BOSTON — As far as Hawks forward Josh Smith is concerned, the only thing could keep him from playing in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics on Sunday is an unexpected stumble.
“If I fall down the escalator and re-injure something,” Smith said Saturday.
That kind of freak accident may not be so implausible considering the way the Hawks’ injury luck has gone this year. But, barring such an event, Smith plans to return to the lineup.
He sat out a 90-84 loss to Boston on Friday after suffering a sprained right knee and aggravating his patellar tendinitis in Game 2. The Hawks are down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, and a loss in Game 4 essentially would finish them: Only eight teams in NBA history have overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
“I’m probably going to play regardless how [the knee] feels because I know the importance of this game,” Smith said. “We can do special things because we are a deep team, and very talented. Any other team with three guys who play major minutes are out, they tend to struggle. But we was right there almost about to win.
“With my help, it should help us to get over the hump [Sunday].”
The Hawks nearly did it in Game 3 without Smith and centers Al Horford (pectoral) and Zaza Pachulia (foot). The Hawks used an 8-0 run to tie the score in regulation and were down 86-84 with less than two minutes remaining in overtime.
Without Smith and their two injured centers, the Hawks lacked a post scorer during critical parts of the game. Smith said it was tough watching from the bench knowing that he could help.
“If you could see me over there, I wanted that win so bad,” he said. “We were so close to winning.”
Smith tested the knee during a light practice Friday morning. He ruled himself out of Game 3 because of pain when he tried explosive movements.
Smith said the knee has improved each day with rest. He sat out practice Saturday and planned to test it again during a light practice Sunday morning.
“Right now walking around and cutting and stuff, it feels great,” he said.
Smith said he couldn’t envision a scenario in which he played under restricted minutes.
“I’m in it to win it,” he said. “I’m pretty sure when the adrenaline kicks in with the coach, he’s not going to pay attention to the minutes played. He’s going to want to win that game.”
McGrady piles up minutes
Hawks forward Tracy McGrady was sore before he even left the arena after Game 3, and not just because of the sprained ankle he suffered in the first half.
“I can’t remember the last time I played 40 minutes,” said McGrady, a former two-time NBA scoring champion who has struggled with injuries for more than three years.
McGrady last played 40 minutes or more Jan. 2, 2009 with Houston. He played a season-high 38 minutes in February 2011 with Detroit and his high with the Hawks this season was 27 minutes.
McGrady was having one of his better games since joining the Hawks until he rolled his ankle just before halftime. At the time he had 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 5-of-9 from the field, but after halftime he missed all five shot attempts and had three turnovers.
“It affected my shot,” he said of the injury. “I really couldn’t get the lift like I wanted to, and I was hesitant on cutting.”
McGrady had a flip-flop on his right foot before practice, but said he would be fine for Game 4.
Historic night for Rondo
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo made history at the Hawks’ expense.
Rondo had 17 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and four steals. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rondo is the first player to produce those numbers in a playoff game.
“We had some defensive breakdowns which allowed him to get to the basket a few times,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “He’s a guy that is the head of the snake. When he’s playing that well, they are tough to beat. But we had an opportunity [to] win even as well as he played.”
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