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Draymond Green calls Marcus Smart ‘the difference’ in Celtics’ run
"BEAUTIFUL! Looking like a true PG again! That’s what made Him special!"
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For a moment there, everyone, including the Celtics’ players themselves, thought Marcus Smart was going to take the potential game-winning three-pointer with Boston down by one against the Nets in the waning seconds of Sunday’s thrilling series opener.
But as the lore of this game will show forever, Smart did just the opposite. His pump-fake drew two Brooklyn defenders in the air, and his pass found a cutting Jayson Tatum for a buzzer-beating layup to give the Celtics a scintillating win and 1-0 lead in Round 1 of the playoffs.
In the eyes of Golden State forward Draymond Green, the veteran Boston point guard’s play is the perfect example of what has made the Celtics one of the NBA’s best teams over the last two months.
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“And there’s the difference in the Celtics team. Last year Marcus Smart would’ve taken that shot,” Green tweeted Sunday evening. “Ime got him to buy in and be the Marcus Smart everyone loved out of Ok State. BEAUTIFUL! Looking like a true PG again! That’s what made Him special!”
Smart’s savvy dish felt indicative of the Celtics’ changed identity as a whole. Head coach Ime Udoka praised Jaylen Brown just after the buzzer for kicking the ball to Smart instead of forcing up a shot.
“I think it just shows the progression of our team, how far we’ve come from Game 1,” Tatum said. “We’ve just been playing the right way the last couple of months. That’s a reason why we’ve been so successful. Especially in big moments, it’s all about just trying to make the right play.”
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The Celtics were rewarded for doing just that against the Nets, foiling a huge game from Kyrie Irving in the process. Game 2 in Boston is Wednesday.
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