MIAMI — The 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year has been fuming since Tuesday.
Sidelined with a right foot sprain in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Marcus Smart was going to force his way into the lineup for Game 2 whether he was ready or not.
“I couldn’t miss tonight,” Smart told Yahoo Sports after Game 2. “Couldn’t do it. I know Game 1 wasn’t us. I had to get out there.”
Celtics players privately described Game 1 as being “punked out of a win,” sources said, referencing that third-quarter meltdown in which Boston outscored the Heat in every frame except the third.