NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 16, 2022

Marcus Smart

Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics

Game 6: Postgame

Warriors 103, Celtics 90

Q. You put everything into this. Everybody in that locker room. What are the emotions after a loss like that, having lost this as home?

MARCUS SMART: It's tough. We've been through a lot this year as a team, as a group, individually, collectively. You know, it's tough.

Every obstacle that was thrown in front of us, we prevailed and triumphed through it. Came up short tonight.

Q. Jayson, when you kind of look back on this playoff run, your game, you guys collectively as a team, what do you feel like you need to improve to reach that next level?

JAYSON TATUM: I think just our level of poise at times throughout this series and previous series. Myself included. Taking care of the ball, things like that.

But it's easy to look back and see all the things you could have done better. We tried. I know that for a fact.

MARCUS SMART: To piggyback off of what he said, yeah, we tried.

Obviously to look back and say what we could have done, it's tough. We all made mistakes that obviously shouldn’t have been made, could have been prevented.

But we're learning. That's part of it. You take that and go into next season and you try to build off of it, the things that we did wrong and the things that we done great.

Q. You made progress throughout the season of figuring out your crunch-time offense, how to keep the ball moving when the defense ramps up. Why do you think the Warriors were able to take that away from you? How did you try to solve that in the last few games?

MARCUS SMART: They did a good job. They were putting bodies in front of us, making us work for everything we got. It was tough.

We tried everything we possibly knew. We even tried things that we haven't tried the whole series. Just didn't cut it for us.

You learn from it. That's really it, you know. Can't look back on the past. You got to look ahead. That's all that matters now.

Q. You've talked a lot about learning from the experience. What did you learn about what it takes to get to this point over the past two months, how slim the margin for error can be?

JAYSON TATUM: It's hard. It's hard getting to this point. It's even harder getting over it, the hump, and win it. It's been a long journey, a long process.

That's what I took from it: it's tough. You got to take it up another level to do what we want to do.

Q. Jayson, how is your shoulder? Will you need a procedure or anything on that right shoulder this off-season?

JAYSON TATUM: No, I don't think so.

Q. The defense they played against you, some of the inability to finish at the rim, what can you take away from that? Obviously the narrative is going to change. Will this motivate you this summer? Do you kind of need a break, too?

JAYSON TATUM: I got no choice now. It's the off-season. This is tough, getting to this point and not accomplishing what we wanted to. It hurts.

You know, we all could have done things better. I feel like I could have done a lot of things better. But, you know, like we said, we competed, we tried all season, all playoffs.

Take some time off, enjoy with your family, rest, get back to it.

Q. Jayson, what was going through your mind when you were sitting there on the bench for the final minute, as they were starting that celebration afterward?

JAYSON TATUM: I just keep saying: it hurts. Being with this group, the things we've overcome throughout the season, getting to this point. Just knowing how bad we wanted it, coming up short. It's a terrible feeling.

Q. For both of you, obviously it's hard to think about it in this moment, but given how much things have changed over the past few months, what are the things you'll think about when you have a day or two to get separation from this?

MARCUS SMART: I mean, I think for us, myself, it's just everything that we have accomplished, everything we had to go through to even get to this situation. Nobody even had us being here, let alone in the playoffs.

It definitely is tough. But it's definitely one of those things we've been through hell to get here, and you take that. You know what I'm saying? We got to use that.

It's going to be tough. That's what I know for myself I'm viewing it and looking at all the s--- we had to get through to get here just to even get to this situation to have an opportunity.

Proud of this team. Obviously we didn't accomplish our goal. A lot of people, I'm sure a lot of you guys in here, counted us out early on in the season. For us, we'll take it.

Q. Jayson, the cameras caught you talking to Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, had some messages for you. Can you share what those were?

JAYSON TATUM: Just congratulating those guys. They were the better team this series. They won. Show those guys the respect.

I got relationships with a couple of them. That's pretty much all it was.

Q. Jayson, you got off to such a strong start. Second half you couldn't get the ball to fall. Did the shoulder affect the turnovers and missed shots? Are you really hurting bad?

JAYSON TATUM: It was just a tough night.

Q. The overriding thing that we've heard from all the guys that sat up there before you is the future is bright here in Boston. What gives you faith you're going to take this to another level, and what is that level you feel you will reach?

MARCUS SMART: I think for us, like I said, we speak of the route we had to take to get here. It wasn't easy. That's the confident part we have in it, you know what I'm saying? Like I said, we went through hell to get here. We didn't play our best basketball, our best series. This is probably our worst series.

It's part of it. It happens. It is what it is. But, I mean, we're young. Like I said, things we went through to get here showed us what we have to come for us in the future. I think that's why we're confident about the future.

We all know what the goal is in the future.

Q. Marcus, Ime brought up the foundation that's now with this team. As a guy that's been here and see this new core and coach, what do you see the foundation of this team moving forward?

MARCUS SMART: For us, it's just hard-nosed, it's who we are. We're a family. We take and accept every challenge head on no matter the outcome, no matter the advantages we have or disadvantages. We're going to take it full-heartedly.

The guys came out here and competed. We could have gave up, but we didn't. I think that shows the foundation that we have here.

Q. You both accomplished a lot individually this year. As a team you get to Game 6 of the NBA Finals. How much getting to this point and seeing how close you were, will that fuel you to do the things you need to do to get to the next level?

MARCUS SMART: I mean, a lot. I mean, we see what we're capable of. We got a taste of it. We want the whole thing.

I know for a fact that we're going to be back a different team. We're going to put in the work. But this one's going to hurt.

Q. Jayson, I guess I wanted you to answer the question that Marcus did on the possibility of you using this disappointment to fuel you going forward.

JAYSON TATUM: Yeah. We know what it feels like to get to this point. Like Smart said, getting here and not accomplishing it, it's tough. You don't want to feel like this again, but you want to get back here.

So to answer your question, yeah, it's going to fuel us.