Not such a smart play
Marcus Smart is the most confounding player on the Celtics. It’s impossible not to love his hustle and tenacity, but his reputation for flopping and taking questionable shots can leave you scratching your head. And Smart has never taken a shot more questionable than the one he took in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Pelicans.
After a tie-up, Brandon Ingram and Payton Pritchard had a jump ball at midcourt with 0.3 seconds remaining on the shot clock. The Pelicans had possession before the held ball, so they were the ones who had to worry about the shot clock. Their only chance to get something out of the possession would be to win the tip and throw up a prayer. They knew that, and so Ingram didn’t even bother jumping for the ball. New Orleans was ready to let the Celtics have possession and get back on defense.
Smart was also aware of how difficult it would be to get a shot off in that situation. He just wasn’t aware that the shot clock would reset once the Celtics got possession. When Pritchard tipped the ball back to him, Smart hurled it wildly toward the basket.
All Celtics color commentator Brian Scalabrine could do was ask, “What are you doing?” and chuckle for more than 20 straight seconds.
It wasn’t so funny for Smart’s teammate, though. Kemba Walker seemed totally confused as he spoke with Smart after the play. I wish I could read lips better, but all I could make out was Walker telling Smart, “It was their ball.”
The play came at a key juncture of the game, with the Celtics trailing by four with 16 minutes left, but it wasn’t Smart’s only mental lapse of the night.
With about 30 seconds to go, Smart tried to draw a foul with a flop but couldn’t get the whistle. During the next stoppage, he had a discussion with referee CJ Washington and must have said something Washington didn’t like because he was issued a technical foul and ejected.
The Celtics went on to lose, 115–109. The loss put them one game below .500 at 23–24, tied with the Heat for seventh place in the East. Not great for a team that entered the season with title aspirations.
The best of SI
A massage therapist details her disturbing encounter with Deshaun Watson. … Kelvin Sampson is in the Final Four in Indiana more than a decade after leaving the state in disgrace. … The buyout market is another way for big-market teams to tip the scales in the NBA. … Has this year’s women’s NCAA tournament shown that the first two rounds should always be played at neutral sites?
Around the sports world
Karl-Anthony Towns had his father in the crowd for the first time since his mother died of COVID-19. … Hue Jackson says he got a contract extension in the middle of the 0–16 season. … Oregon State’s radio announcer was attacked in Indianapolis before the Beavers’ Sweet 16 game. … Mark Appel, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 MLB draft, is attempting a comeback.
UConn advanced to its 13th straight Final Four thanks to obvious missed call on Baylor’s final shot
I’m not too sad to see Baylor go home after this
In other Celtics news
Russ can really stuff the box score
Get the damn shot!
NASCAR ran a Cup race on dirt for the first time since 1970
Not sports
A man in the Philippines had no idea he had a knife lodged in his chest for 14 months after being stabbed. … An alleged mafia member who had been on the run since 2014 was captured in the Dominican Republic after posting cooking videos on YouTube with his distinctive tattoos in full view. … Nike is suing the company that made Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes.”
These dudes were having a blast
Coming soon to Xbox: Lawn Mowing Simulator
The inside of this house is all black and features a ton of Raiders gear
A German power plant was blown up with almost 1,000 pounds of explosives
A good song
Email [email protected] with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
