In an ideal world, Marcus Smart’s role in the Boston Celtics’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks would be the same as it’s been all season: as an energetic bench player who can contribute with tenacious defense and hustle plays.
But the Celtics’ ideal world may have just changed after Avery Bradley’s injury.
Bradley went down in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Hawks at Philips Arena, and judging by postgame reports, things don’t look too good.
The loss of their starting shooting guard would be a tough blow for the Celtics on both ends of the floor. Along with his tenacious defense, Bradley has emerged as a reliable scorer for Boston, tallying 10 points or more in 13 consecutive games.
So, where will the Celtics find offense in his absence? They might have to turn to Smart, who recorded a career playoff-high 15 points thanks to 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Smart isn’t exactly a high-volume scorer, but the 22-year-old said he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win.
“We lost a brother. That hurts us,” Smart said of Bradley in a postgame interview aired on CSN New England. “But we understand what we’re playing for. It’s time for other players to step up, and if that means I’ve got to step up (and take) a little bit more responsibility, then that’s something I’m willing to take on.
“My teammates have been really good of — when I have responsibilities like that, that they trust me with it. I’ve just got to go out there and do everything that I can that I know to do, and that’s just keep playing hard, and everything will work itself out for me and this team.”
The Celtics have dealt with a handful of injuries to key players, from Kelly Olynyk’s separated shoulder to Jae Crowder’s high ankle sprain. Bradley’s latest ailment comes at an especially critical time and will be a true test of Boston’s mettle as it tries to even things up Tuesday in Game 2.
“This team, we’ve been through a lot of adversity,” Smart added. “A lot of guys have been injured. We’ve been playing without a couple of our guys, but that just made us stronger. That just made us unite together, and this is just another scenario for us. It’s something that we have to overcome and get through.”
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— Bradley wasn’t the only Celtic who injured himself in Saturday’s contest.
Per the team, Olynyk temporarily left the game with a sore right shoulder, while Smart suffered a sprained left index finger. Both returned to the game and appeared no worse for wear, but their injuries will be something to monitor in Game 2.
— Here’s one reason why the Celtics came up short: They lost the free throw battle — badly.
Boston committed a whopping 32 personal fouls, allowing Atlanta to score 27 points from the free throw line. The C’s committed five fouls within the first two minutes of the second half, putting the Hawks in the bonus for the rest of what would be a tightly-contested contest.
The Celtics, by contrast, attempted just 19 free throws as the result of 20 Atlanta fouls.
— As brutal as the C’s were in the first half (34 points on 23 percent shooting, 12 personal fouls), they still weren’t as bad as Kyle Korver.
The Hawks swingman, known as one of the top sharpshooters in the NBA, was an abysmal 1 for 10 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. Atlanta had a pretty rough night from beyond the arc in general, going just 5 for 27 from 3-point range.
— As was the case for most of his team, Jae Crowder’s first half and second half performances were night and day.
Crowder went 1 for 10 in the first half and missed his first five 3-pointers, looking a bit lost and out of sync on the offensive end. But that all changed after halftime, as the Celtics swingman poured in 10 second-half points on 4-of-6 shooting that included two made 3-pointers.
The C’s also will need Crowder to be on his offensive game with Bradley out of the lineup.
— Isaiah Thomas, who scored a game-high 27 points and tallied eight assists, will have quite the welcoming present upon the Celtics’ return to Boston for Game 3.
— If Boston and Atlanta go to seven games, can we settle the series like this?
Thumbnail photo via John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports Images
