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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CAVALIERS vs CELTICS

May 17, 2018

Marcus Smart

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

Q. Talk about the challenges that the Celtics present having such a balanced running attack.
MARCUS SMART: It's not just one guy, so you can't plan a game plan to stop one guy because you've got other guys making an impact and coming in and doing things that the team needs.

Q. If you were on defense, how challenging would that be for you?
MARCUS SMART: It would be challenging. You know, but some way, somehow, I'd figure it out.

Q. Do you have a preference, coming off the bench or starting, and coming off the bench, have you looked for patterns or anything that you've wanted to exploit?
MARCUS SMART: You know, I don't really think about it that much. I've played both in positions, starting and coming off the bench. I'm a winner and I'm a ball player, so as long as I'm out there, I'm going to do everything I can to win, regardless if I start the game or finish it, and a lot of times I'll finish the game. It's not really about how the game starts off, but you know at the end of the game you have to finish the game, and Brad [Stevens] and the coaching staff trusts me enough to do that.

Q. Ty Lue said after Game 2 the Celtics have shown that they don't play well on the road. What's your reaction to that?
MARCUS SMART: We haven't played well. We understand that. We understand that other teams see that and are going to try to exploit it, but that's the beauty about this game. Just take one game. You never know. Things change. Our confidence is high. Who knows. We're going to go in with a game plan and try to execute it to the best of our ability.

Q. How different does it feel going on the road now as opposed to before that first game that you guys played in Milwaukee where Brad just talked about, he said you guys seemed a little shell shocked in that situation.
MARCUS SMART: Yeah, we were. You know, we took a punch in the mouth early. Those guys came out and they surprised us a little bit. We can't afford to be surprised this time around. We understand that. We're just trying to make it as hard as we can on those guys for them to win a game, and for us to execute whatever game plan Brad has for us.

Q. Do you ever get asked what it's like to play for Coach Stevens? I ask because a lot of times other guys unsolicited credit his coaching.
MARCUS SMART: I've heard it before, and rightfully so that they ask. He's a great coach, and he's a crafty coach. Some of the plays he draws up, we kind of look at them like, I don't really know if this is going to work or not. And when you do it, you're like, you know what, sorry I ever doubted you. It's one of those things. When you have a coach like that, it's fun to play for, and you want to go out there and give it everything you have.

Q. Is it nice knowing that LeBron threw one of his best punches and you guys were still able to come back and win? How does that help your confidence?
MARCUS SMART: Tremendously. That's a game changer in itself. LeBron came out and did everything he could, and they see that, and they still came up short. That's the feeling going back home. It kind of puts you in a mood that you don't want to be in. We've got a lot of momentum, and we're going to try to use it and ride it.

Q. Usually it's said that the others play better at home. Do you expect that kind of challenge?
MARCUS SMART: We definitely do. It's been proven that those other guys play better at home. There's a comfort thing, everybody is comfortable in front of their home crowd. They get that energy, that extra little burst to keep going. We're expecting them to come out and play very well. We have to bring our own energy, and that's what we plan on doing.

Q. What do you guys need to do to take it up a different level than what you have done so far on the road in the postseason?
MARCUS SMART: We've got to be the one to hit first. Going into somebody else's house, you can't allow them to get a hold of it first. It's going to be hard for us. So we've got to come out as hard as possible and punch first.

Q. Is it nice knowing that you're the guy who sticks up for your team, these guys aren't going to be pushed around, with you there?
MARCUS SMART: You know, that's just how I was raised. That's how I've been my whole life. We have other guys that would do the same. That's just what makes this team so great and so special. Everybody has each other's backs, and it's hard to beat a team when they're made up like that.

Q. Do you get a kick out of some of the trash talking Marcus Morris does out there?
MARCUS SMART: Sometimes. It's funny, you know, the passion that he plays with, and a lot of guys -- you want that from your guys. I'll take that any day out of a guy. Him giving it everything that he has, leaving it all out on the court, than somebody who's out there trying to be pretty boy or Cinderella, whatever you want to call it, primadonna, just chilling. I want somebody who's going to go to war for me just like I'm going to go to war for him.

Q. You talked about how Jaylen [Brown] does a lot of talking out on the court. How has he kind of developed from how he was last year to this year being able to talk and kind of back it up?
MARCUS SMART: You said it. He's able to back it up. He can back it up. You can talk as much crap as you want.

Q. What types of things does he say?
MARCUS SMART: You know, it's just things just from, you can't guard me, to the flexing the pose, to calling people little one and things like that. When a guy is doing that and he backs it up, it kind of gets into your head, you know what, I don't really know if I can guard this guy. You know, that's an interesting part of the game that a lot of good players understand. The mental game is just as much important as the physical.

Q. Coach doesn't put too much emphasis on foul trouble. Do you?
MARCUS SMART: No. You know, you've got to be able to play with them. That's when the professionals come in and be able to read when to make plays and to back it off. You've got to really be concerned about that and really just look at it, and that's why we have other guys, to help make sure nobody really gets in foul trouble.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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