Not only were the Boston Celtics down 0-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers in their second round series of the NBA playoffs, they were also facing the prospect of being short-handed. Starting point guard Marcus Smart suffered a chest injury in Game 1 and his status for Game 2 was questionable on the Celtics injury report. The Celtics received good news, however, as Smart ended up being able to play. Following the game, Smart used some colorful language to describe the feeling of playing through a full playoff game with a chest injury as per Jay King of The Athletic.
Marcus Smart: “I’m sore as shit. I’m really sore. But I’ll be OK.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 4, 2023
In the Celtics Game 2 win, Smart finished with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. He shot 7-14 from the field. Through the Celtics first seven games of the playoffs, Smart was averaging 16.0 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals with shooting splits of 50 percent shooting from the field, 36.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 78.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
During the regular season, Smart averaged 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals with shooting splits of 41.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 74.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
It's clear that Smart has elevated his game from the regular season to the NBA playoffs. He has become an incredibly valuable player for the Celtics especially with his intensity and tenacity on the defensive end of the court. Fans will hope that moving forward, Marcus Smart's injury won't pop up again on the Celtics injury report.
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