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  • February 14, 2025
Celtics star gives emotional reaction to confrontation with former teammate after trade

Celtics star gives emotional reaction to confrontation with former teammate after trade

BOSTON – The Celtics have faced the Grizzlies twice since Marcus Smart was traded to Memphis, but have yet to face their former teammate. That should change Saturday night as the point guard is set to make his debut as a visitor at TD Garden. Smart is officially listed as questionable for the game with a right ankle injury, but scored 18 points despite the injury in a home win for Memphis over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.

Jayson Tatum was one of Smart’s longest-tenured teammates in Boston. He played the first six seasons of his career with the veteran before being dealt to Memphis in a three-team trade in June 2023. The All-Star forward tried to put his appreciation for Smart into perspective when talking about the looming game following Friday’s win over the Bucks.

“I’m really excited to see Smart tomorrow because you all know how much he means to this city and this franchise,” Tatum said. “Ultimate Celtic, he will always be a Celtic for life. I had played with him for six years; I didn’t envision a time when I wouldn’t be on his team.”

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Tatum will likely see some defensive coverage from Smart if he is physically cleared to see the floor and admits this will be a bizarre situation for him.

“If he does play tomorrow it’ll be a little weird, but I’ll probably go out there and destroy him or something,” Tatum joked. “But I’m excited to see him. I know the fans will be happy to have Smart back in the building. So it will be a special moment.”

Al Horford also played alongside Smart in Boston for six years and is eager to catch up with the seasoned veteran.

“Yeah, just excited, just excited to see Marcus,” Horford said. “Besides the basketball stuff, it’s about seeing him, seeing how he’s doing, you know, catching up and then we’ll see if he plays.”

The Grizzlies will enter Boston as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight of their last ten games. With Boston playing their fifth game in seven nights, Smart expects a lot of attention from his former teammates in the game.

“I’m sure they’ve seen how well I’m playing and they’ll do everything they can to keep me from playing in a big game,” Smart told the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Thursday. “This is an important test for us.”

The Celtics and Grizzlies tip off at TD Garden on Saturday evening at 8 p.m