Smart laughs it off, Hayward concussion protocol, and Kyrie Irving on fire (links & quotes)

Marcus Smart showed both defiance and regret after his shove of Joel Embiid. via Bulpett

After Friday’s practice here, Smart went through the sequence of events and said, “I’ll do it over again.”

He did add later, “I got to be smarter next time.”

And as he was walking off the Hornets’ practice court, he indicated he’d maybe channel his displeasure in a different manner. “You’re going to see me doing a lot more laughing,” Smart said.

Hayward is frustrated that he can’t play. via MassLive

“It was one of those things where I was like ‘I want to play, I don’t care, I’m fine,’ but there were still some symptoms. There were still some things that... I wasn’t well yet,” Horford recounted as he tried to push through his return. “And it’s frustrating because physically I felt fine. But I kept having those dizzy spells.”

Chris Forsberg reminds us that “playoff Kyrie” can’t do it alone.

There is little doubt Irving will rise to the occasion on the playoff stage as he’s done throughout his career. After missing last year’s playoff run due to injury, he’ll be even more motivated to remind the NBA world what he’s capable of in the postseason.

But Boston’s recent struggles despite Irving’s big nights is a reminder that, particularly against top-level competition, one player can’t do it alone.