Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“I think it’s just a matter of you have to that post-surgery healed to be able to take a hit even with the brace on it,” Stevens told reporters on Saturday. “That’s the hold-up. Other than that, I think he feels pretty good.”
Smart’s appointment on Tuesday is in New York, which could mean the Celtics won’t know whether he will be available until close to game time when they find out if he will be able to get back to the TD Garden in time,
Smart will have to wear a small splint or a wrap on his thumb, but he has been shooting without it, and he says he doesn’t feel bothered by the contraption.
“Actually, real comfortable,” Smart said prior to Game 4. “It feels like nothing’s there. To have that comfortability, especially in my dominant hand, my shooting hand, that’s a good feeling to have.”
So, we’re on to game 5 in the Garden, and I’m thinking it’s going to be more like game 2 than games 3 or the first half of game 4. C’s got their mojo back and I sense good things coming about because of it–not least of which is that I almost certainly expect that Smart will be back on the court tonight–and that the place is going to go nuts when he checks in. Also, you can bet Smart’s gonna bring the energy, since he’s got about six weeks of pent-up basketball to unleash.
#Celtics Jaylen Brown said yesterday C's have to get back to "owning our own space" against Bucks the way C's have all year. Marcus Smart not only owns his own space, he has a lien out on everyone else's space on the court.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) April 24, 2018
So, onward and upward, Celtics.
Page 2: Where Jaylen’s looking forward to that home-team crowd
“We’ve got to protect home court, we’ve got to protect our house,” said Brown following a short workout yesterday. “We can’t let nobody come in and get comfortable, and those guys have felt comfortable the last two games. Those last two quarters we made them uncomfortable and that is how we are going to continue to play.”
So this round of the playoffs has been Jaylen Brown’s coming out party.
The craziest part of all of this is that next year’s playoffs might be Jayson Tatum’s, and he might be even more amazing.
But back to Jaylen–you can see this guy figuring things out in real-time. The team took it on the chin for 72 minutes in Milwaukee, and it seems to have taken that long for everyone to collectively realize what they need to do on the court, while the ball’s in play. It’s not unlike the 0-2 hole that Boston found themselves in against Chicago, and it’s why I think Jaylen has the potential to be a very important piece of this team’s psychology over time. Stevens is not Doc Rivers–he’s not going to put a hundred dollar bill in the ceiling of the visitor’s locker room at Staples, and the team needs someone like Rivers and KG that can light a fire under these guys when they need someone to motivate them, as opposed to someone that will tell them how to succeed.
I think Jaylen can take on that role–he’s learning how to conduct himself on the court, and even if he never takes on some of the crazier KG personality traits, I think he’s got a good shot at being the guy on the court that keeps everyone focused and motivated.
Finally: Please refer to him as “Taco Jay”
@HebertofRiffs @ColeyMick our rookie now goes by Taco Jay pic.twitter.com/praXUmqt8q
— branden bayonet (@brandenbishop) April 24, 2018
If you like the team that uses Pantone 356, I think you’re going to enjoy this evening–but if you’re one of the heathens, one of the lesser mortals who through geographic misfortune or poor life choices, root for Pantone 350, I don’t think tonight’s going to be your night:
The rest of the links
NBC Sports: Refs missed Bucks foul on Brown’s last-minute flub | Celts: Game 5 will come down to ‘who wants it more’
Boston.com: Jaylen Brown could join an exclusive list in Celtics history
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