Skip to main content

Ime Udoka's unseen assistant on the bench

 She is not seen around the Celtics bench because Marcus Smart's late mom, Camilla no longer has a physical presence on this earth - but her spirit lives on in the body and mind of the man I love to call The Wolverine. She is present in the mind and spirit of her son.


In seasons-gone-by, Marcus would occasionally erupt over an incident or no-call on the floor, and on at least one occasion, Camilla Smart told her son, "Calm your ass down." Coach Udoka takes the same approach when Smart makes a bonehead play on the court - chiding Marcus with, "What the f---k was that!" I view Ime and Camilla as like-minded, tough love proponents.

Tough love works. In Boston's Game 1 victory, The Wolverine was under control on both ends of the court, coming away with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. I can not remember such a stabilizing performance from the gritty point guard.

So Marcus expects to hear the occasional reprimand from the always-direct rookie coach, but the voice and thoughts of his beloved mom will always resound in his mind. He is the man and basketball player he is today in large part because of Camilla Smart. She will always be a positive psychological presence for him and would be proud of what he has accomplished. 

Author's Note: I lost my mom to cancer when I was 22. She was 47. My great grandson, Carson, lost his mom when he was only 7. Loving mothers never totally leave us when they pass away. Camilla wold have loved what took place in Game 1 of the Finals. Ime Udoka is lucky to have her spiritual presence in this tough series.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the town police force. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the st

In defense of Marcus Smart

 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion