The Grip - WED 5.16.18

The Marcus Smart appreciation post

5.16.18

S.E.: For the first time in franchise history, the Phoenix Suns have the first pick in the NBA draft. Cleveland finished eighth, the Kings jumped to second, and the Hawks, who have three first round picks, will choose third. The Grizzlies were bumped to fourth, and New York is once again too bad to be good and too good to be really bad. Here’s a complete list. 

Written while listening to Loyle Carner's A little Late [

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No. 2 Boston vs. No. 4 Cleveland

Game 1: Celtics 108, Cavaliers 83Game 2: Celtics 107, Cavaliers 94 [Box Score] [Highlights]Game 3: Celtics @ Cavaliers, Saturday, 8:30 EST, ESPN

Marcus Smart is a beautiful eyesore

In Tuesday night’s win to put the Celtics up 2-0 over the Cavaliers, the inimitable Marcus Smart did something that somehow compressed four years of basketball into one play. We present: The rare Marcus to Marcus, times two.(From the dramatic ball slip to the steal and lead pass, this was all so Marcus Smart)[READ: When Marcus Smart does his thing, anything’s possible for the Celtics] Now that we’ve tested the boundaries of max Gif length, let’s say some nice things about SMARTTT. He was a game-high plus-21 last night. He had nine assists and no turnovers. He has more hustle in his soul than the city of Cleveland has population. But perhaps most impressive is this stat: One J.R. Smith punked, after this abhorrently dirty play that drew a flagrant and the ire of the crowd. Broken thumb et al, it is obvious, if it wasn’t before (we’re sorry), that Smart is the exact type of player a team needs to win a championship. His comparisons to Dennis Johnson in the past have caused stomach convulsions, but short of shooting consistently, the elite defense, the ability to run the pick-and-roll and those 50-50 plays (cliche alert) are undeniably there. [WATCH: Terry Rozier throws down a breakaway with LeBron looming]He’s the short Dennis Rodman; the offensively-gifted Bruce Bowen; Shane Battier with an attitude; Javale McGee’s punchline with Draymond Green’s impact. Once and for all: Danny Ainge, who must see a little bit of Smart in himself, needs to pay that man. [READ: Marcus Smart praised by Cavs after helping Celtics gain 2-0 series edge]Oh, and the Celtics are two wins from the NBA Finals. How did we get here? We'll try to answer that at some point.LeBron finished with a 42-point triple-double but might have been concussed by Tatum’s shoulder. He'll have to wait  until Saturday to rest and scold his mediocre teammates. This series isn’t over, but Boston is 37-0 all-time when up 2-0, and LeBron hasn’t faced this deficit in the Eastern Conference since…..the 2008 Celtics.  

Western Conference

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 2 Golden State

Game 1: Warriors 119, Rockets 106 [Box Score] [Highlights]Game 2: Warriors @ Rockets, Tonight, 9 EST, TNT

(PJ Tucker is shown here, possibly having a basketball crisis.)So, James Harden dropped 41 points on 14-of-24 shooting at home for a 65-win team, and the fourth quarter and final score weren’t close. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of this series, and the rest of the playoffs. We’ve seen stretches of absolute dominance before -- the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, MJ’s Bulls -- where those watching knew, beyond doubt, that that team would be in, and win, the NBA Finals. [WATCH: Shaq and Chuck think the Warriors will sweep the Rockets]But there’s something particularly unsettling about this particular stretch of domination. It’s almost like a 73-9 team added the second best player in the league for nothing. Oh, it is like that. The greatest regular season team ever adds the second best player in the league. You won’t believe what happens next. Oh, you guessed an easy run to a title in year No. 1 and probably the next year, too? [READ: Are the Warriors just too good for the Rockets?]Sarcastic voice deactivated. Look, we love greatness and how much it means to players. It’s what keeps us fawning over Mike even though we were five when he officially retired from the Bulls. It’s what gets us angry when people undermine what Bill Russell did in the ‘60s. It’s what connects us to the Knicks in the ‘70s, Hakeem in the ‘90s and Celtics-Lakers in the ‘80s. It’s what keeps Charles Barkley up at night, what drove Clyde Drexler to Houston, why Gary Payton couldn’t retire until he got his jewelry, what made us admire LeBron in the 2016 NBA Finals. But watching this Golden State team win so convincingly on the road against a 65-win team with the MVP and a top-10 point guard ever…..is that fun, to anyone outside of The Bay? [READ: Rockets not panicking after game one loss]

Draft links!

What else happened?

  • READ: Ty Lue thinks the Celtics are "gooning up" the game.

  • Marcus Morris got an and-one over Tristan Thompson, then yelled in his face. 

  • Cleveland’s final haul for Kyrie Irving: Larry Nance, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and the eighth pick in the 2018 NBA draft. 

  • READ: Celtics in position to send LeBron James to another destination once again

  • READ: It's not if, but when, LeBron leaves

  • Reddit: The Cleveland Cavalier’ starting backcourt of George Hill and J.R. Smith, who made $33 million this season, combined for three points in 60 minutes.

  • READ: Houston, you definitely have a problem