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.
Boston (48-26) has now won four in a row and and eight of its last 10.
In addition, Sunday’s victory matched the team’s win total from a year ago, with eight games to play.
And maybe most important, Boston has now set itself up to at a minimum have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a really strong shot at finishing with the top overall record in the East and with it, home court advantage throughout every round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Celtics are in a virtual tie for first place after yesterday’s win against Miami. By virtue of playing two more games than the Cavs, they remain in second place, trailing by a mere 0.4 percentage points.
The 112-108 victory was partially scary, but mostly satisfying. They trailed by 15 in the first half after a sluggish start, regained the lead in the 3rd quarter, but almost relinquished it in the 4th. Jae Crowder’s clutch shooting and Marcus Smart’s timely offensive rebound put the Celtics over the top, as the scrappy Heat couldn’t steal one on the road.
Amir Johnson came to play, scoring 14 points on 6/6 shooting along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Crowder finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Isaiah Thomas scored 30 but turned the ball over 6 times, while Marcus Smart added 7 points and 9 assists off the bench.
The Miami bench duo of Tyler Johnson (24 points) and James Johnson (20 points) nearly stole the game in the 4th quarter, but the Celtics showed poise in the last two minutes. There were lapses throughout the game, but they never lost control. It’s always a welcome sign when this team wins without playing their best.
Recaps: MassLive | NESN | Boston Herald | WEEI | Providence Journal | ESPN | Boston Globe
Page 2: More “Winning Plays” From Marcus Smart
It was his most difficult shot of the night and yet he drained it with no fear or hesitation. Perhaps Smart should show more apprehension offensively, but what he sometimes isn’t able to deliver with scoring, he more than compensates for in other areas. There was no better example than in the final minute of the Celtics’ 112-108 win over the Heat.
With the Celtics already having blown a 10-point lead and clinging to a 1-point lead with one minute left, Smart wedged himself between Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside to grab a key offensive rebound off a missed Jae Crowder 3-pointer.
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Smart’s importance to the Celtics’ defense and their effort level is unquestioned. He is becoming one of their more indispensable players because of those little things. Smart may never become a pure scorer or even a dependable shooter, but he will win the Celtics at least one playoff game this spring with those critical plays.
“I’ve said this before: Hey, Marcus could score 30 in a game and hit every shot, or he could score zero and not hit his shots, and his two biggest strengths are still his competitiveness and his brains,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
Remember Marcus Smart’s improved shooting form before the season? It’s easy to forget. He’s shooting 36 percent from the field and 28 percent from three, both dreadful figures.
It’s impossible to quantify his production by looking at a stat sheet, and equally impossible not to appreciate his endless motor, constant hustle, and overall fearlessness. Local media has adopted the umbrella term “Winning Plays” to characterize Smart’s impact. Whether it’s drawing a key charge, stripping a guard mid-drive, battling with a big on the block, diving on the floor, or winning a lose ball, Smart will find a way to put his imprint on the game.
For these reasons, he’s a favorite amongst the coaching staff and management. It’s hard not to like him. Typically, you bet on these hard working, gritty players. Smart’s late offensive rebound and assist to Isaiah iced the game for the C’s. He continues to improve his playmaking, post game, free throw percentage, corner three-point shooting, and overall shot selection. It might not be the leap many expected, but his intangible contributions continue to garner praise.
Related: ESPN
Page 3: Jaylen Brown has no time for Agents
“I did my process, I interviewed a few agencies, did my due diligence, and I just didn’t feel like I needed the services they [offered],” he said. “I just felt like I didn’t really need one. I had a good group of mentors who gave me pretty much the resources that I needed, so they made me feel like I actually didn’t need one.”
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“When you think about what an agent is, about giving somebody basically the right to speak for you, the right to represent you, what my mom and what my parents have always taught me is you can speak for yourself and you can represent yourself,” Brown said. “When I thought about it, I felt more comfortable representing myself and going through the avenues and sitting down and talking to people and at least getting that learning curve before I have somebody step in for me and not even knowing what I really need.
“It was all a learning process. The first part of the learning curve was going to the [draft] combine.”
Brown went to the combine in Chicago last year with only his personal trainer.
“A lot of my peers, they came with an entourage, an agent, a representative,” he said. “We were focused on working out. It was interesting. I took a lot of notes, a lot of my mentors told me to jot down what you see.
“It was interesting, a lot of them are almost like being babied. They’re having somebody handle things that’s not even necessary for them to handle, that they could easily handle themselves. It hinders that learning experience. If you don’t even know what you’re heading into yourself, how do you know what you need an agent for?
“I wanted to figure out what I could handle and couldn’t handle, then I could put somebody in the spot where I needed the most. I haven’t had the need for somebody to just do everything. I believe in specialization. I believe people are really good at some things and I don’t believe that everybody is really good at everything. I think I was the highest pick to ever be drafted without an agent.”
In Washburn’s column, he speculates whether future rookies will follow Jaylen Brown’s path of forgoing an agent. There are hundreds of licensed NBA agents, but the power is concentrated amongst the top 7 or 8 agencies.
The Celtics immediately realized Jaylen was a different dude upon working him out before the draft. He offers some insightful quotes about the benefits of representing himself and the potential ramifications of signing with the big agencies, and he’s not shy to criticized his “babied” peers.
The Rest of the Links:
CSNNE: First Place Tie | Amir Johnson’s Value | Stars, Studs, Duds
MassLive: Josh Jackson & Malik Monk | C’s-Cavs Tied for 1st
Providence Journal: Clutch Crowder
Boston Herald: Turnovers don’t Impact Win Streak | Small Ball C’s | Micah Shrewsberry 2nd UMass Interview | Top Seed not Top Priority
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