Celtics Marcus Smart Downplays Ankle Injury Heading Into NBA Finals
In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered what appeared to be a major right ankle injury at the time with the Defensive Player of the Year yelling and screaming on the ground.
After being helped to the locker room and not being able to put any weight on that ankle, Smart emerged from the tunnel several minutes later and checked back into the game. He then went on to miss Game 4 with a sprained ankle and has been somewhat limited since this injury.
Now, with the 2022 NBA Finals set to begin on Thursday night in San Francisco, Marcus Smart told reporters on Wednesday during NBA Finals Media Day that he is not going to let this injury define him in this series.
“The ankle, pretty serious injury. I'm thankful to be able to play, let alone still be walking,” Smart said. “It hurt, but my mom always told me, if you are going to be on the court, you can't make excuses. If you're hurt, then sit your tail down.
“If I’m going to be out there, no matter how much pain I'm in, I can't let it affect me.”
While he did miss Game 4 against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Smart has stepped up since for the Celtics and is coming off a Game 7 performance where he played 41 minutes, scoring 24 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He also had 5 assists and 2 steals in the final game of that series.
Against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, Smart is going to be relied upon heavily by his team, especially given all of the offensive talent Golden State has.
Being the NBA’s 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart is the anchor for the Celtics’ defense and he will draw a tough assignment on arguably the greatest shooter of all-time and one of the best offensive weapons currently in the league in Stephen Curry.
Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET. on ABC. The Warriors are currently 3.5-point favorites over the Celtics as of Wednesday evening according to FanDuel.com.
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