BOSTON – As Marcus Smart took off his warmup gear to check into Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night, fans at TD Garden began collectively rising to their feet to greet him. It had been six weeks since his last appearance on the court, so Celtics Nation had to let him know how much they had missed his presence and how excited they were to have him back.
Any possible cobwebs that Smart had collected over the past month and a half while recovering from right thumb surgery were immediately shaken off by those cheers. The outpour of support raised his adrenaline through the roof, and he was ready to go.