Getty Marcus Smart, Celtics (with ball), and the Warriors' Stephen Curry
Steph Curry is in Marcus Smart‘s head — though perhaps not in the way he’d like. The Warriors’ shooting star hasn’t given the Celtics guard sleepless nights or messed with the wiring in his brain; rather Curry has served as inspiration for an already motivated Marcus.
Since Golden State overcame the Celtics’ 2-1 Finals lead and closed them out in six games, Smart has used the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader as a reminder that more work needs to be done. That Curry went from 25.9 points on 38.0% 3-point shooting in the first 16 playoff games last season to 31.2 points on 43.7% trey marksmanship against the Celts was bound to not sit well with Smart.
The first opportunity to do something about it comes Saturday night in San Francisco when the Celtics take the best record in the league against the shaky-of-late defending champions.
The Smart-Curry duel within a game is, by every measure, a classic matchup, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year versus the Greatest Shooter Ever.
“That was one of the greatest challenges I’ve had, a fun challenge,” Smart told Heavy Sports, looking back to the Finals and then ahead. “I’m looking forward to it again.”
Marcus Smart Thought About Stephen Curry ‘All Summer’
It should be noted that Curry’s aforementioned numbers against the Celtics last June do not necessarily get put on Smart’s report card in total. Golden State has been the league model for cutting and ball movement, and against the Celts’ switching defense, several C’s were stuck with the assignment at shooting time over the course of the series.
But as one of the more competitive beings on this planet, Smart was still taking things personally as he went through his offseason paces.
“Definitely,” he said. “I was thinking about him all summer when I was going through my workouts. I was thinking about what I have to do against him. And that’s good. It just gives me more ways, more things to add to my game on both ends — defensively and offensively — when you’ve got a great player that you’re going up against.
“He challenges you with how great he is on offense, and you have to be able to challenge him right back on the other end. But with the way he is on offense, you have to add to your repertoire, add to your wardrobe, because of all the things he throws at you that you have to see that you’ve probably never seen before.”
Smart acknowledged that he’ll be loaded for bear on Saturday, and that Curry will not be surprised in the least by it.
“Steph understands that,” Smart told Heavy. “Steph’s been in this game for a long time, and he’s been doing what he’s doing at a very high rate. He understands that people are coming at him. He understands that he’s going to get everybody’s best shot, and rightfully so. You wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t know Steph — I’m not speaking for Steph — but I’m sure he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“It’s a compliment to him and what he does for this game that people approach him that way, giving him their best shot. It’s what it is, you know? He did his part, he did his job. He has every right to say whatever he wants, because he did it. So it’s on us to try to come back and try to see what we did wrong and try to get back there.”
Smart Mum on Strategy vs. Curry
Marcus wasn’t dispensing with many specifics when it comes to dealing with Curry, and that may be in part because there aren’t many.
“I mean, you just find ways,” Smart said. “He found a way to triumph in the Finals, and that’s why he’s one of the greatest players in this game. You know, you take and learn your lessons, and you try to stay as disciplined as you can when doing that. You try to stay healthy, because you definitely have to be healthy to play against him the way he moves.
“You’ve really just got to be very, very professional in the way that you approach him, knowing that you’ve really got to lock down when you’re watching film or when you’re studying and learning from your mistakes and from the things you did right.”
In personal terms, the matchup is a very civil war. There’s no hatred on the hardwood or anything of the like.
“We chit-chat out there, but nothing crazy,” said Smart. “Ever since I came in the league, playing with Steph has always been like that. He’s a great guy. He’s an ultimate competitor. So I’ve definitely chit-chatted with him, but when the game’s really on, both teams, both guys, we’re trying to kill each other.”
You know, civil.