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Boston Celtics starting center Robert Williams III is available for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Monday night. announced the team before the tip. Williams missed Game 3 as he struggled with persistent pain in his left knee. Boston, however, will not have guard Marcus Smart, who is struggling with a sprained ankle sustained in Saturday’s loss.
Towards the end of March, Williams underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and did not return until Game 3 of the team’s first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. His return only lasted five games, however, as he suffered a bone contusion in the same knee in Game 3 of the team’s second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Williams missed the last four games against the Bucks but was eventually cleared for the Eastern Conference Finals and played in Miami for the first two games. It’s not clear if anything happened during Game 2 or if Williams is dealing with ongoing pain from the previous injuries.
In any case, missing him in Game 3 proved detrimental as the Celtics lost 109-103 and fell 2-1 in the series. Getting him back for Game 4 will give Boston a boost ahead of time, and while Williams doesn’t always field big numbers, he’s the top rim protector on the team, blocking five shots in the first two games of this series. Opponents cannot attack the basket in the same way when it is healthy. On the other hand, Williams is a big lob threat, giving the Celtics a vertical option around the basket and an effective offensive rebounder.
As for Smart, he already missed Game 1 of this series with a metatarsal sprain. The Celtics sorely missed his defensive presence and style of play as they fell in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals. He injured his ankle in the second half of Game 3 but was able to return shortly after elimination. That’s what Celtics coach Ime Udoka said before the tip Smart’s ankle was still “pretty swollen”. You’ll have to lean on guards in Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in Smart’s absence.