All season long, Marcus Smart and the rest of the Boston Celtics squad wanted to have a chance to avenge their 2022 NBA Finals defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. But for the first three games of their 2023 Eastern Conference Finals tussle against the Miami Heat, they did not look like a championship-worthy team. Nevertheless, the Celtics refuse to quit, as they have now forced a Game 6 on the road after taking two straight blowout wins over the Heat after going down 3-0.
Given how well the Celtics have played in Games 4 and 5, it's certainly a wonder to some why this team, given all the talent on the roster, even went down to what has been, to this point, an insurmountable 3-0 hole. But Smart, being the ever candid person he is, hinted that the Celtics may have fell victim to complacency to begin the series, especially when they got the better of a purportedly better Heat squad last season.
“That's the thing about sneaking up on somebody. They not supposed to know you're coming. That's what happened. We didn't know. We didn't see it and they got us. It wasn't like we were trying to have that mindset. It's part of the game, it's part of life. It's part of the rollercoaster of playing in the NBA. At the highest level, you're gonna have ups, you're gonna have downs. But figuring out when you get down how to get back up [is crucial], and that's what we've done,” Smart said per NBC Sports Boston.
Marcus Smart on why it took until Game 4 for the Celtics to turn things around pic.twitter.com/mjVeSnzCnY
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 26, 2023
The Celtics will try to continue their strong play and, perhaps, pull off the unthinkable when they take on the Heat in Game 6 on Saturday at 8:30 PM E.T.
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