Though his bruised calf had healed by Monday’s practice, and in the opinion of Brad Stevens, Marcus Smart looked “great,” the Celtics guard was still in mourning.
Ford Steun, Smart’s former Oklahoma State teammate, had died six days earlier following an abrupt illness. And Steun, an assistant coach on the Saint Louis University men’s team, wasn’t the only person in Smart’s orbit to pass in the last year.
“This year has definitely been kind of unorthodox for everybody. Me, myself, I’ve lost — I can count on two hands, a dozen people in the last year, last couple months in my personal life,” said Smart. “Just really dealing with it. Try not to complain, because there’s always somebody going through something worse than you. I’m blessed to be here, I’m blessed to have an opportunity to go out here and do what I love.
“So as much as everything has been going on individually for me personally and the season kind of unorthodox as it is, we’re still here, we still have an opportunity to change this narrative around. It’s going to take every last (person on the team), so we’ve got to come ready to be great.”
And as often as the Celtics came up short this season, they’ll now have to survive without Jaylen Brown, out for the season following wrist surgery.
“To Jaylen, it definitely affects us in a way that goes beyond people’s sight. You see how much it’s going to affect us, but it goes beyond that,” said Smart. “It’s another leader in the locker room, another guy that brings it every day, that challenges you to be great as a team, as individuals, and that’s a great player. We’re going to miss his presence on both ends of the floor. For me and everybody else, it just means we’ve got to go out there and focus in even more. Lock in and try to make up for what (we’re missing), and do everything we can to help this team win.”
Full attendance
Everyone, the turf toe-toggled Rob Williams included, took part in Monday’s practice, giving Stevens hope that every player will be available Tuesday night in the play-in game against Washington for the seventh seed.
“Everybody practiced, so that’s encouraging. And the hope is that we will have everybody available,” said the Celtics coach. “I think Rob will still be a game-time decision. But Smart looked great, Kemba (Walker) was good, Tristan (Thompson) is still dealing with some soreness. It looks like he’ll be good. So, we should have, definitely more than (Sunday).
“I thought practice on Friday was good and I thought practice today was good. Guys seem to be engaged, they’re ready, they know that the task is large,” said Stevens. “We’re not playing a typical eighth seed. We’re playing a team that was not healthy, but that’s super-talented, that hit its stride once they got everybody back. And so it’s going to be a challenge, we know that, and so you could tell that our guys were locked-in and ready to practice and ready to prepare for (Tuesday’s) game.”
New York state of mind
Walker generally wears Yankees hats to his pressers, and Monday was no different. He’s not sure why there should be a fuss about it in the Boston market, either, considering where he grew up.
“I don’t know how people are reacting because I don’t do the whole social media thing,” he said. “I don’t know. What do they want me to do, I’m from New York, heh heh, I’m from New York. I’m from the Bronx, so I’m never gonna stop.”
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May 18, 2021 at 06:04AM
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Celtics Notebook: Marcus Smart deals with personal loss - Boston Herald
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