It didn’t take long for Sunday’s showdown on the parquet floor between the Celtics and Grizzlies to become an afterthought.
As Boston’s bench toyed with a decimated Memphis roster in the closing minutes of Sunday’s 131-91 victory, an already riled-up Celtics crowd shifted its focus.
Marcus Smart didn’t log a minute of action on the court Sunday, with an injured finger keeping the Grizzlies guard on the bench.
But a bandaged hand wasn’t going to keep the veteran away from an anticipated return to the court he called home for nine seasons.
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And a Celtics fan base that quickly embraced Smart’s propensity for welcoming welts in pursuit of loose balls and momentum-shifting charging fouls made sure his efforts were appreciated.