NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 10, 2022

Marcus Smart

Derrick White

Boston Celtics

Game 4: Postgame

Warriors 107, Celtics 97

Q. Marcus, you guys talk about your resilience, especially when you're on the road following up a loss, but sometimes you run into trouble as home when you have a chance to double down on a win. What do you think happened tonight in that respect?

MARCUS SMART: We just didn't execute late down the stretch. They went on a run early on in the third. We sustained it, made a run of our own. After that we just couldn't execute.

Q. What happens late in the games when the offense tends to slow down? Seems like earlier in the game the offense is really popping, you guys are getting a lot of opportunities, but later it tends to slow down.

DERRICK WHITE: I mean, I think we just kind of got a little stagnant. Everybody just kind of standing around looking at whoever had the ball, no player movement, no ball movement. We just got to do a better job executing down the stretch. I mean, that's the difference in the game right there.

Q. Marcus, there was a play in the second quarter where you were dribbling, like Derrick said, everybody is looking at you, you're looking at everybody to move. I know you talked to Ime about that. How tough is it when you see that the offense isn't rolling to jump-start and get it going?

MARCUS SMART: Yeah, you know, like Derrick said, we got ball-watching the guy with the ball instead of just moving like we've been doing.

The ball handler, it's kind of hard, because you're trying to tell everybody to do something while making sure you still see the play with the guy in front of you. You've been taught to make a play.

For us, we just got to move, plain and simple. If the ball gets stuck and you see it, go screen somebody. But we have to move. We cannot let the ball get stagnant and let them load up on us.

Q. What was the conversation in the locker room about, what you are going to try to take out west again for Game 5?

MARCUS SMART: Just be who we are. That's all we can do. Control what we can control. Tonight's over. We got to turn around and get right back to it Monday.

That's how we've been all year. We take a loss and we bounce back. It's who we are. It's who we're going to continue to be. It's a very important game on Monday.

Q. Marcus, what did you think about how you guys guarded Steph? Were some of them tip-your-hat plays or do you think he wasn't feeling you like he needed to?

MARCUS SMART: We were there. He's a great player; he made shots. He made a lot of the shots where we were contesting from behind. We had somebody there and he was just making them. That's what he does.

We obviously have to do a better job of limiting that. We got to make it even more tough for him. It is what it is. We get another chance to do it again on Monday.

Q. Ime mentioned he felt like you guys were trying to target mismatches a little too much, got indecisive. Was that part of the game plan going in, to look for those mismatches, or was it the Warriors' defense that forced you into those?

DERRICK WHITE: I mean, it's a fine line between both. I mean, the Playoffs is all about hunting those matchups you want and taking advantage of them. Sometimes you can go too much on that side or sometimes you just need to play.

Just try to find that fine line of whether we need to hunt the mismatch or just drive, kick, make multiple attacks, stuff we talked about the whole year.

Q. This was the first game you guys had to play all the way down into the depths of crunch time. Steph was able to get a couple threes off of transition. What is the next level of challenge where you have to continue to chase and be aware?

MARCUS SMART: I think you just said it, you got to be aware, especially at the end. That's the one guy you can't allow to beat you.

Like I said, obviously he made a lot of tough shots tonight on us. When you get a guy like that, some rhythm early on, those shots, the basketball hoops starts to look a little bit bigger for him.

We just got to make it a conscious effort to find him and Klay and their shooters, especially in transition.

Q. They really hurt you on the offensive glass. 19 second-chance points. How much of that is a by-product of scrambling on defense or things you have to do better in terms of like keeping them off the glass?

DERRICK WHITE: We just got to find a way to get the rebound, simple as that. Ball goes up, whoever's there, just got to find a way. I mean, last game it was us that did it. This game it was them that did it.

Q. Jayson is struggling to find his rhythm in this series. Marcus, are you talking to him? Anything you're saying to him?

MARCUS SMART: Yeah, we all are. We just constantly let him know keep going. This isn't your first time being in a slump. Won't be the last time. You got to figure it out. We trust you, we believe in you. This is what you're made for. Jayson has to figure it out. We have to do a good job of helping him.

But, you know, him being the player he is, these are the moments where he has to come alive and figure it out. He will. We don't know when it is, but we're sure it's going to happen soon, we're ready for it, and we're here to back him up.