Marcus Smart: Celtics Face a 'Dogfight' in Game 7 vs. Cavaliers

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart said Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers is "not going to be pretty" after the Cavs' 109-99 victory Friday night forced the deciding game.

"You got to be able to get down and get dirty. You can't go out and try to look pretty. You have to be ready for a dogfight," Smart told reporters.

"We got to be ready to come up with our nose bloodied, we got to be ready to come out with our mouth bloodied, we have to come out ready to fight."

The Celtics will need the 24-year-old Oklahoma State product to play well if they want to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

Smart has averaged 9.7 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 37.0 percent from the field, including 25.9 percent from three-point range, in the series.

His player efficiency rating ranks 24th of 38 point guards in the 2018 playoffs, per ESPN.com.

LeBron Back-to-Back 3s to Close Out the Game

Though Boston, which has played almost the entire season without Gordon Hayward and the full playoffs without Kyrie Irving, faces the daunting challenge of trying to slow LeBron James in a must-win game, it can take solace in its recent home dominance.

The Celtics are 10-0 on the parquet floor at TD Garden in the postseason. That includes three victories over the Cavs by a combined 51 points.

Per OddsShark, Boston is a 1.5-point favorite for Game 7 on Sunday night.