Marcus Smart Is Dunking, But No Timetable For Return
BOSTON (CBS) -- Marcus Smart still won't offer up a timetable for his return, but the injured Celtics guard is getting closer by the day.
Smart was back on the practice floor Thursday testing his oblique injury, wowing everyone in attendance with some explosive moves. His dunk at the end of this clip tweeted out by Mass Live's John Karalis will certainly get fans amped for Smart's eventual return, but it does not sound like he'll be making a miraculous comeback for Friday night's Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks in Boston.
Marcus Smart progressing... That's a dunk at the end! pic.twitter.com/8aAehXEmKl
— John Karalis ???????? ???????? (@John_Karalis) May 2, 2019
Smart told reporters that Thursday was a "great day," as he worked his torso and abdominal muscles with little pain. But he still hasn't had any live contact in practice, which is up next on his recovery to-do list.
Smart isn't sure when that will happen, but he sounds optimistic that he'll return sooner rather than later. A few weeks ago, Smart couldn't even breathe without feeling pain. Now, he's able to look forward to bumping bodies with his teammates in practice.
"If I get bumped just walked down the street, two weeks ago that was excruciating pain for me. This week is better," he said. "Day-by-day it continues to get better; you just have to listen to your body."
So when can we expect him back on the floor for Boston? Smart has done just about everything over the last few weeks, from running to jumping to shooting and now dunking. He was expected to miss 4-6 weeks when he tore his oblique late in the regular season, and Sunday is the four week mark of the injury. Given what we know about Marcus Smart, if he is anywhere near ready to go, he'll be back out there for the Celtics before they wrap up this series with the Bucks.
And they could certainly use him too. Smart's perimeter defense was sorely missed on Tuesday night, when Khris Middleton hit seven of his 10 three-point attempts in Milwaukee's blowout victory. The Bucks hit 20 of their 47 threes in the lopsided affair.
"It was hard. I was heated, obviously," Smart said of watching Boston's Game 2 loss in Milwaukee. "Talking to those guys is different than being on the court. Knowing there was nothing I could do for them out there was devastating for me."
Soon enough, Smart will be back out there doing what he does best.