Celtics General Thread 2019-20, "Re-Start"

[Gant]

Read on Twitter

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=28159616

Cool Zach Lowe pod with Marcus. Strongly recommend checking it out. Only 30 mins.

EDIT: LOL Zach slips and refers to the Celtics as 'us' around 16 mins.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

WOW.

Recap of the interesting tidbits, with some of my own thoughts in parentheses:

-some guys tell Marcus to take it easy on them when he's playing defense
-Lowe asked about what the difference between this year and last year - Marcus Smart said things are more fun this year. For him personally, last year was tough because of his mom passing. This year is different. Everyone is confident, believes in themselves, having fun. This year, players are talking to each other about what they're working on individually, whereas last year, they were holding it all in. Last year, you didn't know what everyone was going through, you were afraid to talk, you didn't know how to talk to each other. Guys were afraid to show emotion, that you weren't allowed to cry because of the stigma that it wasn't manly.
-Guys were afraid to open up to each other because they weren't sure that the other guys would be able to understand, or even be willing to understand.
-last year, the pent up aggression brought the team down.
- Marcus said Kyrie is a great person, but also had his issues. Mentions that Kyrie was going through some issues alone that he had never had to deal with before (ie owning his own team without having Lebron)
- Marcus suspected that things were going to change (i.e. Kyrie was leaving) after the first loss against Milwaukee in the second round (Wow. That means Kyrie even lied to his teammates since at least December, when he was already flirting with the Nets. )
- Marcus said he knew change was coming after the first loss to Milwaukee. Didn't know what the change was, but also said that change is not necessarily a bad thing. Viewed change as an opportunity for the team and individuals to find out what really makes them happy
- Marcus addressed the notion of resentment towards Gordon last year being force-fed minutes by Brad. He said that the team really wanted Gordon to play so well. Said that after seeing Hayward's injury, and then trying to come back when he wasn't 100%, they had respect for him. They wanted him to do so well, that they were actually forcing him do things that he wasn't ready for yet, or wasn't confident in yet. Says it was all out of love, no malice or spite in it. Team really wanted to see him do great when he came back from injury, and that Hayward wasn't ready for that pressure (I'm not so sure I view Kyrie/Tatum/Brown/Morris being this supportive of Gordon, but coming from Marcus - I 100% believe it)
- says the team feels for Gordon after his latest injury, because they were finally seeing the player he was capable of being. Just bad timing, but at least the injury isn't as serious.
- Marcus still has pieces of glass stuck in his hand, and that doctors told him it would be dangerous to try and remove it, so they just left them in.
- Marcus says he would love to keep his starting job, but it's more about winning. If him starting equates to winning, then that's cool. If him coming off the bench equates to winning, he's fine with that too, but really, he says he wants to start. Lol
- Game 7 against the Cavs - Smart's only memory is how close they were to reaching the Finals. Still haunts him.
- Marcus said that Kemba, Jayson, Jaylen and him all heard the talk that the Celtics wouldn't be contenders. They all made a vow to keep quiet, let the other teams do the talking, and once the season started, they were going to come out blazing. Said that the fast start does not surprise him at all.
- Marcus hasn't changed his mechanics on his shot. Just said that his confidence is up.
- says the talk of him being a bad shooter affected him before, when he wasn't sure that teammates even wanted to pass him the ball. However, that just made him work even harder.
- he says that Timelord and Wanamaker told him that this year, whenever he has shot the ball, the whole bench thinks it's going in every time(this is true. They are usually standing up already, ready to celebrate when Marcus shoots it)
- Marcus thinks his shooting is sustainable.
- Marcus didn't like robes before, didn't understand them. Said one day, he was wearing his robe and was too lazy to change. Just decided to go to the gym with it on, and people started to like it, told him to wear it to the game. Says that he is buying the whole training staff customized robes.
- Lowe told Smart that when the Celtics were doing intel on him before the 2014 draft, everyone said he was a great person, but was an absolute slob. Clothes everywhere, pig pen style. Marcus said this was not true, and that he's a prankster. He says he intentionally leaves trash and clothes in other peoples' areas.
- best prank while he's been in Boston so far? - refers to the Romeo Langford prank in Chipotle
- Lowe asked if he's talked to James Harden about the 2 offensive fouls he drew in that final minute against the Rockets back in 2017. Smart said that he and Harden are cool, and that Harden has told him how good he is on defense. Marcus said he was flattered, considering how good Harden is on offense. No hard feelings towards each other. Says they have a mutual respect for each other. Smart insists that he didn't flop on those 2 fouls, and that Harden did, in fact, push him.
-says that Embiid did flop when Smart pushed him. Says that he and Embiid are cool off the court, but on the court, they aren't friends and that he's trying to kill people, even during practice against his own teammates.
-when Joel went at him, Smart didn't back up. Smart says he's always ready, growing up as the youngest of 4 boys. Also says that if he were to lose a fight, that you would better be prepared to see him everyday until he wins a fight (I love this guy!)
- he wants to guard Kyrie when they play against each other.
- when Marcus was a RFA, front office person from within the Celtics told Lowe that Marcus is one guy who truly appreciates the history of the Celtics, what it means to be a Celtic, wants to be a Celtics. Asked him if it was tough during RFA and how they didn't extend him, but yet they extended Jaylen before he became a RFA. Smart said it was tough because he had confidence in himself but that the team didn't value him as highly, but that didn't change things for him when they extended Jaylen. Said he understands it's a business. Says he is still happy here, glad to be here, but when it's time for his next contract, Marcus wants to get what he feels he is worth
- addressed AD's dad's comments about Boston not being loyal. Says that players from other teams talk to him about that, but that Marcus asserts that it is a business, and that you can't let things get too personal. Can't mix personal side with business side.
- Lowe asked if he thought they were getting AD, and wondered how he coped with the rumors, seeing as how his contract was very trade-able. Smart said it wasn't discussed among the players. Also said that he wasn't worried about being traded, but that if he was traded, he wanted to make sure that we would regret trading him (I'm pretty scared of this thought. Danny, please - never, EVER, trade Marcus Smart).
- Smart has cut back on his yoga and muay-thai.
- Lowe asked him if he has worked on his passing, since Doug Christie had complimented him about it during a game. Smart says he will turn down a good shot in order to get his teammates a great shot. He feels that passing is contagious, and that everyone gets more comfortable when they touch the ball. Everyone now knows they are playing for each other.
- Smart wants to win DPOY. Says that Payton did it as a guard. Smart would love to be the next guard to win it.

Also, a bit OT from this post, but the Celtics Beat podcast last week had Tony Allen on for about an hour, and he loves, loves, LOVES Marcus Smart. Says he and Patrick Beverly are the best defenders in the game right now, but he's biased towards Smart because he attended the same college as Tony, as well as the fact that Marcus can guard all positions.

[Feed Your Head]

EDIT: fixing the quote mess, hopefully. djFan71.

Spoiler:

http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=28159616

Cool Zach Lowe pod with Marcus. Strongly recommend checking it out. Only 30 mins.

EDIT: LOL Zach slips and refers to the Celtics as 'us' around 16 mins.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

WOW.

Recap of the interesting tidbits, with some of my own thoughts in parentheses:

-some guys tell Marcus to take it easy on them when he's playing defense
-Lowe asked about what the difference between this year and last year - Marcus Smart said things are more fun this year. For him personally, last year was tough because of his mom passing. This year is different. Everyone is confident, believes in themselves, having fun. This year, players are talking to each other about what they're working on individually, whereas last year, they were holding it all in. Last year, you didn't know what everyone was going through, you were afraid to talk, you didn't know how to talk to each other. Guys were afraid to show emotion, that you weren't allowed to cry because of the stigma that it wasn't manly.
-Guys were afraid to open up to each other because they weren't sure that the other guys would be able to understand, or even be willing to understand.
-last year, the pent up aggression brought the team down.
- Marcus said Kyrie is a great person, but also had his issues. Mentions that Kyrie was going through some issues alone that he had never had to deal with before (ie owning his own team without having Lebron)
- Marcus suspected that things were going to change (i.e. Kyrie was leaving) after the first loss against Milwaukee in the second round (Wow. That means Kyrie even lied to his teammates since at least December, when he was already flirting with the Nets. )
- Marcus said he knew change was coming after the first loss to Milwaukee. Didn't know what the change was, but also said that change is not necessarily a bad thing. Viewed change as an opportunity for the team and individuals to find out what really makes them happy
- Marcus addressed the notion of resentment towards Gordon last year being force-fed minutes by Brad. He said that the team really wanted Gordon to play so well. Said that after seeing Hayward's injury, and then trying to come back when he wasn't 100%, they had respect for him. They wanted him to do so well, that they were actually forcing him do things that he wasn't ready for yet, or wasn't confident in yet. Says it was all out of love, no malice or spite in it. Team really wanted to see him do great when he came back from injury, and that Hayward wasn't ready for that pressure (I'm not so sure I view Kyrie/Tatum/Brown/Morris being this supportive of Gordon, but coming from Marcus - I 100% believe it)
- says the team feels for Gordon after his latest injury, because they were finally seeing the player he was capable of being. Just bad timing, but at least the injury isn't as serious.
- Marcus still has pieces of glass stuck in his hand, and that doctors told him it would be dangerous to try and remove it, so they just left them in.
- Marcus says he would love to keep his starting job, but it's more about winning. If him starting equates to winning, then that's cool. If him coming off the bench equates to winning, he's fine with that too, but really, he says he wants to start. Lol
- Game 7 against the Cavs - Smart's only memory is how close they were to reaching the Finals. Still haunts him.
- Marcus said that Kemba, Jayson, Jaylen and him all heard the talk that the Celtics wouldn't be contenders. They all made a vow to keep quiet, let the other teams do the talking, and once the season started, they were going to come out blazing. Said that the fast start does not surprise him at all.
- Marcus hasn't changed his mechanics on his shot. Just said that his confidence is up.
- says the talk of him being a bad shooter affected him before, when he wasn't sure that teammates even wanted to pass him the ball. However, that just made him work even harder.
- he says that Timelord and Wanamaker told him that this year, whenever he has shot the ball, the whole bench thinks it's going in every time(this is true. They are usually standing up already, ready to celebrate when Marcus shoots it)
- Marcus thinks his shooting is sustainable.
- Marcus didn't like robes before, didn't understand them. Said one day, he was wearing his robe and was too lazy to change. Just decided to go to the gym with it on, and people started to like it, told him to wear it to the game. Says that he is buying the whole training staff customized robes.
- Lowe told Smart that when the Celtics were doing intel on him before the 2014 draft, everyone said he was a great person, but was an absolute slob. Clothes everywhere, pig pen style. Marcus said this was not true, and that he's a prankster. He says he intentionally leaves trash and clothes in other peoples' areas.
- best prank while he's been in Boston so far? - refers to the Romeo Langford prank in Chipotle
- Lowe asked if he's talked to James Harden about the 2 offensive fouls he drew in that final minute against the Rockets back in 2017. Smart said that he and Harden are cool, and that Harden has told him how good he is on defense. Marcus said he was flattered, considering how good Harden is on offense. No hard feelings towards each other. Says they have a mutual respect for each other. Smart insists that he didn't flop on those 2 fouls, and that Harden did, in fact, push him.
-says that Embiid did flop when Smart pushed him. Says that he and Embiid are cool off the court, but on the court, they aren't friends and that he's trying to kill people, even during practice against his own teammates.
-when Joel went at him, Smart didn't back up. Smart says he's always ready, growing up as the youngest of 4 boys. Also says that if he were to lose a fight, that you would better be prepared to see him everyday until he wins a fight (I love this guy!)
- he wants to guard Kyrie when they play against each other.
- when Marcus was a RFA, front office person from within the Celtics told Lowe that Marcus is one guy who truly appreciates the history of the Celtics, what it means to be a Celtic, wants to be a Celtics. Asked him if it was tough during RFA and how they didn't extend him, but yet they extended Jaylen before he became a RFA. Smart said it was tough because he had confidence in himself but that the team didn't value him as highly, but that didn't change things for him when they extended Jaylen. Said he understands it's a business. Says he is still happy here, glad to be here, but when it's time for his next contract, Marcus wants to get what he feels he is worth
- addressed AD's dad's comments about Boston not being loyal. Says that players from other teams talk to him about that, but that Marcus asserts that it is a business, and that you can't let things get too personal. Can't mix personal side with business side.
- Lowe asked if he thought they were getting AD, and wondered how he coped with the rumors, seeing as how his contract was very trade-able. Smart said it wasn't discussed among the players. Also said that he wasn't worried about being traded, but that if he was traded, he wanted to make sure that we would regret trading him (I'm pretty scared of this thought. Danny, please - never, EVER, trade Marcus Smart).
- Smart has cut back on his yoga and muay-thai.
- Lowe asked him if he has worked on his passing, since Doug Christie had complimented him about it during a game. Smart says he will turn down a good shot in order to get his teammates a great shot. He feels that passing is contagious, and that everyone gets more comfortable when they touch the ball. Everyone now knows they are playing for each other.
- Smart wants to win DPOY. Says that Payton did it as a guard. Smart would love to be the next guard to win it.

Also, a bit OT from this post, but the Celtics Beat podcast last week had Tony Allen on for about an hour, and he loves, loves, LOVES Marcus Smart. Says he and Patrick Beverly are the best defenders in the game right now, but he's biased towards Smart because he attended the same college as Tony, as well as the fact that Marcus can guard all positions.

The fact that there are still a small group of posters and fans who dislike Smart and refuse to acknowledge what he brings BLOWS MY MIND. Earlier this season there was a poster who only would refer to him as "fatty", like what the hell?!

I actually think he could make an all star team at some point.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

The fact that there are still a small group of posters and fans who dislike Smart and refuse to acknowledge what he brings BLOWS MY MIND. Earlier this season there was a poster who only would refer to him as "fatty", like what the hell?!

I actually think he could make an all star team at some point.

I don't mean this as disrespect to people who don't like him......but if you can't recognize how good Marcus Smart is by now, then it leads me to believe that you only watch the ball when the game is on. The fact that Marcus is now shooting the 3 at a pretty good clip, along with his very underrated passing, is just the cherry on the sundae.

I absolutely love how he's learned to put defenders on his hip, and he just slowly probes the lane looking for a good pass. When nothing is available, he puts up that nifty little floater or he just pulls back out and resets the offense. He's playing under control, and the game has definitely slowed down for him on offense.

As for calling him "fatty" - again, they're just looking at how he's built and not paying attention to what he does out there. The guy is strong as an ox, has great lateral quickness, and has sneaky hops. Pound for pound - the guy is more athletic than Jayson Tatum, IMO. Reference point - go to 2:47 of this video. Does anyone realize how hard it is for a guy of Marcus' height and size to be able to dunk with 2 hands after just taking 1 dribble/2 steps for the gather?

Watch on YouTube

EDIT: We broke RealGM again!!!

[Ernest]

The fact that there are still a small group of posters and fans who dislike Smart and refuse to acknowledge what he brings BLOWS MY MIND. Earlier this season there was a poster who only would refer to him as "fatty", like what the hell?!

I actually think he could make an all star team at some point.

I don't mean this as disrespect to people who don't like him......but if you can't recognize how good Marcus Smart is by now, then it leads me to believe that you only watch the ball when the game is on. The fact that Marcus is now shooting the 3 at a pretty good clip, along with his very underrated passing, is just the cherry on the sundae.

I absolutely love how he's learned to put defenders on his hip, and he just slowly probes the lane looking for a good pass. When nothing is available, he puts up that nifty little floater or he just pulls back out and resets the offense. He's playing under control, and the game has definitely slowed down for him on offense.

As for calling him "fatty" - again, they're just looking at how he's built and not paying attention to what he does out there. The guy is strong as an ox, has great lateral quickness, and has sneaky hops. Pound for pound - the guy is more athletic than Jayson Tatum, IMO. Reference point - go to 2:47 of this video. Does anyone realize how hard it is for a guy of Marcus' height and size to be able to dunk with 2 hands after just taking 1 dribble/2 steps for the gather?

Watch on YouTube

EDIT: We broke RealGM again!!!

Or could it be that there is a percent of people who post on here that don't watch the games and only base their opinions on box scores and backing up opinions they made long ago? Ideas such as picking a random late pick, convincing yourself they will be great and never giving that up, or convincing yourself someone is over paid after getting a new contract and then make the leap that overpaid = not good and never give that up. Or the top one convince yourself that Ainge is the devil because he traded Perk away a decade ago.

[zoyathedestroya]

...at some point.

Quoting to see if we can fix this thread.


Random Stat: Winning teams that have played their rookies at least 100 minutes -- Heat (12-4, 212 minutes), Wolves (9-8, 116 minutes), Celtics (12-4, 103 minutes).

Edit: I guess not. One of the quoted responses above screwed up lol.

[djFan71]

...at some point.

Quoting to see if we can fix this thread.


Random Stat: Winning teams that have played their rookies at least 100 minutes -- Heat (12-4, 212 minutes), Wolves (9-8, 116 minutes), Celtics (12-4, 103 minutes).

Edit: I guess not. One of the quoted responses above screwed up lol.

Should be better now.

[Bleeding Green]

...at some point.

Quoting to see if we can fix this thread.


Random Stat: Winning teams that have played their rookies at least 100 minutes -- Heat (12-4, 212 minutes), Wolves (9-8, 116 minutes), Celtics (12-4, 103 minutes).

Edit: I guess not. One of the quoted responses above screwed up lol.

What are these numbers? Miami has played rookies 1078 minutes. Celtics: 514.

[Darth Celtic]

The fact that there are still a small group of posters and fans who dislike Smart and refuse to acknowledge what he brings BLOWS MY MIND. Earlier this season there was a poster who only would refer to him as "fatty", like what the hell?!

I actually think he could make an all star team at some point.

I don't mean this as disrespect to people who don't like him......but if you can't recognize how good Marcus Smart is by now, then it leads me to believe that you only watch the ball when the game is on. The fact that Marcus is now shooting the 3 at a pretty good clip, along with his very underrated passing, is just the cherry on the sundae.

I absolutely love how he's learned to put defenders on his hip, and he just slowly probes the lane looking for a good pass. When nothing is available, he puts up that nifty little floater or he just pulls back out and resets the offense. He's playing under control, and the game has definitely slowed down for him on offense.

As for calling him "fatty" - again, they're just looking at how he's built and not paying attention to what he does out there. The guy is strong as an ox, has great lateral quickness, and has sneaky hops. Pound for pound - the guy is more athletic than Jayson Tatum, IMO. Reference point - go to 2:47 of this video. Does anyone realize how hard it is for a guy of Marcus' height and size to be able to dunk with 2 hands after just taking 1 dribble/2 steps for the gather?

Watch on YouTube

EDIT: We broke RealGM again!!!

People who don't like Smart watch stats and not the games. You can't watch and say he doesn't win. He had 1 game this year where he cost us the win. Should have just dribbled out with the rebound and got fouled. Oh well.

[zoyathedestroya]

...at some point.

Quoting to see if we can fix this thread.


Random Stat: Winning teams that have played their rookies at least 100 minutes -- Heat (12-4, 212 minutes), Wolves (9-8, 116 minutes), Celtics (12-4, 103 minutes).

Edit: I guess not. One of the quoted responses above screwed up lol.

What are these numbers? Miami has played rookies 1078 minutes. Celtics: 514.

Had a feeling those numbers were too low.

https://stats.nba.com/teams/advanced/?sort=MIN&dir=-1&Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PlayerExperience=Rookie

Could be those aren't totals, but minutes when any number of rookies are on the floor? So three rookies could be playing at the same time but the minute count is the same for all three. I dunno haha.

[Bleeding Green]

Quoting to see if we can fix this thread.


Random Stat: Winning teams that have played their rookies at least 100 minutes -- Heat (12-4, 212 minutes), Wolves (9-8, 116 minutes), Celtics (12-4, 103 minutes).

Edit: I guess not. One of the quoted responses above screwed up lol.

What are these numbers? Miami has played rookies 1078 minutes. Celtics: 514.

Had a feeling those numbers were too low.

https://stats.nba.com/teams/advanced/?sort=MIN&dir=-1&Season=2019-20&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&PlayerExperience=Rookie

Could be those aren't totals, but minutes when any number of rookies are on the floor? So three rookies could be playing at the same time but the minute count is the same for all three. I dunno haha.

Oh I think all those stats are 1/5th of totals? So average player on the court has these stats? The numbers are 1/5th of the real numbers with rounding errors.

[Fencer reregistered]

Read on Twitter

The game on the court during that story was actually between UCLA and BYU, Walton's and Ainge's respective alma maters.

[Fencer reregistered]

Smart may be the only Celtic who gets treated pretty well by the officials. That drive around 4:03 in that video might have been a charge if he were the defender. And when he smothered Bogdanovic's shot are few plays earlier, he did bump him a couple of times while doing so.

[Taget]

Saw this article posted on reddit. We could use some scoring off the bench. Think Sacramento would trade him to us?

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-31-sp-203-story.html

[Parliament10]

Read on Twitter

Great effort by this Kid.
He's a Genuine Good Guy.

[zoyathedestroya]

With Hayward: 7-1 record, 5th in offensive rating, 5th in defensive rating, 1st in net rating
Without Hayward: 6-4 record, 18th in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating, 11th in net rating

Get well soon, G.

[thomas1897]

Daniel Theis has played very instrumental this season and should be given strong appreciation for his defense and rebounding. Theis should have more opportunity to play some power forward at the four position to provide more size for more rebounding. Also his offensive skills should be utilized more. He has been the unsung hero for this years Celtics. Thanks

[Feed Your Head]

Daniel Theis has played very instrumental this season and should be given strong appreciation for his defense and rebounding. Theis should have more opportunity to play some power forward at the four position to provide more size for more rebounding. Also his offensive skills should be utilized more. He has been the unsung hero for this years Celtics. Thanks

I moved your Theis thread to here, the Tatum one to the Tatum/Jaylen thread, and the Robert Williams one to the other thread about him. It's nothing personal, just don't need duplicate threads lol. Plus more people read this thread than most of the individual player ones.

[Parliament10]

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[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

55 wins would tie a Stevens-era high.