The crowd stood immediately as soon as the video started. It was the first timeout. They knew what it was going to be.
Marcus Smart poured his blood, sweat and tears into the Celtics' franchise
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 4, 2024
Emotions were high during his tribute video during for his return pic.twitter.com/sIxtWGUYbS
Marcus Smart, decked out in blue and white checkered denim, the colors of his new team, stood on the floor of his old one and let cheers and the memories wash over him.
“I’m surprised he didn’t cry,” Jayson Tatum joked after the game.
Smart’s emotions are what carried him through nine seasons in Boston. For a second, as he bowed his head as the first of his tributes crescendoed, it looked like they’d come through again. Smart, known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, composed himself.
“I could go on all day about everything I’ve experienced here,” Smart said before the game. “We all know playing in this city isn’t the easiest and there’s plenty of times they let us know about it, especially me. But … there’s nothing like playing in this place and this city with these fans. They allowed me to grow. They allowed me to see a different side of myself, and they watched me become a man. So my favorite things will always be here, but they definitely have shaped my life in more ways than one.”
Smart was honored twice by the team, once in that tribute video and once as one of the “Heroes Among Us,” a recognition of someone during every home game who has made an impact on the community. He was honored even more by the crowd, who chanted “we love Marcus,” “thank you Marcus,” and then at the end, simply “Mar-Cus Smart! Mar-Cus Smart!”
“It was special to be able to share those moments with him,” Al Horford said. He and his Celtics teammates were also standing during the tribute video, cheering along with the crowd. “I knew that the crowd was gonna be very grateful and appreciative … Boston has real love for Marcus and even though he's on another team, it doesn't change you know how we feel about him, our guys, and also the fans show how they feel about him as well.”
Smart is carving out a new identity in Memphis. The Grizzlies were missing 13 of their 15 players currently on standard NBA contracts, meaning they came in to face Boston with two regulars, three two-way guys, and three guys on 10-day contracts. Smart’s accumulated knowledge from nearly a decade’s worth of highs and lows in one of the NBA’s cornerstone franchises is something the team desperately needs just to stay afloat right now.
“To see the knowledge he’s been sharing with our group, not just about basketball habits, but professional habits, life habits, him as a person, a pro a businessman, a person in the community, he’s already doing that in Memphis,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. “He’s put his arms around so many of our young guys … tonight’s a great example to see someone showcased, even not in uniform tonight, how they’re embraced for the years of service they had here, not just on the hardwood but in the Boston community. Hopefully our guys can take something from that knowing that basketball extends beyond the court.”
What happened on the court ended up as a bit of an afterthought on this Sunday evening. A 40-point trouncing of a team giving 36 minutes to Jacob Gilyard, 30 minutes to Tosan Evbuomwan, 30 minutes to Matt Hurt, and 23 minutes to Trey Jemison isn’t really notable. There isn’t much to celebrate from a basketball perspective aside from the relief that the Celtics didn’t soil themselves against a vastly inferior opponent full of guys no one’s heard of.
In fact, this night went pretty perfectly. There's nothing to distract from the celebration of Smart’s return. Smart didn’t play, so there was no risk of an overly exuberant Smart diving into the legs of a Celtic trying to make one of his patented “winning plays.” Everyone got to walk out of the arena feeling pretty good … aside from those temporary Grizzlies fighting for their NBA lives, of course.
Smart was rough around the edges. He challenged everyone, from Payton Pritchard to Jaylen Brown and Tatum. Some of his relationships have gone better than others, but there is generally a level of brotherly respect still shown to the former heart and soul of this team.
And Boston is a bit rough around the edges too, which always Smart a kind of perfect fit here. Anyone who has grown up around here has some friends they simultaneously love and hate; that a-hole who meets you at the bar at 8:00, wants to fight you at 10:00, and then hugs you goodnight at 1:00.
Did Smart drive us nuts sometimes? Yeah, and some of us more than others. But the man played his hardest every damn night, and there's nothing that Boston loves more than a crazy MF who puts his body on the line for a win.
That's why this whole night belonged to him, even injured on the sidelines, even on the most snakebitten non-pandemic team in NBA history.
Jayson Tatum summed it up best by saying “it just goes to show that if you put this jersey on and you respect the game and respect the organization and respect the people that came before you by essentially giving it your all every single night. (Paul) Pierce, (Kevin Garnett) and Smart, they all came back for different reasons. The reception, the love that they got, when you do all those things, the fans, they appreciate it. And they know how to show their appreciation.”