The Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs. Enjoy that sentence because you may never hear those words again this season.
After a rough first quarter, the Celtics roared back behind a 15 point 2nd quarter by Marcus Smart and never looked back going on to win 85-71 (box score).
In that second quarter the Celtics offense looked a lot better with Smart and Rozier sharing point guard duties. Smart has shown an improved shooting stroke, and has even looked to post up a couple of times which could be huge if he could translate the skill to the regular season.
Rozier’s speed was impressive and his ability to drive and kick could get him potential minutes in the rotation. His feel for the pick and roll looks well beyond a rookie who was projected to be a possible second rounder. And just as Isaiah Thomas said, once he adjusts to the speed of the game he could be a special player. He finished with 16 off the bench. He only shot 5-13, but he was 2-3 from 3 and 4-4 from the line.
But the story here was Marcus Smart. The sophomore guard just looks a cut above everyone else on the floor. He’s a lot more fluent with his perimeter shooting, looks great running the pick and roll, but most importantly, his leadership really seemed to jell a group of D-league and international bound players together. The intangibles have always been their, but with emerging skills he could take that next step to becoming a foundational player.
Another pleasant surprise was rookie RJ Hunter. The rookie sharpshooter continued to show his high basketball IQ, and tonight was able to finally knock some shots down, scoring 18 off the bench and hitting all 4 of his 3’s. His defense has also been really good. His IQ showed up again as he was able to maintain good position, and never seemed like a liability though he did have a few lapses.
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