“I need this team, and they need me.”
Marcus Smart is ready to leave the past behind him.
The Boston Celtics guard was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his part in Saturday’s preseason skirmish with Cleveland Cavaliers’ J.R. Smith, who also was fined by the league.
The fracas happened in the first quarter of Boston’s 113-102 loss in its preseason finale. Smart was colorful in his comments afterward and Smith countered the guard’s remarks on his Twitter.
Smart spoke to reporters Tuesday and said he is ready to move on.
“I wasn’t surprised. Like I said, I figured something was coming,” the guard said via MassLive’s Tom Westerholm. “I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I knew something was coming. It’s all good. It’s done with.
“I didn’t know what was going to come out of it,” Smart added. “But whatever did, you know, like I said, I would man up and take the consequences. You know, the league issued what they issued, and now it’s time for us to move on as a team.”
After missing time last year due to a hand injury that occurred from punching a picture frame, Smart knows it’s crucial for him to keep his cool on the court.
