Celtics Bouncer Marcus Smart not Afraid About rep for Flopping

Marcus Smart is not abashed to hit the attic in seek of a call, even if he embellishes it a bit. Marilyn Indahl
.Yet Smart generally tries to amplify acquaintance in hopes of cartoon a whistle. Seek YouTube and you'll acquisition continued abstracts of his perceived flops at Oklahoma State.

 The Internet has nominated him for "Flop of the Year" no beneath than three times already this division -- on a Carmelo Anthony back down; afterwards a Chandler Parsons bend that -- like LaVine's -- didn't appear abutting to landing; and with Monday's performance.

If the NBA is concerned, it hasn't apparent it in the anatomy of a warning. Smart wasn't one of eight players warned by the alliance this division through Sunday's action. Celtics drillmaster Brad Stevens said he isn't ever worried, either, but he accepted Wednesday that he and Smart discussed those array of plays.

"I don’t lose beddy-bye over those things. I do anticipate you just accept to be acquainted of authoritative the appropriate basketball play," Stevens responded if asked Wednesday if Smart ability accretion a acceptability for exaggerating contact. "We’ve talked about that. We met and talked about that a little bit [on Wednesday]. He’s a adolescent player, and he’s got a lot of amateur in foreground of him. So, continuing to focus on accomplishing the acceptable things that he does and authoritative that appropriate basketball play is the a lot of important thing. Certainly you just accept to be acquainted of that. And the alone acknowledgment that you can accept to that is affective advanced and authoritative the appropriate next play."

Smart, a second-year guard, deserves application for the NBA's All-Defense teams. The Celtics own a arresting appraisement of 98.3 if he's on the court. What's more, he generally draws arduous arresting assignments and is captivation opponents to 42.3 percent shooting, or 0.8 percent beneath those players' division average. Smart is aswell averaging 1.8 steals over 27.2 account per game.

There's a band of cerebration that suggests Smart doesn't allegation to amplify plays acquisitive to acquire calls and that he ability in fact be preventing himself from accepting added whistles (like his nightly attack to yield at atomic one accepted charge). There's addition band of anticipation that suggests, in his admiration to advice his aggregation win, Smart artlessly can't advice but try any tactic that ability accomplish a alarm adjoin the opposition.

Smart is hardly the alone amateur in the alliance that sometimes exaggerates with the ambition of earning calls. Celtics admirers would bound point to stars such as Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James as those that sometimes get calls based on reactions.

Smart said Wednesday he's not afraid about accepting labeled a flopper.

"Not at all. I’m gonna play my bold and play harder every day," Smart said. "That’s something the drillmaster and this alignment doesn’t accept to anguish about. I feel like the blow of my teammates are gonna aces it up also. I’m not afraid about all the added being that comes with it. I just play my game."

Smart fatigued that he artlessly wants to accept a acceptability for arena hard.

"I achievement I get banal as a determined player. That’s who I am," Smart said. "I play hard. I’m not endlessly that for anybody. That’s my game. I play with a lot of affection and affection and assurance and a lot of will and I never accord up. So, if that’s the average I’m accepting stereotyped, I’ll yield it."

While calmly and confidently fielding the flopping questions, Smart aswell offered his yield on the final attempt in the Minnesota game. Thomas appeared to be advanced accessible on the adverse ancillary of the cloister if Smart adopted to cull up over a apostle in the final seconds. Smart appropriate he hadn't advised the play back the loss, but he offered his anticipation process.

"Well, if I bent it, I bent it so abysmal with the bulk of time I had, and I was accepting up the cloister and I was searching for somebody, but [Ricky] Rubio played in the middle," Smart said. "I absolutely didn’t see cipher open, and he absolutely didn’t accomplish to me until the endure minute as I was traveling up for the shot. And by that time there wasn’t abundant time to accomplish addition pass, in my eyes, to addition teammate. I at atomic capital to get a attempt up. I didn’t wish to end the bold after a shot, so I anticipation I took the best attempt that was available."