Robb: Kevin Garnett Shows Marcus Smart Some Love
BOSTON (CBS) – Celtics rookie Marcus Smart was only 19 months old when Kevin Garnett made his NBA debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 1995.
Nineteen years later, the pair shared a special moment together in the midst of the hard-fought contest between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics on Friday afternoon.
After a one-game demotion out of the first unit, Smart was back in the starting lineup against Brooklyn at the TD Garden and stuffed the box score in 30 minutes of action with five points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals in Boston's 109-107 loss.
The highlight of his effort came in the third quarter when Smart stole the ball away from Nets point guard Jarrett Jack after diving for a loose ball on the floor. Garnett also hit the deck to try to corral the basketball and landed on Smart just after the 20-year-old guard hit a streaking Jeff Green for an easy fast break bucket.
Smart dives for the ball, passes over his head to Green for the Dunk: http://t.co/T7zVyi48Zg
— Jay O (@MrTrpleDouble10) December 26, 2014
Following the play, Smart and Garnett acknowledged each other with a simple slap on the back, showing appreciation for the effort each exhibited during the play.
It was a surreal sequence between a past Celtics leader in Garnett, and the player Boston fans hope can help guide the Celtics back to success in Smart. The Celtics' brass likely sees several of the characteristics Garnett held throughout his career in a developing Smart: tough defense, strong leadership and a desire to win.
Despite his propensity to hate rookies, Garnett had some kind words for the young guard following the game.
"I admire the young guy," Garnett said of Smart. "I admire the young guy's work ethic and how hard he plays. Obviously, they brought him in here and Danny [Ainge] knows talent. Just a good hustle play, just a little tap on the back to say good play. Nothing more, nothing less than that."
The move was one of the few bright spots in the third straight loss for the Celtics this week. Garnett still carries plenty of cache around these parts, as head coach Brad Stevens acknowledged after the game, so his praise of Smart carries weight.
"Whether it's talking to our players, talking to our bench, talking to his teammates, the passion which he brings to the game is top-notch," Stevens said. "And I think you can learn a lot from a guy like that if you're a young guy that's never been around him. And you know, I told Jae Crowder when Garnett got introduced and everybody went nuts as they should, you know, if you play the right way here, people appreciate it. And obviously he did that and he led others to do that."
Will Smart be the next player to follow Garnett's lead and change the Celtics culture for the better in the coming seasons? It's too early to tell at this point, but it appears he's on the right track for the time being.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
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