Getty Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics grimaces as he falls injured to the floor during the first half of their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors.
After giving away home-court advantage with a loss during Monday’s semifinal series opener to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics managed to bounce back in a major way Wednesday night as they came away with a definitive blowout victory with a final score reading 121-87.
Though the win should certainly feel great for both C’s fans and personnel alike, following the contest Marcus Smart revealed that, from a physical standpoint, he’s a bit banged up.
“Marcus Smart: “I’m sore as shit. I’m really sore. But I’ll be OK.”,” The Athletic’s Jay King reported via Twitter.
Marcus Smart: “I’m sore as shit. I’m really sore. But I’ll be OK.”
Coming into Game 2, Smart was listed as questionable due to a chest contusion, though, ultimately, managed to suit up for the Celtics and logged 27 minutes of action.
Despite being hobbled, however, the point guard still managed to finish the contest off with a sound stat line of 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block while shooting 50.0% from the field.
Malcolm Brogdon Says Jaylen Brown Set Tone for Celtics
Wednesday’s Game 2 may have proven to be a complete team effort for the Celtics, as the club shot 46.7% from the field, 39.2% from deep, and finished with five separate players scoring 12 or more points, but, in Malcolm Brogdon’s eyes, one player, in particular, was responsible for paving the way.
When discussing the team’s series-tying win during his post-game media session, the Sixth Man of the Year noted that Jaylen Brown set the tone early for Boston in Wednesday’s bout.
“We were resilient. I think it started with [Jaylen Brown]. He set the tone and it’s about setting the tone for the next game. This is one game. They came out and played a great game in the first one, James played great. I thought tonight we flipped the script. I thought we did a great job on him and a great job overall. But that’s one game. It doesn’t mean anything if there’s no carryover,” Malcolm Brogdon said.
Malcolm Brogdon: “We responded, we were resilient”
Jaylen Brown certainly came out of the gates swinging in Game 2, as he was directly responsible for 13 of Boston’s initial 18 points scored.
The All-Star would finish his impressive night off with a stellar stat line of 25 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field, 50.0% from deep, and a perfect 100% from the charity stripe with four made attempts.
Al Horford Dishes on Joel Embiid Winning MVP
Prior to Wednesday’s contest, during a shootaround interview, Celtics big man and one-time Philadelphia 76er Al Horford was asked to share his thoughts on center Joel Embiid’s newly attained status as league MVP, where he noted that his former teammate was very much deserving of the illustrious honor.
“Well deserved,” Al Horford said of Joel Embiid winning Most Valuable Player. “The guy was great this season. By far, he was the best player in our league this year so he deserves the award.”
Al Horford reacts to Joel Embiid winning MVP 🗣️
Al Horford and Joel Embiid weres teammates for a lone season during the 2019-20 campaign when the Celtics favorite opted to leave Boston via free agency and signed with the Sixers during the offseason.