Having aggressively attacked his recovery process, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart says that he’s “hopeful” to return to the Celtics’ lineup in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals but admits that there’s no been no date set for his return to the court just yet. Smart also tells reporters that he “responded well” to 3-on-3 contact yesterday.
Smart has already missed the first seven games of Boston’s playoff run in order to recover from a torn left oblique that he suffered against the Orlando Magic on April 7, following a collision with Magic center Nikola Vucevic that left him in incredible pain. The Celtics, who moved Smart into the starting lineup after a surprising 10-10 start to the regular season, could certainly use his defensive prowess against the Milwaukee Bucks’ bevy of perimeter scorers.
After sweeping Boston in the first round and nearly blowing out the Bucks in Game 1, the Celtics have dropped two straight games and face what may very well be a do-or-die game in Game 4, with a 3-1 series deficit nearly impossible to overcome against a team as talented as Milwaukee. Stopping Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo from getting to the line has become an issue with the Greak Freak averaging 20.0 free-three attempts per game over his last two contests while guard-forward Khris Middleton continues to light up the Celtics from behind-the-arc (he’s shooting 65.0 percent from three in the series).
Though undersized, allowing Smart to pressure either Antetokounmpo or Middleton would help Boston slow them down.
Looking ahead at Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors or the fearsome fivesome in Philadelphia, Smart’s defensive services would still be a major need if the Celtics advance to the next round.
