“Was Ready For it to Suck”- Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart Opens Up on His NBA Bubble Experience

When the NBA players arrived in the Orlando bubble, a lot of them complained about it, and understandably so. From the food to the residence, players found problems with a lot of the facilities that were provided. However, in retrospect, Boston Celtics defensive juggernaut Marcus Smart liked the experience. He says the bubble turned out to be “pretty damn great.”

Smart wrote a Players Tribune article entitled, “This Article Is Not About Basketball” where he opened up about his experience in the bubble, among other things.

Coming into the bubble, Smart predicted a nightmare. No friends, no family, and no home-cooked meals. He admitted that he was “ready for it to suck.”

But surprisingly, it was just the opposite for him. And it was the disconnect from the everyday things that he felt was the best part. He wrote, “Not the food, necessarily, or the atmosphere, or us not winning the whole thing in the end, but just the actual bubble part of it — the quiet.”

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Celtics’ Smart says Bubble helped hi understand what’s important

Smart wrote, “After only four or five days down in Orlando, I realized that the bubble was a blessing because it gave me the opportunity for some genuine downtime.

“Lots of stuff I had to worry about before — family drama, promotional stuff, places I had to be at such and such time — that was all out the window. I could actually just sit there alone and….Think!

“And it may sound corny or whatever, but over those few months, I was really able to step back and take some time to learn more about myself — what I truly care about, what matters most to me.”  

Although he had some good games offensively in the Bubble, he ended up shooting just 38%. But on the defensive end, he was a juggernaut. Yet that was all for naught as the Celtics ended up losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Despite their limited squad depth, the Celtics put up a great fight. They had two impressive series wins against the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers.

If the Celtics can improve their depth during the Free Agency, they could certainly solidify their hold as one of the best teams in the East.