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The only frustrating part about it is this: he shoots 14 free throws, which is as much as our whole team shoots,” Nurse, whose Raptors actually went 16-of-19 from the foul line, said. “That’s the frustrating part. I think our guys were working hard on him and we were doing a pretty good job. He did make some good shots.
“They were obviously getting him the ball a lot, getting him in space. We could’ve helped a little bit better here and there. But they (did) take very good care of him tonight.”
He expressed frustration with how Celtics guard Marcus Smart defended Toronto forward Pascal Siakam when he drove toward the lane as the Raptors trailed, 102-99, with 35.8 seconds left. Smart stripped the ball away while Siakam hurled toward the sideline.
“I think Smart fouled the [crap] out of him,” Nurse said. Siakam was not as direct with his answer, saying “I’m not a referee; I went hard to the rim.”
Poor Nick Nurse. You have to feel for the reigning Coach of the Year. He’s desperately searching for excuses when his team is simply getting outplayed and outsmarfed.
A quick scan of the box score shows very little disparity in the Game 2 total foul calls. In fact, Toronto was gifted a bullsh-it technical foul very late in the game. Spare me the “the-air-punch-has-been-called-a-tech-all-year” nonsense. Officials have given superstar players like Jayson Tatum slack on technical fouls in the playoffs for decades.
Nurse is probably frustrated that Raptors star Pascal Siakham (15 ppg on 34% FG) is getting snuffed out by Jaylen Brown and co. He’s also probably frustrated that he decided to stuff his final timeout into his pocket and take it back to the hotel instead of using it with 5 seconds remaining.
Related links: Mass Live – Tatum says refs made right call on tech
On Page 2, add another chapter to the legend of Marcus Smart.
“I ain’t never played with anybody like Smart, I ain’t never met anybody like Smart. He is one of a kind,” Tatum said. “Anybody that watches him play, knows him or ever plays with him knows that there’s nobody like Smart. Any time I’m going to war, take him on my team every day of the week.”
“There’s only one Marcus Smart. I’m gonna tell you that much now. There’s only one. A different beast,” Walker said. He’s been effusive in his praise of Smart since day 1, and that didn’t change on this night. “That dude is unbelievable. I say it all the time, man, he’s a monster. We love playing with that dude. His intensity is unmatched. He’s just really fun to be on the court with. I love the intensity he brings to the game. He just raises our level.”
There are no words to describe Marcus.
He might shoot 0-14 and get ejected in Game 3. You never know.
The only certainty is that his teammates love him.
Related link: Globe – Marcus Smart is one of a kind
The rest of the links
Mass Live: Kemba hits clutch shots on off night
NBC Sports Boston: How Tatum lit Smart’s 4th quarter fuse | Lowry shouldn’t be surprised by Smart’s barrage | Smart does Smart-type things in Gm 2 win
ESPN – Appreciative Kemba Walker making most of playoffs
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