Marcus Smart not shying away from what's at stake for Celtics in Game 7

BOSTON -- The sports world is filled with trite cliches, perhaps the most common one being the mantra of "taking things one game at a time."

Yet when speaking to the media on Monday, ahead of Game 7 against the Heat, Celtics guard Marcus Smart didn't hide behind any cliches. Instead, Smart spoke directly about what's at stake as the Celtics try to become the first NBA team to ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit and win.

"Oh, it'd be huge for us, man," Smart said when asked about the possibility of joining the 2004 Red Sox on the short list of teams to complete a 3-0 comeback. "You know, Boston is known for sports greatness that they continue to do year in and year out, so to be able to put ourselves in that kind of discussion? Woo -- it's gonna be great for us. We're excited to have an opportunity to do that."

Smart said that he and his teammates have viewed the "Four Nights In October" documentary on those '04 Red Sox, and it's certainly provided some inspiration.

"We have watched it. It was beautiful," Smart said. "Definitely special to watch, special to witness, and to be able to now have an opportunity to go out there and have our own 2004 rally. So, we'll see."

Smart said that despite the emotional high of Game 6, the Celtics put that game to bed on Saturday night and have wholly moved on to focusing on Game 7. Smart's played in a number of Game 7's before, but he had an interesting answer when asked which one was his favorite.

"This one," he answered. "This one is tonight. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in a bad situation, but tonight we have an opportunity to right our wrongs."