During his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart was a fan-favorite. The former Defensive Player of the Year embodied what being a Celtic meant to the fanbase, especially those who have grown up watching the team.
On Sunday, April 6, Smart returned to the TD Garden as a member of the Washington Wizards roster. Despite a warm reception from the attending crowd, the veteran guard found himself in a back-and-forth with an overzealous fan in the stands.
“He just crossed the line. We all know, I don’t do line crossing,” Smart said during his postgame news conference. “You never want to see that, especially for a guy who’s coming back and has given the city everything he has.”
While the fan in question was likely aiming their criticism toward the Wizards roster as a whole, it’s no surprise Smart stepped in. The former Celtic has never shied away from confrontation. Furthermore, he’s uniquely positioned to respond to fans in the TD Garden. In fact, Smart would likely be supported by the majority of those in attendance.
Nevertheless, the entire situation was unfortunate. However, it’s worth noting that the fan in question was reportedly removed from the stands.
Smart Had ‘Flashbacks’ to His Celtics Tenure
The Wizards are a rebuilding roster. As such, with the end of the season on the horizon, the coaching staff opted to keep Smart glued to the bench for their loss to the Celtics. Smart’s absence from the Wizards rotation clearly didn’t sit well with the Boston-based crowd. Chants of ‘We want Marcus’ echoed throughout the TD Garden.
When speaking to the media after the game, Smart admitted those chants brought back memories.
“Flashbacks, baby,” Smart said. “The love is always there. From both sides — myself and the fans, the city. It’s definitely emotional coming back and you try to hold it back. But I love it. I love every last bit of it. I’m a part of the city — nine years. A kid to a young man.”
Smart joined the Wizards at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The veteran guard is now taking on a leadership role for a team that is littered with young, high-upside talent.
Celtics Could Retain Al Horford This Summer
While Smart is continuing down a new path with the Wizards, Al Horford continues to help steady the foundations of Boston’s championship-winning roster. However, the veteran big man will hit unrestricted free agency this summer. There has been some level of discussion surrounding his future and whether he will choose to retire at the end of the season.
“I’m still very hungry, very driven, so I want to continue to play,” Horford told Steve Bulpett of Heavy on Sports. “…I just look at the opportunity that’s in front of us now, and, you know, you’ve got to take advantage of this. You play in the league a lot of years, and to be in a team that’s contending and playing at a high level, I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Horford, like Smart, is a fan favorite. As such, there will be millions of the Boston faithful crossing their fingers that Horford remains with the franchise this summer. Losing Smart was hard enough. Losing Horford would be a disaster.
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