Marcus Smart didn’t sleep at all between Game 5 and Game 6. He felt like he let his team down, and it didn’t sit right.
“Those final minutes ate me alive,” Smart said. ” … I was really hurting after that.”
Rather than dwelling on their lackluster performance, though, Smart and the Celtics used it as motivation and came out with a vengeance in Game 6. Their lead nearly disappeared once again, but this time they showed tremendous resolve and earned a convincing 108-95 road win Friday night.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said there was “never any doubt or hangover” from Game 5, and he loved the way they answered their biggest challenge to date.