Celtics’ Marcus Smart knows title shots don’t come around often ahead of Hawks series: ‘May be our only shot’

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As the Boston Celtics prepared for the 2022-23 NBA season, all signs pointed to a return to the NBA Finals. 

After losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, the Celtics returned all five starters from a team that won 26 of their final 32 regular season games during the 2021-22 regular season en route to their NBA Finals appearance. 

The championship banners in TD Garden shown during the NBA Finals on June 8, 2022, in Boston. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

The offseason additions of Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari coupled with head coach Ime Udoka returning for his second season had everyone thinking about adding an 18th championship to the organization's name. 

And then it all went sideways. 

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Gallinari was lost for the season with a torn ACL, Udoka was suspended for the entirety of the year for "violations of team policies," and center Robert Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee, missing the first month of the season.  

The season looked to be off the rails before it even got started as Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach on an interim basis. 

Boston Celtics PG Marcus Smart has to be held back by head coach Joe Mazzulla after an altercation with Utah Jazz G Kris Dunn. The Celtics beat the Jazz, 122-114. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

And then the Celtics started the year 21-5 as Jayson Tatum put himself in the conversation for league MVP. 

Boston now finds itself as the two-seed in the East after winning 57 games during the regular season, one of three teams favored to represent the Eastern