Smart (tailbone) questionable for Game 4
ATLANTA — Celtics guard Marcus Smart said Saturday his status for Game 4 is unclear after he took a hard fall on his tailbone late in Game 3. He was listed as questionable.
The injury occurred with 2 minutes and 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when Smart crashed to the ground after going up for a rebound.
“I didn’t realize how high I was,” he said. “But I’m OK, relatively speaking. Little sore today. See how I feel [Sunday], though.
“Not really sure where we’re at right now with playing, but we’ll see.”
Smart had 24 points, 8 assists, and just 1 turnover in Game 3.
Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon did not start a game all season, so if Smart is unable to play, coach Joe Mazzulla would likely turn to Robert Williams or Grant Williams. Rebounding issues
Before Robert Williams walked toward a cluster of reporters in a common area on the 50th floor of the Four Seasons here Saturday afternoon, Mazzulla pulled him aside and had a brief word.
When Williams was asked about Mazzulla’s private message that had just unfolded in public, he smiled.
“Get a [expletive] rebound,” Williams said. “Yeah, get a rebound.”
In the days leading up to the start of this opening-round playoff series against the Hawks, the Celtics were keenly focused on finding ways to stop Atlanta from gobbling up offensive rebounds.
Boston’s dominance in most other areas was so thorough in the first two games that it surged to resounding wins anyway. But in Game 3 Friday night the Celtics simply could not stop the Hawks from capitalizing on their fresh opportunities, with Atlanta holding a 23-9 edge in second-chance points in its 130-122 win.
“You’ve just got to work to get the rebound,” Mazzulla said. “I mean, grab it with two hands. It’s an underrated skill, but there’s a lot of situations where we’d just go up with two hands and it’s a 50-50 ball. We’ve just got to get it.”
The Celtics grabbed a league-leading 74.6 percent of their defensive rebounds during the regular season. But that figure has plummeted to 68.9 percent during the playoffs, ranking 12th out of 16 playoff teams. After ranking seventh by giving up 12.7 secondchance points per game during the regular season, they’re surrendering 16 against Atlanta, putting them 11th out of 16 teams.
“Honestly, just a team lack of effort,” Wiilliams said. “Can’t really blame it on anything. Rebounding is all effort, all physicality. Fifty-fifty balls, you know, just looking to step that up.”
Offensive rebounds are only truly damaging if they ultimately lead to extra points. The Hawks held a 3-point edge in second-chance points over the first two games combined, but that figure swelled to plus-14 in Game 3.
Mazzulla said he has generally been pleased with his team’s first-shot defense in the series. He acknowledged that certain matchups and coverages could leave Boston more susceptible on the glass, but more than anything it is a matter of effort and awareness. He hopes to see improvement in Game 4 Sunday.
“At the end of the day there’s a lot of possessions where all five guys can come in and help,” Mazzulla said. “You have to work at it. You have to commit to it all the time.”
Williams positive force
After not appearing in the first two games of this series, Grant Williams played 17:42 Friday. He made all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.
“You just try to stay positive,” Williams said. “The biggest thing is just making sure that you are focused on the ultimate goal, that’s winning a championship. Making sure that you are caring for your teammates, showing that love for them, that was my biggest thing.
“I didn’t want my situation to affect what this team was doing, I wanted to make sure everyone was prideful, happy, and able to play freely. So when I subbed in, I tried not to mess with their flow and did what I was told to do.”