Getty Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics celebrates a three point basket with teammate Al Horford.
After a bit of a slump to start off the month of March, it appears the Boston Celtics have once again found their groove. Winners of five of their last seven outings, the C’s have been on an absolute tear as of late, with their most recent triumph coming in blow-out fashion against the Sacramento Kings Tuesday evening.
There have proven to be many factors that have aided in the club’s recent ascension, with the revived play of cornerstone Jayson Tatum certainly being a notable one.
However, many have attested that big man Al Horford‘s reported behind-the-scenes talk with the team during a recent film session, where he urged them to “understand what we’re playing for,” has played one of the most significant roles in their turnaround.
While The Athletic’s Jay King stated that the veteran “downplayed the significance of his talk,” suggesting that it’s a rather common occurrence, Marcus Smart told the publication that the talk resonated with him and his teammates.
“We all agree,” Smart said. “Everybody knows what we have to do. Everybody knew and understood where he’s coming from. This is a guy who’s been playing this game for a very long time. Still here. Still making sounds and making noise in this league. And you can see how much it means to him.”
“At the end of the day, I feel like we all need to understand what we’re playing for.”
Why Al Horford spoke up. How the Celtics received his message. And how they want to approach the final weeks of the regular season.
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Smart, a player some have argued to be the “heart and soul” of Celtics basketball throughout the years, has also been on record of late publicly noting that Boston needs to step up their game moving forward if they wish to achieve their ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship.
With their recent 132-109 win over Sacramento, it appears the team as a whole is finally heading in the right direction.
Jaylen Brown Praises Celtics After Blowout Over Kings
Following their triumph over Sacramento, Celtics star Jaylen Brown talked up his team for their efforts on the night, telling Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston during a post-game interview: “That looked like the team I recognize.”
The wing would continue to heap praise upon the club, and, in turn, suggested that this could be the start of a big momentum shift as they inch closer to the postseason.
“We came out, we played 48 minutes, we didn’t take our foot off the gas. We took care of business. [We] ended the road trip well…We’re going into spring, winter is over, so there’s definitely an energy shift on the way, so we just got to take advantage of our opportunities and do what we do best,” Brown said.
“That looks like the team I recognize”
@tvabby talks with Jaylen Brown on the big win. He says there’s “an energy shift on the way”
In 34 minutes played, Jaylen Brown registered 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 62.5% shooting from the floor and 57.1% shooting from distance
Jayson Tatum Shouts Out Kings Stars After Celtics Win
Jayson Tatum put some time aside during his post-game media session to shout out his opponents’ star cornerstones in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, and credited head coach Mike Brown for their stellar season together.
“Give a lot of credit to Mike Brown; got the guys playing a lot better,” Tatum said. “Fox is playing at an All-NBA level. Sabonis has been great for them. They just play with so much pace. I feel like all those guys have got a little more confidence. And when you’re playing with confidence and freedom, it opens things up for guys both individually and as a group”
I asked Jayson Tatum is he feels a difference in this Kings team vs. one’s he’s faced in past years.
He credits the turnaround to Mike Brown and says De’Aaron Fox is playing at an All-NBA level.
Despite their team’s demise, the duo managed to combine for 34 points, 15 assists, and 14 rebounds for the Kings, meanwhile Tatum alone dropped 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, and swiped away 2 steals while shooting 56% from the field.