competitiveness. If there’s a moment where he’s upset with us, that’s all part of it…We’ve been together a long time. I’ve been yelled at before and that’s ok. I love him and I trust him.”
Tom Westerholm: Brad Stevens compares Grant Williams to Marcus Smart in terms of intangibles. Adds that Williams is still learning not to over help, but he expects Grant to figure it out because he’s smart.
This is what Smart does. On a night where a teammate hits 17 of 20 shots, Smart has a similarly important impact that his eight points, five rebounds, and four assists can’t measure. “I scouted plays for Kevin Love for a long time now, so I picked up on tendencies and I’m such a great defender that I believe in myself and I’m always going to go with myself a hundred percent of the time,” Smart said, describing how he shooed away a double team in an effort to guard Love himself. “It’s about pride at that point and you got to dig down. So I always call the double team off every chance I get and try to take care of it myself.”
Kemba Walker has called Smart a Warrior so many times it’s hard to keep track. After a night like this, it’s going to be hard for Kemba to stop. Smart will always draw the tough assignment, whether it’s Steph Curry or Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’ll gladly defend anyone, which is why he calls himself a “stretch-6.” “I love those types of challenges, especially on a night like tonight,” Smart said. “When I seen the matchup, I was excited for it.”
