The Celtics endured a pair of frustrating losses to open their Eastern Conference finals series against the Miami Heat, and frustration boiled over after Game 2.
Tensions rose in Boston’s locker room following the team’s 106-101 loss to Miami, the second consecutive game the C’s blew a double-digit lead to Jimmy Butler and Co. Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown reportedly needed to be separated amid the blowup, and a meeting with the Celtics’ leaders and head coach Brad Stevens was held later in the evening.
It’s been nearly a week since the fireworks were set off, and looking back, Smart has no regrets about how he and his team handled themselves after Game 2.
“No, I don’t have any regrets. And I don’t have any regrets with how my teammates handled it either,” Smart told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “I think we handled it perfectly. If you can’t talk, if you can’t yell, if you can’t express how you truly feel with somebody who’s supposed to have your back, somebody who you’re supposed to trust, and vice versa, then are you really supposed to be trusting that person? That’s the type of team we are. We trust each other fully, so for us to be able to yell at each other and get yelled (at) back — and move on (is important). And that’s just what it is.”
Boston rebounded with an 11-point win over Miami in last Saturday’s Game 3. It will look to knot the best-of-seven series up at two games apiece Wednesday when the teams meet for Game 4.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
