Smart moves to appeal NBA fine
MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA believed it had heard too much from Marcus Smart when it chose to fine him $15,000 for public criticism of the officiating in the Celtics’ Saturday’s loss in Houston, and of refereeing in general.
But it hasn’t heard the last from him. Smart plans to appeal the fine.
“I do,” he said yesterday, “but I don’t want to speak too much on it. I don’t know at this point really what I can and can’t say, so I’m not really going to speak too much. I’m not really trying to get fined again. But I definitely am going to appeal that.”
Any attention Smart has gotten for his comments and fine has paled in comparison to the fame he has gained for his kip-up — going from on the floor on his back to a standing position in one move — during the win over the Bulls Monday.
“I’ve seen him do it a lot,” said coach Brad Stevens. “I remember his first year here in a practice, I saw him do that and had to ask myself, ‘Did that really happen?’ And just like this, I’m sure we went back to film and checked it out again and watched it a couple of times. It’s a special talent, I guess. I don’t have it. He’s a really good athlete.”
Smart has been caught off-guard by the continued showing of the move on TV.
“I’m definitely surprised,” he said. “I don’t know. I just did it. I didn’t think it’d get this much attention. I’ve been doing that since I was 6, 7 years old. I do back flips, front flips. I’ve done it all, just messing around. The guys have seen me do it. That’s light for me. That’s easy.”
Everybody’s talkin’
Word from back in Boston is that Al Horford’s game and the amount of money he gets paid have been big topics this week, but the C’s big man isn’t too concerned.
“The way that I look at it and that way that I’ve always approached it is if we’re winning and people want to talk about me, it’s fine,” he said. “If we’re losing, then you really get on me and I’ll definitely try to be better to help us win. But I’m fine with that. As long as we’re winning, we’re playing good basketball, I feel like our team is turning the corner as a group, so that’s exciting to see. That’s all I care about.
“For me, it’s just understanding what your priorities are, right? There’s some guys that worry about other things, maybe individual things or whatever. With me, I’ve always — and people have known this since I got to the league the first day — that I’ve always been about trying to help my team win, trying to play for my teammates. That’s just the way that I am.”
Horford continues to be praised by opposing coaches and players and his own teammates and staff, the latest testimony coming yesterday from Minnesota coach Tim Thibodeau.
“What are people missing? The most important number, the winning,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what makes him who he is. You watch them play, he plays great defense. He sets great screens. He hits the open man. That adds so much to a team, you can’t underestimate that.”