Marcus Smart scored 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting in Thursday’s Game 2 loss, and according to reports argued with teammates in the locker room after the game. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
After the Boston Celtics dropped Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat on Thursday, once again blowing a double-digit lead in the second half to go down 2-0, Marcus Smart reportedly could be heard in the locker room having a heated argument with teammates.
Smart reportedly exited the locker room informing his teammates “Y’all on that (expletive),” as loud noises that sounded like items being thrown reportedly could be heard inside the locker room.
Boston Globe columnist Gary Washburn described the scene after the Heat’s 106-101 win.
“So is this what implosion looks like in person? Screaming in the locker room by multiple parties. Items, sounding like chairs, being thrown, a voice that sounded like Brad Stevens screaming for his players to calm down. A shirtless Marcus Smart walking to the bathroom telling his teammates, ““Y’all on that (expletive).”
The third-seeded Celtics now look ahead to Game 3 on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. Jaylen Brown, for one, is ready to move forward.
“That’s why we love him,” Brown said. “He plays with passion, he’s full of fire, and that’s what I love about him most to be honest. He has that desire and that will, and we need him to continue to have that. … Who Marcus is, I love him for it. We’ve got to get ready to come back with that same fire and add it to Game 3.”
Brown acknowledged the turmoil in Boston’s locker room, something other members of the Celtics wouldn’t.
“Nothing happened in the locker room,” Kemba Walker said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, to be honest. We’ll be fine.”
“We’re not supposed to come out here and talk about what we talked about as a team after a win or a loss,” Jayson Tatum added. “That’s why we go into the locker room and talk to each other, win or lose.”
But Brown said the reaction was a natural reaction to a frustrating loss.
“I think everything is understood,” Brown said. “We’re going to have a meeting tomorrow regardless just to watch the film and go over the game plan with coach, but at the end of the day, emotions are going to fly. Obviously we wanted to win this game and we didn’t, but this series is far from over and we’ve got to get ready for Game 3.
“Obviously we feel like we could have won, we should have won, but we didn’t. So just a lot of emotions flying around. That’s it.”
He expects the Celtics to hold together.
“In families there’s ups and downs, there’s fights and emotions, but that’s exactly what we are: A family,” Brown said. “We’re going to hold each other accountable, and we’ve got to do what it takes to come out and execute next game.”
Brown was asked if he believes the Celtics needed to get angry, and if it perhaps would help clear the air.
“I think it’s a beauty to it,” Brown said. “A lot of people are passionate and emotional, and I’m one of those people. I recognize it as that. I recognize it as emotion and passion and I don’t recognize it as nothing else the media might see it or whatever. That’s all it is. It’s passion that’s being expressed. We’ve got to express that same passion for 48 minutes. Period.”
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