Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart missed a couple of games toward the end of the regular season due to neck spasms. But, it appears he's extremely close to 100% with the playoffs about to begin.

Via Jared Weiss:

“Marcus Smart was asked where he’s at physically now that his neck is healing up: “I wouldn’t say 100, but I’m pretty close. I haven’t been able to say that in a few years, so it feels pretty good to say that.”

A few years? Wow. The fact he's saying that however is very good news for the C's, who are a legitimate title contender once again.

Smart had another solid campaign, averaging 11.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 assists in 61 outings while also playing lockdown defense as per usual. He'll need to be as healthy as humanly possible if Boston is going to return to the Finals because as we all know, he is the heart and soul of this team.

Joe Mazzulla also dropped an optimistic update on Marcus Smart's recovery ahead of the postseason earlier in the week. Via NBC Sports Boston:

“He's good,” Mazzulla added. “He was ramped up. He was great today in practice. Lively. Said he felt good, so he'll be ready to go.”

The Celtics will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, who beat the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday at State Farm Arena. Jaylen Brown is also expected to be ready for the series opener after suffering a finger laceration last week.