More than just the Celtics, the city of Boston and Marcus Smart are as close to a perfect marriage as you can get. Smart is a hard-working, gritty player that the entire city loves, and other teams love to hate. Boston sports, especially as of late, have embraced that role, the gritty, easily hatable teams. Marcus Smart personifies Boston as much as any player could.
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Grit
Whether it’s jawing at JR Smith and getting in his face or diving for loose balls, Marcus Smart is undeniably gritty. Smart brings an edge to the court every night, and after getting in shape for the past season, he looked phenomenal on defense night in and night out. When Smart was in the lineup, you knew that he’d use his time on the court to grind on the other team’s offense.
Smart’s grittiness and hard-nosed defense have endeared him not just to his teammates, but the city and fans he plays in and for. If nothing else, he’ll bring as much energy as he can in an effort to help his team.
Hard Worker
The people of Boston have always prided themselves on their work ethic, be it students at Harvard, BC, or BU or the old school Big Bad Bruins. To be part of Boston means you have to bust your ass in one way or another. Last offseason Smart worked to get back in shape. On the court, he plays as hard as he can from whistle to whistle. Smart’s hard work has paid off on the court for the green team. He’s endeared himself to his teammates, coaches, and city by showing how much he cares through the work he’s put in.
Defensive Presence
Marcus Smart is capable of defending across positions and doesn’t back down from a challenge. When paired with the recently re-signed Aron Baynes, Smart and Boston’s defense perform at an incredibly high level. Plenty of Boston teams have competed at high levels because of their defensive ability. Marcus Smart often leads the defensive effort for these Celtics, keeping them a top-5 defense in the NBA.
Boston & Smart
The two are perfect for each other, and I’ve loved watching Smart grow as a Celtic. Boston’s front office and coach have loved his growth as well, and hopefully, both sides can agree on a number. Keeping Marcus Smart in Boston will help keep the Celtics, at worst, right where they were last year. But Celtics fans expect much more should Smart stay. And it’s clear that he doesn’t necessarily want to leave. After being tagged with a qualifying offer, he said he was “hurt and disgusted” that there haven’t been more contract talks.
Hang in there Marcus, the city of Boston loves you and all your hard work as much as you love playing for the Celtics.