Marcus Smart was notoriously absent in the fourth quarter of Boston‘s Game 1 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. But there is a good answer for that.
After recording two quick turnovers and fouls, Smart just simply wasn't happy with how he was playing, so he took himself out.
From ESPN's Chris Forsberg:
“I just decided to take myself out. Things were going wrong and I was making a couple mistakes,” Smart said. “Everyone else was playing good, so I decided to take myself out and let those guys keep going, and really calm myself down and get ready to go back into the game to finish the game.”
…
“The turnovers and the silly fouls, I know I can't make those mistakes,” Smart said. “I just wanted to take myself out, get myself together, and cheer my team on. Those dudes were rolling and keeping me going. I didn't want to mess up the groove. I just really re-gathered myself and got ready for when Brad called me back in.
“I think that was a selfless act to be able to understand, obviously, right now things aren't going well for you, but this guy, he's been playing really well. So why should he come out when he's playing really well and not you? So I decided to take myself out.”
Although, Smart didn't play well in the fourth, he actually started in the second half against the Wizards and immediately made an impact. The tenacious Smart didn't score a single point in the third quarter but made a difference with his defense, getting a steal and a block while also harassing Bradley Beal and John Wall. And thanks to Smart, the Celtics were able to outscore the Wizards by 20 points in the quarter and head to the fourth up 95-80.
His poor play in the fourth was likely just an anamoly as the Celtics will look for Smart to continue make a difference in their second-round series against the Wizards.
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