Marcus Smart will be available for the Boston Celtics in Game 1 but at this point, it is abundantly clear that the newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year is far from a hundred percent.

Right before Thursday's Game 1 bout against the Golden State Warriors, Celtics coach Ime Udoka revealed a concerning detail about Smart's ankle injury. This comes via Mark Medina of NBA.com:

Celtics coach Ime Udoka says that Marcus Smart will be “playing through pain,” but that's he's “good to go.”

Related NewsArticle continues below
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) on the court during the overtime period at Chase Center.
Rumor: Why a Warriors-Celtics Derrick White trade is unlikely
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) warm up before game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden.
Celtics rumors: Boston’s true trade intentions with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

Smart was off the injury list for the Celtics on Wednesday and there wasn't ever really any doubt that he would miss Game 1. Udoka confirmed this right before tip-off, but this news did not come with a bit of concern for the Boston talisman.

Smart is obviously in considerable pain right now, but he has no other choice but to play through it. He is the anchor of this team on the defensive end and they will need every bit of this against Stephen Curry and a powerhouse Warriors side.

For Celtics fans, all they can hope for now is that Smart doesn't re-aggravate the injury in the opening contest of this series.

*Watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*