Marcus Smart upgraded to questionable for Game 4: 'I'm hopeful'

On the heels of their worst defensive performance of the postseason, the Celtics could be line for a huge boost on that end of the floor on Monday night. The team announced on Sunday afternoon that Marcus Smart is officially questionable for Game 4 at the TD Garden, the first time this series he has not been ruled out ahead of a gameday due to his partially torn oblique.

Smart participated in a light practice today at the Auerbach Center after being cleared for contact on Saturday.

“I think I’m getting really close,” Smart said. “By tomorrow, it’s still up for grabs. Like I said, I have to see how I’m feeling tomorrow morning when I wake up. Hopefully everything feels fine. As we know, injuries can be a little tricky. Sometimes you can have setbacks but hopefully, that’s not the case. And hopefully, they can clear me for tomorrow.”

Smart is the only potential returnee to the lineup on Monday night for now, as the Bucks have already ruled out Malcolm Brogdon on Sunday afternoon.

While the Celtics did not participate in any live 5-on-5 action in the session,

Smart did manage to get some scrimmaging in during some 3-on-3 games on Saturday after being cleared for live contact. One of the first things Smart did during that contest was taking a charge.

“I wasn’t trying to, just kind of fell,” Smart said with a smile. “I kind of fell, I wasn’t even trying to take it. It was ironic, because that’s what I needed to do. And it just happened on its own, natural, it felt fine. Like I said, we’ll see how today goes and check it out tomorrow.”

Sunday marks the four-week mark from the initial injury and the beginning of the return window the Celtics pegged (four-to-six weeks) as a possible return to basketball activities. Smart has clearly progressed ahead of schedule during the schedule under the guidance of the C's medical staff. While the allure of getting back on the court has been strong, Smart wants to ensure he's in position to avoid further injury once he is back.

“I took every precaution and checked it out and made sure nothing could cause more harm to the injury,” Smart said. “I was definitely looking toward six (weeks), still am if things obviously don’t go as planned. But that was the original plan, six, and anything sooner is a blessing and I’m more than happy, but we’re not rushing anything. Just taking it day by day.”

With the Celtics facing a 2-1 deficit against the NBA's best team, any extra cautiousness will go out the window for Boston now with their season on the line beginning on Monday night. Brad Stevens says a full clearance won't be announced until Monday night but he doesn't anticipate having Smart active without restrictions if he is able to suit up.

“He’ll probably be limited because he hasn’t done anything for four or five weeks, as far as really going up and down and that kind of environment,” Stevens said. "Probably looking more, shorter, four or five minute stints. Those kinds of things.”

Those type of limitations suggest he'll come off the bench for Boston, perhaps taking a share of the minutes load from Terry Rozier as backup point guard. He could also spend some time next to Kyrie Irving as a secondary ballhandler, who is as excited as anyone about Smart's return.

“He’s a big part of our team," Irving said. "He alleviates a lot of different pressures out there throughout the game and makes my job a lot easier. So whenever you have the possibility of him returning, it’s always a positive.”

Smart should spend plenty of time on Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and George Hill from a defensive standpoint and is eager to jump into a crucial part of a playoff series against the Bucks for the second straight postseason.

“It’s been brutal for me, I’m not going to lie,” Smart said. “Especially when you go back in that locker room, especially after a game like Friday where guys are exhausted and you can see it on their faces and everything and they weren’t pleased with the outcome. You’ve got to sit there and look and coach is talking about the things you did wrong, and you’re not included in that. It’s just a bad feeling. Hopefully, that can change. But we’ll see.”