Celtics' Smart confident he'll be back for playoffs

Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament on Friday, and having consulted with several doctors, he's optimistic he'll be ready to return at the early end of the team's projected six-to-eight week timeline.

"I am confident (I'll be back for the playoffs)," Smart told reporters Monday night, according to ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "I had one of the top (hand) doctors do it. The surgery was a success. Like she told me, you might as well go on and get it now. The quicker you can get it, the quicker the recovery."

Even a six-week recovery would see Smart miss most - if not all - of the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics will almost certainly be the No. 2 seed, and will be a strong favorite against whichever Eastern Conference team finishes seventh. Still, it's hard to pencil them into the second round given all the injuries they're currently dealing with.

"Hopefully the team can, like I think they're gonna do, handle their business and have me back," Smart added.

Before electing to undergo surgery, Smart had asked doctors whether the injury was something he could play through, but was swiftly talked out of the idea.

"That came into play and when she said - the doctor pretty much said, 'If it was me, I would get this (surgery) now. The longer you wait, the harder it (will be) and cause more complications. So just get it over with and then there's a possibility you could be back sooner than you thought.'"

The 24-year-old also has his own interests to look out for, as he'll be a restricted free agent at season's end. With that in mind, Smart indicated he won't come back until he's ready.

"I'm just going to attack this rehab, this rehab process like I have in the past and try to come back as strong as possible," Smart said.