Game 3 of the NBA Finals boiled the Marcus Smart experience down to its purest form. His impact, for better and worse, was singular, with a blend of tough shot-making, furious on- and off-ball defense, reckless jump passes and curious decisions that ultimately helped elevate the Celtics to a 2-1 series lead.
It was in so many ways a quintessential performance from Boston’s longest-tenured player, a ball of deliberate energy whose impact on any given possession transcends analytical quantification. He finished with a quiet albeit critical 24 points (on 17 shots), three threes, seven rebounds and five assists. He was +19 on the court and Boston was -3 when he sat. (The only Celtic with a more favorable plus/minus net differential was Rob Williams III; Boston’s defensive rating in the nine minutes Smart sat was an atrocious 118.2.)
He also had five turnovers. Four of them were live-ball off passes that, if we’re being generous, can be described as “extremely poor”:
But he also took and made some of the biggest shots of the game.
