For more than 37 minutes, the Celtics were nearly helpless to stop Josh Smith when he was on the floor. For the final four minutes, Smith was helpless to stop the Celtics.
Smith left with 4:20 remaining in Game 2 in Atlanta on Tuesday with what was initially called a sprained left knee. When he left the game, the Hawks trailed by only two points, but without him their deficit gradually increased until Boston finally came away with an 87-80 win.
Details of Smith's injury were not apparent immediately following the game.
"I don't know much," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "All I know is, he did hurt it. I went back in and saw him and won't know more until he's examined."
Smith was the best player on the court in Game 1 and was on his way to another all-encompassing performance in Game 2. He had 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots when he crumpled to the floor. The Celtics closed the game on a 13-8 run after Smith's departure.
"He's a guy we really go to, particularly down the stretch," Drew said. "From a post-up standpoint, his energy going down the stretch run of the game and all the little things he does bring to the table, we were minus it."
The Hawks are already without center Al Horford, who is likely sidelined for the series with a left pectoral injury, and Zaza Pachulia, who has a sprained ligament in his left foot and is game-to-game.
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