Smart, Horford return for Game 2
White misses contest for birth of first child
MIAMI >> The basketball gods — those lording over the Celtics, anyway — relented prior to Game 2.
Al Horford, two days after a positive COVID-19 test scratched the center from the Game 1 roster and landed him in his third health and safety protocol of the season, was declared eligible for Game 2 Thursday night.
Marcus Smart, after testing out his sprained right foot during shootaround and prior to the game, was also cleared to play. Headed in the other direction was Derrick White, who flew back to Boston Thursday to attend the birth of his first child.
Horford passed a new league guideline that allows a player to compete if he has a low enough level of COVID remaining in his system. Horford was apparently on the downswing from Tuesday’s positive test. According to Ime Udoka, Horford was “feeling fine” even at the time of the test.
The Celtics coach, however, wouldn’t answer why Horford took the test in the first place, considering that he has said he’s vaccinated. This was his third time in protocol, also including a five-game absence in December and a stretch during training camp.
“I said he was feeling fine. He was always feeling fine,” said Udoka. “Meaning he didn’t have symptoms. But felt good the whole process and we are just following the league protocols, and you know, we don’t get into specifics with our guys as always but he passed the amount of tests he needed to and always was feeling fine.
“He passed all the protocols, passed all the tests, and you know, I’m not a doctor, but he had to pass a certain amount of tests and you know, league protocols, and so he did and he was feeling fine from the get-go. Happy to have him back.”
Indeed, the returns of Horford and Smart considered, Udoka now has two players back in the fold who clearly would have made a difference during the Celtics’
Game 1 loss.
“Happy to have him back, Marcus as well, and unfortunately Derrick is out tonight, so we are still not full,” said the Celtics coach. “But happy to have two of our starting five back.”
A Smart recovery
Smart’s absence was particularly evident during their third-quarter collapse in Game 1’s loss to the Heat.
“I can’t really say much, but he looked good,” Grant Williams had said earlier of Smart’s participation in the morning shootaround. “Smart is competitive as heck, so I always expect him, whether he’s injured or hurt or anything, to make an attempt, so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know what the case will be, but he looks good.”
Udoka said that though Smart has to test out his tender right foot prior to the game, he does indeed look better.
“He’s better but still (had)
to test it out pregame,” said the Celtics coach. “He looked better in shootaround today and overall we expect him to play.”
Smart’s re-entry represented an immediate change in how the Celtics could guard their No. 1 Heat nemesis, Jimmy Butler.
“Defensive Player of the Year, one of the guys that sets the tone for us, but in general with some of the switching we’re doing, everyone
is gonna get a piece (of Butler),” said Udoka. “I think we did a poor job of sending him to the freethrow line, understanding how he gets to the line with pump fakes. Show your hands at times, with the way he tries to sell fouls. He’s a heady player who uses our aggressiveness against us at times.”
White back to Boston
White flew back to Boston
to attend the birth of his first child, and thus stepped out of the Game 2 lineup just as Smart was returning. White was originally under the impression that his wife, Hannah, would give birth between games, but the child is now an early arrival.
“It happened sooner than expected, but we’re good in that always in that situation,” said Udoka. “He had to rush home today.
“We knew (White’s wife) was expecting a baby soon, and (she) was gonna get induced in between some games, and things happen in life,” he added of the change in schedule. “And like I said, we support our guys and always want them to be there and in those situations with their family. But we’ve had guys out quite a bit this year, in this postseason, and had to make do.”
Strus regret
Heat shooter Max Strus has gone far since the Celtics made him the last cut of 2019 training camp, choosing to keep Javonte Green instead.
“Happy for him, I know he was in Boston at some point in time a while ago,” said Udoka.
“Might have missed out on that one.”