I Love Marcus Smart

Two years before Marcus Smart was drafted was the last year of the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett era. I obviously loved those guys, but in retrospect, their run ended right when it should have. Pierce only averaged 18.6 points per game in his final Celtics season, his lowest mark since his rookie season 14 seasons prior. He would fall off a cliff when he got to Brooklyn. Danny Ainge traded them at the right time. Nothing could have possibly driven that home more than losing to the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

When the 2013-14 season started, you looked around and it was a lot of new. It wasn't just Pierce and Garnett; Doc Rivers was gone too, and in his place was a college coach named Brad Stevens. There were a lot of other new guys in place too. Rajon Rondo was still there, but he wouldn't be soon, and he missed half the season. I really liked Brandon Bass, but him starting 73 games was suboptimal. Kris Humphries starting 30 was a catastrophe. That 23-win season was painful to watch, even moreso than 2006-07, because at least then we still had Pierce.

Then the Celtics drafted Marcus Smart, and they have been competitive or great ever since. His rapid development may have changed the course of the franchise. In December and January, Ainge traded away Rondo, Jeff Green, and Austin Rivers in an effort to amass more draft capital. Against that backdrop, Marcus started his first three games in and around Christmas. They were all losses, but around this time his minutes began to shift. From the start of the season to December 12th, he averaged 16.4 minutes per game. He would not dress for the following two games, but then his minutes immediately ticked up. From Dec. 19 to the end of the regular season, he would start 38 of 57 games, and average 28.8 minutes per game. Before Dec. 19th, the C's were 9-14. They would finish the season 31-28, which was a far cry from their 23-57 record a year prior.

The most pivotal games in that stretch were likely when the C's won four of five prior to the All-Star break. The final game before the break brought the 1 seed Atlanta Hawks and their shiny 42-11 record to town. Atlanta would average 102.5 points per game that season, but on this night the ragtag C's permitted them only 88.

With just under 4 minutes left in the game, the Hawks held an 84-77 lead, when Marcus checked into the game. At the time, he had shot 1-for-10 on the night. No matter. He would immediately knock in a lay up and a three pointer, and just like that, it was a 2-point game. The self-belief required for that to happen – both for Marcus to take and hit those shots, but also for Stevens to even put him back in the game – is incredible to behold. It was but a taste of what was to come from Marcus.

Two game minutes later, the C's would pull it out on this Evan Turner floater:

Eight days later, Ainge swerved away from his sell off and acquired Isaiah Thomas, and the team has been good since.

Think about that for a second, because it was amazing at the time, but Marcus was in the same draft as Joel "The Process" Embiid. While the 76ers were busy popularizing sucking on purpose, the Celtics proved that that is all bullshit by rebuilding quickly and spending just a single season out of the playoffs (Danny did it again in Utah last season. He's just really good at that job.). A big, big, big, huge reason why is Marcus Smart.

We tend to measure success in championships, and it's true, Marcus never won one here. But the Celtics made the playoffs in all nine seasons he spent in green. Paul Pierce cannot say that. John Havlicek cannot say that. Robert Parish cannot say that. Whenever Marcus Smart was on the court, the Celtics had a chance.

In the days since the trade, friends have said to me that they're happy he's gone, that he often made the wrong decisions in crunch time. That's true, he did, and some of those times cost the C's dearly. But he also made a ton of great plays in crunch time, and his presence in the lineup was often why we *got* to crunch time to begin with.

Often challenged to be better throughout his career, he stepped up time and again. Can you shoot less? Can you dish out more assists? Sure, you're a great defender, but can you be the *best* defender? For many people, it was never good enough, and that was part of Marcus' charm too -- he never shied away from the criticism. You never saw him leave the arena without talking to reporters after bad losses. He always played hurt, and that was never more apparent than this season.

When Marcus turned his ankle in Toronto in the middle of the season, he missed the next 11 games. He came back before he should have. It was clear throughout the playoffs that he wasn't right. It was the exact opposite of how batters operated in the old video game "RBI Baseball." In the game, the batter ran at normal speed until he was out, and then zoomed off the field. Marcus played the playoffs at his expected speed and effort, but when he was taken out of the game, he limped off the court. That's what I'll remember most about him this past season - him giving his absolute all to try to win.

After that Toronto game, the Celtics immediately lost three games without Marcus before adjusting. Now, they're really going to have to learn to win without him. Make no mistake, no matter how many good players are on this team come the start of the season, not having Marcus will be a huge adjustment. The Celtics have a long and storied history, but do you know how many players have worn the Celtics green for 500+ regular season? Just 24. Marcus ranks 19th all-time in games played with 581, just ahead of the man who drafted him, Danny Ainge.

What stings is that he wasn't the first choice to go, and the person who is staying is the complete opposite kind of player. That player, Malcolm Brogdon, couldn't or wouldn't play through injury when the team desperately needed him in the playoffs. The same could be said about the player the C's acquired in Kristaps Porzingis, except he's hardly ever played in meaningful games. In his last playoff series, he shot a team-worst .296 from 3-point land, including 0-for-5 in the series Game 7 (his team lost). Is he better on paper? Sure. But sports aren't played on paper.

We'll have to see what happens with this coming Celtics team. I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm going to keep my powder dry until we see free agency unfold this weekend. In the meantime, I know for a fact that I will be rooting hard for the Memphis Grizzlies this season. I will be rooting for Marcus to be a positive influence on Ja Morant. I will be rooting for the Grizzlies to get deep into the playoffs.

When the day comes, I will be rooting for Marcus to come home. Even if he never plays another meaningful minute in a Boston Celtics uniform, I'll hold out hope that the franchise will sign him to a one-day contract and let him retire as a Celtic. That's how it was always supposed to be. I will miss watching Marcus day in and day out. There just aren't many players who make you want to go out and run through a brick wall. Guys you can set your watch to, guys who you know will give you his all every single second he's on the court. Marcus Smart was that guy. Marcus Smart wasn't the most talented, or the best, but nobody outworked him. Like so many people in this region, I pride myself in the same way. Watching him the past nine seasons was one of the greatest pleasures of my sports fan life.

Marcus Smart is Boston. I love Marcus Smart.