MARCUS SMART OPENS UP ABOUT ‘BITTERSWEET’ BOSTON CELTICS CHAMPIONSHIP

For Boston Celtics fans, it was tough to see Marcus Smart go. The Celtics traded the veteran point guard in a three-way deal that brought back center Kristaps Porzingis. The additions of Porzingis and veteran guard Jrue Holiday solidified Boston’s starting five and helped secure Banner 18 after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Losing Smart was a tough pill to swallow. For Smart, now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, leaving Boston after nine years wasn’t easy. After the Celtics secured their NBA-best 18th title, Smart opened up about his feelings on seeing his former teammate celebrate without him.

Marcus Smart Called the Celtics Championship ‘Bittersweet’

Smart was the heart and soul of the Celtics for years. His gritty play and his all-out effort gave the Celtics a certain type of toughness that many NBA teams lack.

He admitted it was “bittersweet” watching Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston’s two stars who Smart helped groom, celebrate a championship in their first year together without Smart.

“It was great to see those two guys come in the way that they came in and just dominate,” Smart said during an appearance on “Run Your Race.”

“When they stepped on the floor, you was like, ‘We gotta watch out.’ There was no stopping them from the start. We saw that. We noticed it. That’s why they’re where they’re at now. Shout out to Jaylen and Jayson and the Boston Celtics. Congratulations on the championship.

“They built that. They went through the mud and didn’t skip any steps. I was with them for nine years. It’s no coincidence they reached their goal. I’m just so proud of them, proud to be in the trenches with them.”

After a brief pause, he continued.

“I know everybody’s expecting me to be salty,” he said. “There’s no animosity. It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling. It’s definitely tough because I was in the trenches with them. to not be able to finish what you started with those guys is definitely tough.”

Smart Says He Was Pulling for the Celtics in the Finals

Smart admitted he wasn’t too happy when he found out about the trade, saying he was “shocked” when it happened. He said he was sleeping, and his agent called his fiancée to deliver the news. Smart said he had been told the week before that nothing was in the works.

“It was definitely shocking to find out that way,” he told reporters in July 2023, “especially because the week before I was already told we were good, and there was no trade talks with me. For me, I understand the business side of it. Anybody who knows me knows that I’m the first one to tell people, you can’t put personal with business, it just doesn’t mix. And if you do, you’re going to get yourself hurt. I understand it’s a business.”

Despite the semi-rough departure, Smart insists he was pulling for the Celtics and his former teammates to get it done in the NBA Finals.

“My wife will tell you, I was screaming for those guys when they won it, just as much as anyone else,” he said. “Like I said, I have love for those guys, and I know the work that they put in.”

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2024-06-25T17:21:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd