It has become standard procedure for Celtics coach Brad Stevens to allow Marcus Smart to play through his mental mistakes, overaggression, forced shots, and the occasional flop, because the reward will eventually outweigh the bad.
That again was the case Sunday at TD Garden when Smart, playing his most pivotal minutes as a Celtic, committed consecutive turnovers early in the fourth quarter as Atlanta stretched its lead to 6 points. It would have been easy to pull Smart because he had already contributed perhaps his best minutes.
Stevens didn’t flinch. Smart’s value outweighs his sometimes overeager desire to make plays. There are times when Smart tries too hard, and there are times when he makes stunning plays just by staying in the flow of the game.
Just moments after an offensive foul on Smart set up a Paul Millsap jumper for an 80-74 Atlanta lead, Smart responded with his most impressive offensive stretch as a Celtic, scoring 11 consecutive points — two 3-pointers, a baseline dunk, and a conventional 3-point play — to revive the Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Smart’s scoring surge and his stunning defense against the 6-foot-8-inch Millsap, who scored 45 points but just 2 over the final 10:33 — was the difference in the Celtics’ dramatic 104-95 overtime win.
The best-of-seven series is tied with Game 5 in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Smart finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in a clutch performance. When Stevens wanted to keep Isaiah Thomas off the ball to increase his scoring opportunities, Smart handled point guard duties. He was also the point guard when Stevens was trying to steal more minutes for Thomas on the bench without having the Celtics lose their grip on the game.
Smart made a layup and was fouled by Millsap with 8:58 left, and there was an officials’ timeout. Stevens then reinserted Jared Sullinger, Jae Crowder, and Thomas for the stretch run. Smart stayed on the court. What’s more, Smart played a career-high 41:31, including the last 9:20 of the third period, the entire fourth period, and all of overtime.
“I thought Marcus just played a great game, period,’’ Stevens said. “And we’ve talked about it before, like Marcus has had his ups and downs but Marcus on this stage — and with his consistent work ethic and with his competitive spirit — you really trust that good things will happen. And so we trust in him and he did a great job tonight on both ends on anybody that he was assigned to.’’
Smart has been wildly inconsistent throughout his first two seasons. He lacks a true position, but he is an X-factor on many nights because of his ability to guard multiple positions. He defended 3-point specialist Kyle Korver in the first half and third quarter Sunday and then switched to Millsap down the stretch.
Stevens has used Smart in various roles this season, making him a super-substitute. Once upon a time, Smart was projected as the successor to Rajon Rondo, but Smart is not a true point guard. He isn’t a true anything. He is a fullback in high tops, using his physical style to bully opposing players but sometimes smashing china in the process.
Stevens can live with a couple of broken plates.
“I think I gave at least every coach I’ve played for a heart attack at least once, but what player hasn’t?’’ Smart said. “You’re going to mess up, you’re not perfect, but it’s definitely a line between being aggressive and being in control. You have got to determine between the two; you can be aggressive while still in control, and I did get out of control a little bit tonight, but for the most part I stayed pretty much in control.’’
Smart’s biggest challenge is picking his moments. On Sunday, he took charge because he had to. The Celtics needed scoring with Thomas, who scored a career-high 42 points in Game 3, limited to 19 through three quarters.
Smart, who shot just 9 of 27 through the first three games, hit four buckets in a 3:37 stretch of the fourth quarter.
In addition, he helped contain Millsap, Atlanta’s primary offensive weapon, with his fearless, bulldog defensive style.
Smart has shown he is capable of doing it all in stretches. That’s what makes him so distinctive and alluring, his ability to put his imprint on games with his skill set.
“I’m a basketball player, I don’t really define myself at any position,’’ Smart said. “I think that was so unique about me growing up and playing ball. It’s kind of hard to define my position, and it’s kind of hard to see what [defender] you’re going to put on me because of my versatility. I pride myself on defense. My teammates know that, and it’s good to know they trust me to do that.’’
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com.
