Marcus Smart got the Boston Celtics defense back on track with a win in game five
The Boston Celtics bounced back with a massive game five victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. The home team continues to win every game in this series, but there was a much bigger difference for the Celtics in this one, as Marcus Smart made his much anticipated return.
Now, you can look at Smart’s numbers and think he had a pedestrian game, without much of an impact. All it takes, however, is watching about five minutes of game action to see what an incredible impact he has on this team.
Smart came back exactly like the Celtics needed. He was blocking the Greek Freak at the rim and making sure that every single loose ball went his way. Smart made impact plays every time he touched the court, and every single player on this team is ready to rally behind him.
For the first time in this series, the Celtics had a great defenisve game, and it is certainly not a coincidence that it happened the game Smart returned. He impacts every facet of this defense, and nobody on the Bucks were ever able to get comfortable.
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After allowing the Bucks to shoot a ridiculous 46 percent from three in the first four games, the highest mark in the playoffs, the Bucks shot 27 percent from three and 36 percent overall. These are, by far, the worst percentages they have put up in this series, and you cannot say it was just a fluky game.
If anything, the original performances were fluky. The Bucks were shattering their standard for three point shooting, and they were doing it against the best three point defense in the league.
Smart came in and made all their top players uncomfortable, and nobody was able to find the form that allowed them to be so successful. Giannis Antetokounmpo was never able to get going, Khris Middleton had his worst game of the series and Thon Maker could not have an impact.
Everything came together on the defensive end for the Celtics, and that needs to be how they win games the rest of the way. They know they are able to do a lot of damage with their three point shooting, but this team is only going as far as their defense takes them. With Smart back in the lineup, the Celtics will have the confidence that their defense ca carry them through the Eastern Conference.
Defense has been the identity of the team all season long, and they were playing at an unacceptable level without Smart. The energy he brings and the plays he makes with pure hustle are massive for this team, but it is so much more.
Smart understands the defense better than anyone, and his versatility unlocks everything they want to do. The Celtics were able to shorten the rotation even more, because they could not use Aron Baynes or Greg Monroe.
Instead,the presence of Smart gives Stevens more freedom with versatility, allowing him to use Semi Ojeleye on a regular basis, without having to worry about the defense suffering in other areas.
Next: How the return of Smart impacts the Celtics
Smart makes up for any kind of problem they might have on defense, and that is why they were able to win game five. Smart is as much a part of this teams identity as any player, and now that he is back they are going to see how far their defense can bring them in these playoffs.