Marcus Smart rips Tatum and Brown: "They don't want to pass the ball"
The Boston Celtics are off to a very disappointing start to the season, as they are sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 2-5 record. For a team that has serious playoff expectations and a pretty solid roster, this is unacceptable. Last night's blown game versus the Bulls just revealed internal problems between the players, with Marcus Smart calling out his two stars.
The Bulls continue their hot start with an impressive comeback, Celtics continue to struggle
The matchup between the Celtics and the Bulls in TD Garden was a true showdown between two middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference teams that could be battling for playoff seeding near the end of the season. The two historic franchises delivered and gave us a pretty exciting game.
The Bulls came into Boston riding high, beating the Jazz the other night, while the Celtics came off a dramatic double-overtime loss in Washington. But that didn't stop the C's from taking control of the game from the jump. Led by the trio of Brown, Tatum, and Horford, Boston had a 19-point lead in the third quarter.
But instead of finishing the job and getting a valuable win, the Celtics would collapse. At the same time, the Bulls went on an explosive run, bringing the game into balance a few minutes into the 4th quarter already. Boston looked demoralized, while the Bulls just kept pounding them led by significant contributions from their star and role players. In the end, the Bulls would blow the Celtics out, winning 128-114 while winning the 4th quarter 39-11.
DeRozan led the way for the Bulls with 37 points, LaVine added 26, and a few great roles from bench players (Dosnumu, Caruso, Jones Jr.) proved to be enough for a great road win in Boston. On the other side, Jaylen Brown scored an efficient 28 points, while Tatum and Horford had 20 points each.
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Drama in Boston, Smart calls out Brown and Tatum
The Celtics have been obviously struggling, as Ime Udoka hasn't managed to put his pieces in the right place. Struggles on the offensive end have been obvious, as when that happens, you have to look to your point guard. This year, Marcus Smart has switched to the PG position after playing as a two-way shooter from the two-guard position for years. It's a tough transition to make, but it seems Smart doesn't think he is the problem.
"Only so much I can do without the ball in my hands sitting in the corner. We're running plays for our best players, every team knows that. They do a good job of shutting that down. We can't allow that...We can't keep trying to go to those guys. We gotta abort that, find another way to get them the ball in spots that they need the ball. For me, I can only do so much just sitting in the corner or when I come up and give the ball away."
Marcus Smart, Chris Grenham Twitter
Smart then even took it a step further, calling out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for the unwillingness to share the ball:
"I would just like to play basketball. Every team knows we're trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen. Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody's scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don't want to pass the ball."
Marcus Smart, Chris Grenham Twitter
It's never a good thing to see your players call out each other, especially for not passing the ball. These three players have been playing together for years, building a real bond between each other, but it seems things are going south in Boston. Chemistry and communication issues have reached their peak, as I'm pretty sure Tatum and Brown won't appreciate Smart's comments and the fact he shared this with the media instead of addressing them directly.
What's next for the Celtics and their core players, and what GM Brad Stevens and head coach Ime Udoka will do is up for question, as the situation in Boston isn't looking too bright. If they want to make some noise in the East, the Celtics will need to drastically change things one way or another.
