Victory Cigar!!! BOS 110 @ DAL 102 (16-2)

[ermocrate]

Well, closers are gonna close, gave it to Jaylen for his consitency. I'm also amazed how Marcus is efficient at digging us in a hole and then makes 2-3 plays to make us come back.

[ermocrate]

So let me ask you this. How much do you believe Smart is worth, and if you could trade him for one player in the league that you think another team would actually go for, who would your choice be?

He's worth more to us than he would fetch in a trade so the latter question is irrelevant, imo.

As for the former, 4/55 and I'm happy. He'll probably end up getting more.

More from us, or another team. I was more interested what you would pay him max.

Well the same thing we said for AB, he has gone to Detroit and now he is more valuable for Detroit than he would have possibly be for us.

[Kolkmania]

It seems only with Marcus where his key plays somehow matter more than other players key plays. I don't get it. He is the most polarizing Celtic in years.

If the season ended today, he is probably the DPOY.

Anyone care to refute that?

OK THEN!

I'm a big-time Marcus fan and the **** he gets on this board is ridiculous, but I'm not sure it's as cut and dry as you claim. According to On/Off numbers he makes our defense 10.3 points better per 100 possessions. Jaylen makes us 11.3 points better per 100 possessions. The emergence of Jaylen as a defensive wonder and the loss of IT have a lot to do with our defensive prowess this year.

As far as Marcus Smart taking "too many shots", y'all need to remember that the defense often gets to determine who takes the shot, especially when your offense isn't executing well. That has a lot to do with all the attempts Marcus takes. Also, some of our other players are too passive and Smart is forced to take on more shot-creation than is ideal. Too many guys pitch him the ball with 5 seconds on the shot clock.

I agree it's not as simple as looking at the shot attempts. At times you want to take the shot, because you want to show you're confident enough to make them to make the defense guard you at the line. However the amount off shots he takes off the dribble is just inexcusable, especially when they're early in the clock.

Smart assisted 3's: .667 of total 3PA
Irving assisted 3's: .676 of total 3PA

An underexposed thing with Smart is his ridiculously poor shooting numbers at the rim, last year 48.8% at the rim and this year down to 39.3%. That's probably the key for Smart, try to find a way to be more efficient at the rim and increase his FTr.

Smart is good, really good, but would be even better if the USG% reduces and therefore the number of crazy shots he takes. I think that's the main point.

[FlatearthZorro]

If the season ended today, he is probably the DPOY.

Anyone care to refute that?

OK THEN!

I'm a big-time Marcus fan and the **** he gets on this board is ridiculous, but I'm not sure it's as cut and dry as you claim. According to On/Off numbers he makes our defense 10.3 points better per 100 possessions. Jaylen makes us 11.3 points better per 100 possessions. The emergence of Jaylen as a defensive wonder and the loss of IT have a lot to do with our defensive prowess this year.

As far as Marcus Smart taking "too many shots", y'all need to remember that the defense often gets to determine who takes the shot, especially when your offense isn't executing well. That has a lot to do with all the attempts Marcus takes. Also, some of our other players are too passive and Smart is forced to take on more shot-creation than is ideal. Too many guys pitch him the ball with 5 seconds on the shot clock.

I agree it's not as simple as looking at the shot attempts. At times you want to take the shot, because you want to show you're confident enough to make them to make the defense guard you at the line. However the amount off shots he takes off the dribble is just inexcusable, especially when they're early in the clock.

Smart assisted 3's: .667 of total 3PA
Irving assisted 3's: .676 of total 3PA

An underexposed thing with Smart is his ridiculously poor shooting numbers at the rim, last year 48.8% at the rim and this year down to 39.3%. That's probably the key for Smart, try to find a way to be more efficient at the rim and increase his FTr.

Smart is good, really good, but would be even better if the USG% reduces and therefore the number of crazy shots he takes. I think that's the main point.

Pretty much this. He has very poor shot selection. He should know his role a tad better

[SichtingLives]

this game was ugly as $hit and a lot of our bench guys have regressed into something not at all useful as they keep getting bailed out. Morris has uses for us particular on defense but he fits like bald eagle in a lunchbox with the peanut butter and the raisinettes. Rozier man he has been terrible for right now If I had to give him and smart a nickname I'd call them $hit x2 until they show out of it. Baynes off the bench with that unit is not helping Theis is stil giving decent minutes AND WERE WINNING but these things need to get sorted. All the cohesion and balance we had is bye bye for now. Hope Brad is tossing around some of the hatchet murderer eyes, those Bobby Portis eyes and saying HEY. GUYS. YA CAN'T DO THIS BECAUSE I'LL. PLAY. NADER. (bang) BANG I SAID IT (he said it). NADER. And we all know we DON'T WANT THAT so LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 10 mg zolpidem tartate for sleep ask your doctor

[TheMartian]

Clicked on the GB for the first time in months, saw a Bertrob post, and immediately left.

Wasn't Bertrob a Celtics fan in the past? I seem to recall him being here during the KG era. Or am I thinking about a different poster?

Same dude, he's a Pels fans now and actually talking the Celtics down. Weird dude.

Yeah, definitely weird. Wonder what happened to make him go Moose on us.

[KevinGamble34]

Just watched on replay - great game. Gave my vote to Kyrie who was fantastic.

2nd unit needs a consistent scorer.

[Homerclease]

I'm glad he made huge plays down the stretch without which we wouldn't win the game.
As I and countless others pointed out, he helped shoot us out of a big lead.
Plenty to deal with on both 'sides' instead of acting like this is one of those clear-cut things, like how Jaylen Brown isn't good at basketball.

It seems only with Marcus where his key plays somehow matter more than other players key plays. I don't get it. He is the most polarizing Celtic in years.

If the season ended today, he is probably the DPOY.

Anyone care to refute that?

OK THEN!

I’ll dispute that. I’d give it to Horford over Smart if the season ends today

[zoyathedestroya]

I liked the dude in the mask. He's good at putting the basketball in the hoop thing. I voted for him.

I also liked the burly guard, who stops people from putting the basketball in the hoop thing (even stopped his own teammate not too long ago). Not too many people like him it seems.

Shoutout to the best young wing combo in the league. They don't crack under pressure.

That performance was dumbfounding, stunning, mesmerizing, and left me breathless near the end. I still don't know how they pulled it off. I know but I don't know, you know? This team is going places.

What's the GB and pundits saying now? That we peaked early? That we're lucky Baynes elbowed Kyrie in the face? That Brad can't win without putting Larkin in the game?

Streak is alive. Break the franchise record. Go Cs!

[Half-Full]

The cigar is Kyrie's. What a performance! Remarkable! The mask? What is it? A +5 Mask of Dominance? We still need to stop digging these holes, but who can complain about a 16 game winning streak?

[Green89]

Which is why he's so uniquely valuable and worth resigning.

That doesn't mean Boston's offensive possessions should so regularly result in a Smart jumper.

I feel like the Smart discussion has gotten too binary. He's either the worst offensive player of all time or he's a guy who singlehandedly wins games in the fourth quarter. The truth is somewhere in the vast, reasonable middle.

But no one on our bench can create in the least. Hayward was a huge loss there, and Smart stepping into that void.

Yup. I think we'll see a move for a bench creator to help this team reach its potential. And/or they'll hand more responsibility to Tatum as the year goes on and play through him more with the bench.

I'm all for getting Tatum more shots in any way possible.

[SeizeCoup]

I voted for Irving. He is a wizard, a magic man with the basketball. Da fuq did we do to deserve him?!

Well, closers are gonna close, gave it to Jaylen for his consitency. I'm also amazed how Marcus is efficient at digging us in a hole and then makes 2-3 plays to make us come back.

I'm loving Jaylen, but he has to get the FT% up as a next step towards his eventual stardom.

Both Marcus boys mess with my mind over the course of a game, both in good and bad ways.

[Froob]

Didn't bet on this one, but damn spread was 7 1/2 and we were down 6 with 3 mins to go. Super clutch cover.

[celticfan42487]

It seems only with Marcus where his key plays somehow matter more than other players key plays. I don't get it. He is the most polarizing Celtic in years.

I wouldn't say he's polarizing. 90% of the posters can do math and know Smart sucks.

2 posters like him.

Marcus has his fans, more than two. There are valid reasons to like him. There are valid reasons to not. Thus, the polarizing.

I think we can eventually replace the hustle, passing and the defense with someone who brings that with better offensive talent. Hell, I'd take Evan Turner in the same role of not for that **** up contract... Fortunately we have some great actual two way production going on around him that it can make up for his offensive atrocities.

Yeah, if there's one position that's easily replaceable it's the PG one.

Wish we got Bledsoe for him.

We just need a solid sixth man that can help run the offense like Bledsoe, or even Turner like you said who really did play out of his mind for us. It's just too bad Turner got paid so much, I agree.

It probably won't be this season, but if we just put Rozier in Smart's role and had Gerald Green out there we would be a much better team. There's just no upside in Gerald Green that might help us for future assets. Also Ainge didn't sink a top 10 pick into Gerald Green so he wants to ride Smart out to advertise for the league he didn't pick someone who won't be in the NBA at the end of his rookie deal...sadly it doesn't seem like even Ainge can help Smart with that.

[hickfromfrenchlick]

Wokest of them all...

Read on Twitter

That's what those hypercritical of Smart don't understand. There is the box score, there is looking beyond the box score, and then there's Smart. His plays are often sneaky investments, the benefits of which you reap for multiple possessions in ways that are subtle. These plays often have galvanizing effects which go unseen by many fans, but are intimately felt by his teammates.

Once more fans realize that possessions aren't isolated events played in a vacuum, they'll learn to appreciate Smart more. Brad Stevens already knows this, and you all know Brad is a future-HOF coach. If you can't put your trust in Smart, at least put it in Brad.

That's all well and good, but at what point do you say, "hey, guy shooting 25% from the floor, don't take 15 shots a game"? People are acting like it's mutually exclusive: either you appreciate him or you don't. That's silly.

I know you limited it to the "hypercritical" of Smart. I'm saying I don't think there are that many of them here. I think most "critics" are rightfully focusing on his shot selection, while acknowledging all the things he brings to the team.

I have faith in Brad. But at a certain point it is a mistake if he is green-lighting a 25% shooter, no? And it's not the number of shots; it's the shot selection. It's bad. I really don't think most people mind him taking the open 3 from straightaway.

What would the score have been if he took 5 shots last night?

[VeryMuchWoke]

I'm a big-time Marcus fan and the **** he gets on this board is ridiculous, but I'm not sure it's as cut and dry as you claim. According to On/Off numbers he makes our defense 10.3 points better per 100 possessions. Jaylen makes us 11.3 points better per 100 possessions. The emergence of Jaylen as a defensive wonder and the loss of IT have a lot to do with our defensive prowess this year.

As far as Marcus Smart taking "too many shots", y'all need to remember that the defense often gets to determine who takes the shot, especially when your offense isn't executing well. That has a lot to do with all the attempts Marcus takes. Also, some of our other players are too passive and Smart is forced to take on more shot-creation than is ideal. Too many guys pitch him the ball with 5 seconds on the shot clock.

I agree it's not as simple as looking at the shot attempts. At times you want to take the shot, because you want to show you're confident enough to make them to make the defense guard you at the line. However the amount off shots he takes off the dribble is just inexcusable, especially when they're early in the clock.

Smart assisted 3's: .667 of total 3PA
Irving assisted 3's: .676 of total 3PA

An underexposed thing with Smart is his ridiculously poor shooting numbers at the rim, last year 48.8% at the rim and this year down to 39.3%. That's probably the key for Smart, try to find a way to be more efficient at the rim and increase his FTr.

Smart is good, really good, but would be even better if the USG% reduces and therefore the number of crazy shots he takes. I think that's the main point.

Pretty much this. He has very poor shot selection. He should know his role a tad better

Smart, no doubt, launches a few (like 1-3) bad shots per game, but it doesn't warrant the reactions it gets on this board.

[Darth Celtic]

Don't get me wrong. I do love Marcus Smart. I use 36 in most my work passwords. Heck even my debit card pin. But he does have flaws.
He played just trash the first 3 quarters last night and I called him out on it. Too many early shot clock 3's for a bad 3 shooter. Bonehead plays on both ends. Couldn't stop maverick smurf either. Then the 4th and OT comes and he's his normal clutch self.

What I gave Cave a hard time about wasn't if Smart was good, or a winner. It was he said he was our 3rd best player with Hayward out. he is not. Kyrie/Horford/Brown/Tatum...Smart. He's 5th. That's just one of those trolling statements created to drunk/high troll the board and start "this".

And I think Smart will improve this year and is worth resigning for around 10-12m.

[tfmiii]

RAPTOR'S BOARD, when we cut the lead to 5...



I knew then that Kyrie was gonna take over. It's a weird feeling but I like it. This team is crazy fun.

FIXED

[ric munchn]

Shame on all of you who didn't vote for Kyrie. Forget about if Smart didn't shoot 15 times we win by 10. If Kyrie didn't play we lose by 20. Great game by Brown, good game for Tatum, pretty much everyone else not so much.

[Bar Fight]

That sequence where Tatum and Smart saved the ball and Kyrie ended up with a three was the play of the year. Can't teach that type of motor. Team has all the intangibles to be great.