“What hurt more than actually losing is the fact of how close we were” - Boston Celtics star reflects on tough defeat in the NBA Finals

Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics recently did an interview with Boardroom, and it was all that NBA fans could ask for. Hearing players give their genuine thoughts about what happened in the NBA Finals is always awesome to hear, and that's exactly what Smart did.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year certainly wishes he could get that series back. Boston was playing great basketball leading up to the NBA Finals and eventually ran out of gas. While that's not uncommon, it still hurts given how close the Celtics were to accomplishing their lifetime goals.

Marcus Smart said exactly that:

“What hurt more than actually losing is the fact of how close we were. We were able to feel it, taste it, see it, smell it, hear it. And all last summer, that’s all we had to deal with and hear was, ‘You guys almost did it. You almost made it.’ Close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades. It definitely sucked.”

Marcus Smart still hurt after losing in the NBA Finals

For all anyone knows, Marcus Smart might never get that opportunity again. Winning a championship is tough, but even getting into contention is one of the more difficult things in the world to do. Teams have to capitalize on that, and Smart realizes that.

“We played a really good team (the Golden State Warriors) and more power to those guys. You just have to tip your hat. They’re the champs for a reason, and we learned a lot from those guys. They made us work and made us understand what it takes to keep going.

"When things aren’t looking like they’re in your favor, you have to keep going. You have to figure it out, and that’s what they did. They constantly figured out a way.”

There's a reason why the Warriors have been the best dynasty in the NBA throughout the past decade. Marcus Smart learned just that last season as the Warriors once again took their play to another level when it mattered most.

For Smart, this could be a great learning step. The Celtics will have another chance to compete for an NBA title this season, and he's going to be a major reason why come playoff time.