The last time Marcus Smart was on the court at the TD Garden was on May 29, 2023 for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a game the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat. But Smart made his return to TD Garden with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday for the first time since he was traded over the summer.
Smart felt back at home the second the plane landed and he made his way through the tunnel, although it was on the visitor’s side, he did see some familiar faces from TD Garden employees and Celtics staffers as he made his entrance into the arena. He had a press conference during pregame and expressed that Boston will always be a second home to him:
“Boston is definitely a second home for me. The was that Boston took me in. We all know playing in this city isn’t the easiest and there’s plenty times they let us know about it, especially me. Everything is always great here, and I speak for everybody, both opposing teams and guys who have played here, that its nothing like playing in this place, and playing in this city, and these fans.”
The plan was put in place to have a video tribute for Smart during the first timeout of the game, which was extremely well done. When asked about the fans, Smart said that he’ll always hold a special place in his heart for the fans and for Boston:
“Thank you guys. I love you guys and forever, you guys will always be in my heart and Boston will always be here. So never forgotten and thank you.”
Once the game started, it was about six minutes into the game before the Grizzlies called a timeout, which raised all of our heads to the Jumbotron to see Smart’s video tribute prepared by the team:
Smart’s return to the Garden brought a sense of closure to many Celtics fans, the city, and likely Smart, who received a standing ovation before the game even started, during his video tribute, and when he was honored with the Hero Among Us Award.
It was truly a special day in the TD Garden yesterday for Marcus.
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Photo Credit: Boston Celtics
The Celtics Files 