Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart on Joel Embiid's knee to groin: 'Draymond Green did it, and he got technicals'

Marcus Smart talks about tangling with Ben Simmons, Game 1

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart wants you to know he's okay.

There were several causes for concern after Monday's Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers. There was the surgically repaired thumb which forced Smart to miss a little more than five weeks. Joel Embiid stepped on it in the first half, and Smart came up shaking it, looking uncomfortable.

"It was a little stinger in this thumb for a little bit," Smart said. "Came back in at halftime, re-wrapped it, and got it situated.

Pre-empting the usual reporter follow-ups, Smart continued.

"It's all good now," he said. "I will be playing next game. No soreness. I'm fine."

Smart's shin is also fine. A cameraman accidentally knocked over his stool in the post-game scrum, and it nearly hit Smart in the leg.

"I'm alright," Smart said, smiling before continuing his question.

What Smart didn't appreciate was Embiid's flying leg right before halftime. The Sixers center missed a heave at the buzzer and kicked his knee into the air, catching Smart between the legs. Smart stayed doubled over for several seconds near half court before walking slowly to the locker room.

"Next subject," Smart said when asked about it post-game, but he continued when the reporter followed up. "They've been calling that foul all year. They tell me he was fading away so his leg naturally came up. Draymond Green did it, and he got technicals, thrown out and things like that. Like I said, it's been called all year. But it's part of the game. You move on."

Smart came out of the locker room before the second half and appeared to be his old self. He pulled down an offensive rebound against Embiid and flipped in a layup plus the foul. He made a pair of 3-pointers, one of which made the crowd audibly gasp in panic as he shot it. And, predictably, he tangled with Ben Simmons as the game wound down.

"Two guys playing basketball," Smart said. "They were real chippy. They were able to use their hands a lot, and they were getting away with a lot on us. That last play, he tried to tangle me up, and he kinda threw a little shot at me. I just told him I wasn't accepting that. We're not about to start that. We're gonna play ball, we're gonna play ball and leave it at that. Other than that, we'll do all that other stuff outside of that. We're gonna play ball, let's keep it going."

This series will get chippy in a hurry.