MEMPHIS -- Marcus Smart was out with an injury but led the Grizzlies pre-game preparation for the Grizzlies before they took his former Celtics down to the last shot in Memphis.
“I think in the pre-game talk, he talked for 10 minutes straight,” Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama told CLNS Media. “He knows these guys. Obviously, he’s a guy that studies a lot of film, but he played there for 9-10 years and he knows them better than anybody, probably better than themselves. He gave us a lot of insight, especially guarding Jayson, who’s a great player, backs down smaller defenders into the post and then has all these tricks. So really trying to see how to guard them without fouling. Obviously, having Marcus himself is a privilege, but having him playing against Boston, I think that gave us a better chance at winning this game.”
CLNS Media's Bobby Manning reports from FedEx Forum in Memphis.
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“I think in the pre-game talk, he talked for 10 minutes straight,” Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama told CLNS Media. “He knows these guys. Obviously, he’s a guy that studies a lot of film, but he played there for 9-10 years and he knows them better than anybody, probably better than themselves. He gave us a lot of insight, especially guarding Jayson, who’s a great player, backs down smaller defenders into the post and then has all these tricks. So really trying to see how to guard them without fouling. Obviously, having Marcus himself is a privilege, but having him playing against Boston, I think that gave us a better chance at winning this game.”
CLNS Media's Bobby Manning reports from FedEx Forum in Memphis.
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FanDuel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE and use code CLNSFREE for FREE breakfast for life! One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That’s free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com/CLNSFREE with code CLNSFREE!
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SportsTranscript
00:00 The Garden Report is brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS
00:04 Media Network.
00:05 Hey, Bowie Manning here.
00:09 Welcome to one more Garden Report here in Memphis before we head back to Boston.
00:13 Celtic's going to head to Charlotte to play the Hornets on a back-to-back tomorrow.
00:18 Didn't get to talk to Marcus Smart tonight.
00:20 He's kind of stunk, but I did see him here in the boot, walking around as he begins his
00:25 three-to-five-week layoff here with the injury that kept him out of this game tonight.
00:31 Obviously, that's what a lot of us came down to see, him playing against his old team here
00:34 tonight.
00:35 That didn't happen, but at points throughout this game, you would have thought he was involved
00:38 in the action, going and talking to refs, complaining, in the huddle, leading timeouts,
00:44 and showing individual guys.
00:45 I saw him with David Roddy at one point, positioning defensively.
00:50 I'm sure tips and tricks about playing the Celtics, tendencies with Jason Tatum, Jalen
00:54 Brown, and the rest, and he saw a play out in this game.
00:56 We talked about how this just ended up being the sloppiest game all year for the Celtics,
01:00 even in a win here.
01:01 You'd have to think Marcus Smart played a part in that.
01:04 Santee O'Donnell, I asked him after the game whether Smart shared any insight with them,
01:08 and he said Smart talked for about ten minutes before the game with the team in their pre-game
01:13 meeting here, coming into this one.
01:15 I didn't share anything specifically, he said, in terms of tricks, but a lot of defensive
01:20 stuff.
01:21 A lot of shared tendencies when it comes to the Celtics here.
01:24 He was animated along the sidelines, similar to what you'd see with the Celtics over those
01:30 years he was with the team there, leading timeout huddles and all the rest.
01:33 It was weird to see him on that opposite sideline, cheering for Grizzlies baskets against the
01:38 Celtics and asking for calls against Boston.
01:42 It's strange.
01:43 Jason Tatum mentioned that earlier.
01:44 We did a video on some of Jalen and Jason's memories and just ups and downs of the relationship
01:49 with Smart, and you almost did see Smart, again without talking to him here, wanting
01:54 to get back at his old team, wanting to score that revenge team, even from the sideline.
01:57 He was just so active and involved in this game.
02:01 Taylor Jenkins talked about that as much here in this one.
02:05 Joe Mazzulla talked a little bit pre-game about how when he was starting his career
02:08 in Boston, he'd have those conversations with Smart.
02:11 Defense at the NBA level, matchups, tendencies, all that different kind of stuff.
02:15 And I did actually write for Boston Sports Journal about how Drew Holliday is kind of
02:19 filling that role now for this team.
02:21 You saw them going at it, Holliday going at it with some of the hustle plays in this one.
02:25 Didn't end up having a great game here tonight.
02:28 So not exactly that Smart replacement we've looked at him as for much of his early tenure
02:33 here.
02:34 But credit to Smart, credit to the Grizzlies for really giving it to the Celtics in a fully
02:39 loaded effort for Boston here tonight.
02:41 Whether they took them lightly, we talked about that in our last video here.
02:45 But Smart's going to recover, hopefully in time for that next game in Boston in February,
02:53 which is going to mark his return to TD Garner for the first time since the trade.
02:58 John Morant, you have to think, will be available at that point too after the suspension.
03:02 So a bit of an anticlimactic meeting and reunion for the two sides here, Brown and Smart.
03:08 Rejoiced before the game in a moment that was widely captured there.
03:13 And this was just an overall weird night, weird game, and a bit disappointing given
03:22 that Smart wasn't at the center of it.
03:24 But looking along the sideline here, you would have hardly, hardly believed that he was out
03:29 for this one.
03:30 He was all over this effort by the Grizzlies just in terms of scheming and talking to his
03:36 teammates through what they needed to do in this one.
03:38 So that's our final word here in Memphis.
03:40 Back to Boston.
03:41 Thanks for following all our coverage down here.
03:43 CLNS Media, Celtics All Access.
03:45 Subscribe over there.
03:46 We'll have post-game Celtics Hornets tomorrow.
03:47 And this has been the Garner Report from FedExForum in Memphis.
03:52 We'll talk to you soon.
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04:06 FanDuel, official partner of the NFL.
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