A complicated start to the season, the click in January then an uninterrupted ascent to the playoffs, where Boston thwarted all predictions to reach the Finals. The Celtics’ 2021/22 fiscal year will have been exciting, even if there was not the icing on the cake with the title at the end, finally won by the Warriors.
For his part, Marcus Smart still dwells on this unfortunate end. Was the game worth the candle? Could the C’s have done better? Did he do everything for the best? So many questions that sometimes cost him restless nights…
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about it. I’m going to have a hard time getting past that. I got it, you see, I accepted it. I don’t really have a choice. But this kind of moment is never forgotten. I still think about it today. I still have nightmares about it.”, did he declare.
Ready to go into battle
The leader finds it all the more difficult to turn the page as each person he meets gives his little compliment for this great season while he is still brooding over defeat…
“It sucks to hear every day, ‘Good job. You worked well even though you didn’t win. Man, don’t tell me we did a good job. Instead, tell us, ‘Dude, you lost. They got you”.
At 28, he was also able to realize during his career how hard it was to get to this stage. For him as for the others before him, only time will manage to ease the pain, with the prospect of a new season to begin with.
“What’s great is that I have another opportunity to go back and try again. We have the same team with which we fought and went through all the hardships. And then we added some great elements. That’s what makes me want to go back and say to myself: ‘I’m ready to go back’”.
| Marcus Smart | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2014-15 | BOS | 67 | 27 | 36.7 | 33.5 | 64.6 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 7.8 |
| 2015-16 | BOS | 61 | 27 | 34.8 | 25.3 | 77.7 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 2016-17 | BOS | 79 | 30 | 35.9 | 28.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 10.6 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 54 | 30 | 36.7 | 30.1 | 72.9 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 10.2 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 80 | 28 | 42.2 | 36.4 | 80.6 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 60 | 32 | 37.5 | 34.7 | 83.6 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 12.9 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 48 | 33 | 39.8 | 33.0 | 79.0 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 13.1 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 71 | 32 | 41.8 | 33.1 | 79.3 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 12.1 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 1 | 36 | 37.5 | 25.0 | 87.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 14.0 |
| Total | 521 | 30 | 38.2 | 32.1 | 78.0 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 10.5 | |
