The Kyrie Irving/Marcus Smart Bromance Is The Most Important Relationship In The History Of Relationships
Alright, so maybe this is my brain just doing it’s deranged thing again given we have about 15 years before the Celts play Game 2, but I’ve been thinking a lot over the last 24 hours about the Kyrie and Smart bromance. What tipped me off was Kyrie’s comments postgame after Sunday’s win
and then Smart’s response
Now I know what you’re thinking. This is just an example of Kyrie being a great leader and shouting out his injured teammate and that’s all this is. Well ya know what? If the internet is going to overanalyze every single time Kyrie and KD have a hallway conversation, of course my brain is going to take this little interaction and find what isn’t there to the naked eye. This may be a stretch, but I’m still fairly loaded on Kool Aid so it makes complete sense in my brain:
There may not be a more important relationship on this team than Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving.
Allow me to explain. Think back to the beginning of the year when this team sucked donkey testicles. We heard all about how Kyrie was campaigning to have Smart inserted into the starting lineup, and Kyrie has been open about how awesome and beneficial it is to play next to Smart. Don’t take my word for it, Kyrie basically said it himself
So why is this important? Well what would you say is the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to this team. Safe to say it’s whether or not Kyrie is going to stay or not. Smart plays a role in that outcome in a number of ways. First are foremost, the love Kyrie has playing next to Smart. He understands it brings the best out of him as a player, and I would argue his career year proved that. They cover for each other’s weaknesses and honestly Smart is the perfect guard to pair next to Kyrie because he doesn’t need to touch the ball to have an impact. We know Kyrie loves his touches/shots, so that’s important in terms of his future. Here’s where my theory gets a little wonky, but I believe in true love so I’m rolling with it. Is it possible that Kyrie’s love for Smart will impact a potential deal for Anthony Davis? Let’s say the Pelicans want Smart included in any sort of deal. Does Kyrie give Ainge the reassurance that he would stay in Boston even if that deal dies because he doesn’t want to include Smart. Not only that, but if you take Smart off the table because he’s Kyries guy, does that mean Tatum now becomes a must include? I imagine Ainge is going to look at all possible combinations to pull that trade off without including Tatum, and most likely that involves Smart.
Think of the other guy on this team that Kyrie loves. That’s Tatum. All you hear about is this idea that if the Celtics don’t get AD, Kyrie is 100% leaving to join his buddy Durant in NY. But what if not getting AD means the Celtics hold onto two guys that Kyrie is absolutely in love with? Especially if they are able to have a deep playoff run? Nobody knows what Kyrie is going to do this summer, anyone who suggests they do is lying. But what I can say with certainty is he’s gone out publicly and gushed about these two guys, Smart in particular. There’s way more evidence that he’s saying shit that would make you feel Kyrie wants to stay with Smart long term than we have he’s planning to bolt with KD. What do we have there, them laughing in a hallway? That’s suspect at best. We have concrete evidence of Kyrie declaring his love for Marcus Smart on multiple occasions.
It sounds crazy on the surface, “Marcus Smart is what could keep Kyrie in Boston” I fully understand that. But if you’re looking for any sort of clue as to what Kyrie may do, I don’t know how it can be ignored. Add to that fact that Smart is basically a respectable shooter now maybe it’s not as crazy as you think.