One of the sharpest contrasts from the 2019-20 Celtics season from its predecessor had been a lack of locker room drama prior to Thursday night. This Celtics team had their tough stretches and ugly losses but they were also followed up by accountability and encouragement, rather than finger-pointing behind the scenes.
That tenor changed after Game 2 in the wake of the Celtics blowing their second straight double-digit lead in a 106-101 defeat to the Heat. A source confirmed to BostonSportsJournal.com that Marcus Smart was at the center of the postgame shouting match as both teammates and coaches attempted to calm him down. Shams Charania of Stadium was first to report that Smart and Brown were at odds in the locker room, while Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported this afternoon that Brad Stevens held a late-night meeting Thursday to clear the air among his core players.
Much like last season when Kyrie Irving was constantly calling out the 'young guys' in postgame pressers after ugly Celtics losses, Jaylen Brown rose to the forefront after Game 2 preaching a message of unity after the tough defeat.
“Obviously we wanted to win this game and we didn’t, but this series is far from over and we’ve got to get ready for Game 3,” Brown said. “That’s how it goes. In families there’s ups and downs, there’s fights and emotions, but that’s exactly what we are: A family. We’re going to hold each other accountable, and we’ve got to do what it takes to come out and execute next game.”
Brown and Smart have a lot of history of butting heads in Boston, particularly early in their careers, which we’ve covered here plenty at BSJ. Smart used to have a tendency to blow up on the court at Brown for messing up defensive coverages or failing to be in the right spot on a switch. Those issues, like the locker room drama, had faded in large part this season, thanks to both parties. Brown has improved his team defense and Smart showed better self-control and support when Brown made mistakes.
Now, with the stakes raised and adversity knocking on Boston’s door yet again in the East Finals, Smart’s competitiveness boiled over in the game and afterward. It’s hard to fault some of his outrage after watching missed rotations and box-outs continuously from this teammates in the second half. Brown, Tatum and Walker have all been guilty parties on that front in these first two games against Miami.
Here’s the thing, though: The messenger matters in these situations and Smart was not in a good position to be pointing fingers or calling anyone out after Game 2. Why? He was just as responsible for the C’s struggles as anyone else in the second half, especially on the offensive end.
Smart’s numbers from the C’s biggest lead of the second half (15 points) with 10 minutes left in the third quarter onward:
0-of-5 FG, 0-of-2 3pt, 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 4 turnovers in 17 minutes
The lack of production on a whole is one thing but Smart ended up being at his worst in some of Boston’s biggest moments on the offensive end. Of note:
Jimmy Butler stole the ball on two of Smart’s inbound passes to Jaylen Brown in the final two minutes, with one of those steals giving Miami a seven-point lead (the second one in this clip).
Jimmy Butler's two clutch steals in Game 2. Absolutely huge plays. pic.twitter.com/GP1mZe5yf2
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) September 18, 2020
Great defense from Miami in their zone. You can see the switching, you can see the matching up. Finding ways to match their man principles while being in a zone. Watch the help on the drives. Boston can't attack a mismatch, end up with a contested shot. pic.twitter.com/ulzGrtUgHo
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 18, 2020
Don’t blame Jaylen Brown for being pissed at Smart here. pic.twitter.com/Ejg3nyxss4
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) September 16, 2020
