2022 NBA Finals: Marcus Smart Talks With Media Ahead Of Game 6
Being down in a playoff series is nothing new to the Boston Celtics. They were down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Milwaukee Bucks and then were down 2-1 to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Feeling pressure with their backs up against the wall is definitely worrisome at times, but the Celtics are confident in their abilities to even up the NBA Finals at 3-3 and force a decisive Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
The team held a practice ahead of their media availability on Wednesday afternoon and the energy within TD Garden was very telling of the team’s mindset heading into this game.
Marcus Smart was one of the first to talk with reporters following the team’s practice and his spirits are up even though a loss on Thursday means the end of their season with no championship.
“It's a blessed day, man. We get to wake up and have another opportunity to come out here and do what we love to do,” Smart said in response to the mood of the team. “Not many people have that opportunity, so it's just another day for us. We're here in practice. We're enjoying each other's company, lifting each other up and making sure everybody is good to go.”
Getting back home and playing in front of their electric fan base may just be what the Celtics need after losing the last two games of this Finals series.
Stephen Curry put on a show for the Warriors on the Celtics’ home floor in Game 4, allowing Golden State to even things up at 2-2 then and in Game 5 on this past Monday night, the Warriors cruised past the Celtics even though Boston played really well defensively.
Things are not looking good right now in terms of adjustments that have been made from Boston’s point of view, but being back home, the Celtics seem to have confidence in their abilities to extend yet another playoff series.
“I think any team, any player will tell you being able to sleep in your own bed. Back to something familiar,” Smart said in response to the advantage the Celtics have being in Boston. “You get to get back to your routine and things like that, so really those type of things off the court. We all know about the things on the court. It's really those off-the-court things.
"Getting your extra rest that you probably wouldn't get on the road because you're uncomfortable, adjusting to the time difference and things like that.”
The Celtics have been outscored by 20 points the last two games of this series against the Warriors and now trailing 3-2, they will have to play with a different level of energy than before.
Anything can happen in the NBA Finals and with the Warriors already proving that they can win on the road in Boston, the Celtics are going to have to really be locked in, specifically on the defensive-end of the floor, and get back to taking advantage of the smaller team they are playing like they did in Game 3.
Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals is set to take place on Thursday, June 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET. on ABC. The Celtics are currently 4-point favorites and the over/under for the game is currently set at 210 points, according to FanDuel.com.
Related stories on 2022 NBA Finals:
- 3 Things We Learned From Celtics-Warriors NBA Finals Game 5 On Monday: The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94 in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals on Monday to take a 3-2 series lead heading to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday. CLICK HERE.
- 2022 NBA Finals: Why The Celtics Should Be Very Concerned After Game 5 Loss: Losing 104-94 on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics now trail the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in this series, casting a ton of doubt on their ability to come back and win the title. CLICK HERE.
- 2022 NBA Finals: Why The Warriors Will Close Out This Series In Six Games: Beating the Boston Celtics 104-94 on Monday night in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are now one win away from yet another championship. CLICK HERE.
