It was gut check time for the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and their key players rose to the occasion.
The Celtics were shorthanded for their matchup against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena, as Gordon Hayward, Al Horford and Jaylen Brown all were out of action due to various ailments.
The banged-up C’s showed what they were made of, though, prevailing with a 130-125 overtime victory. Kyrie Irving took over down the stretch and turned in a game-high 38 points, extending Boston’s win streak to seven.
While Irving deserves heaps of praise for his big-time performance, the star guard after the game redirected the attention to Marcus Smart, who impressed with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals. Smart, as usual, provided his team with a whole lot of energy, something Irving has great admiration for.
“I’m so grateful he’s on our team,” Irving said, as captured by MassLive. “I just watched some of his highlights in college, as well as some of his playoff highlights defensively and offensively. It’s unmatched, it’s unmatched.”
Irving paused for a brief moment before realizing the humor in his comment.
“Yeah, in my downtime I watch Marcus Smart highlights,” Irving added.
Though the sentiment certainly is cliché, not everything Smart does for the Celtics will show up in the box score. The pesky guard has become the heart and soul of the club in recent seasons, and his presence becomes all the more valuable come playoff time.
So if you ever feel like you have nothing left in the tank, try checking out some Smart highlights to give you a little boost.
