NEW ORLEANS – Playing with an edge.
We’ve heard the Boston Celtics talk about it a lot lately, with no one more vocal than Marcus Smart.
“That’s the problem,” Smart told NBC Sports Boston prior to Monday's game against New Orleans. “We have to be able to do it, dive on the floor, risk your body and not be afraid to come up bloody. You gotta do it.”
Smart’s words were put into action not only by himself but the rest of the Celtics, playing with the kind of edginess at both ends of the floor which set the tone for their 124-107 win over New Orleans.
Folks got a chance to see Smart on the floor sooner than usual, with head coach Brad Stevens electing to start Smart in place of an injured Jaylen Brown (lower back bruise).
And Smart's impact with the first unit was evident from the outset, as Celtics players began flying around, getting into passing lanes to force turnovers, making the kind of hustle plays we have seldom seen from the starting unit this year.
Boston Celtics
While a greater sense of urgency was apparent, there was no mistaking that Smart’s presence with the first unit was a major factor.
“That was huge,” Al Horford told NBC Sports Boston regarding Smart being a starter. “Marcus, defensively, he just has such an impact on our group. Just great energy; playing with a lot of confidence. He was the big difference tonight.”
Stevens had been coy with his decision as to who would be starting in place of Brown, with the official word coming down shortly before tip-off.
I asked him after the game what was it that made him go with Smart.
“Hmm … a lot,” said Stevens with a grin before adding that the decision was at least in part based on New Orleans playing small and how he wanted to see how Smart would fare with the first unit against such a lineup.
“I thought that he did a good job along with that first group,” Stevens said. “That was a positive for us. And when they (Pelicans) made runs we answered it.”
The impact of Smart with the first group manifested itself in a number of ways, but none more noticeable than how they pulled ahead by as many as 15 points in the first quarter primarily because of their defense leading the way by forcing eight first-quarter turnovers which led to 11 points for Boston (11-10).
“I just try to come in and do what I do,” Smart said after the win. “Bring the energy from the get-go instead of coming off the bench and waiting.”
Indeed, this was one of the few games this season in which the Celtics took the fight to their opponent, took a few counter-punches from their foe, and still managed to do what they needed to do down the stretch and get the win.
And the victory was not one in which one or two players carried the team.
Al Horford finished with 20 points which included a pair of 3-pointers to slow down the building momentum of the Pelicans (10-11).
Jayson Tatum made all of his shots in the fourth quarter by blending in jumpers while also attacking the rim often, something we have not seen him do with consistency down the stretch.
And then there was Kyrie Irving doing what Kyrie Irving tends to do in the fourth quarter which is get buckets. He led the Celtics with 26 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter.
But as well as all those players fared, there was only one constant on the floor for Boston in the fourth quarter - Smart.
He was the only player that Stevens played all 12 minutes of the fourth, a testament to what he meant to the team in this particular game when it mattered most.
“Marcus is a tough player. He’s definitely a tone-setter; we all know that,” said Boston’s Marcus Morris who had his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. “He’s playing the right way. He’s a guy that brings that energy we need at the beginning of the game.”
But as well as Smart played, folks should not become too comfortable with him being in the first unit.
Stevens has maintained all season long that the Celtics starting five will change from time to time.
And while Stevens absolutely loved what he got from Smart against the Pelicans, he knows a change of some sort will likely be coming, whether it be because of injury, illness or a matchup-based decision.
“We won’t be settled on a starting lineup, until forever,” Stevens said.
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