After sitting on the bench in Game 3, watching his team take the Celtics to overtime, watching it unable to finish off Boston, Josh Smith did not sound like a man who wants to do that again.

Smith, who missed Friday’s game with a left knee injury, said Saturday there is very little that could keep him out of Game 4 Sunday.

“I’m probably going to play regardless of how it feels because I know the importance of this game,’’ Smith said. “I know that we have something special on this team.’’

He spent Friday night wondering how the game might go differently with him in. He kept seeing spots where he could help, especially down the stretch. But there was nothing he could do.

Except make it back for Game 4.

“We could do special things because we’re a deep team,’’ Smith said. “That tells you what we did yesterday. Any other team with three guys that played major minutes are out, they tend to struggle. But we were right there, almost about to win the basketball game.

“I think, with my help, it should help us get over the hump tomorrow.’’

Smith planned to rest the knee Saturday, then practice harder than usual at Sunday’s shootaround to determine the health of the knee. He said that walking, running, and cutting were not troubling him too badly, though the real issues seemed to come when he attempted to explode off the leg.

The decision will come after the shootaround, though it didn’t sound like there was much that would dissuade Smith.

“I think some players just have a higher tolerance for pain,’’ said coach Larry Drew. “If medically they can’t go, they can’t go. But if it’s a situation where guys can play in pain - like I said, this kid is as tough as they come. If there’s anybody that will push the envelope in that situation, it’ll be him.

“If he can play, I know he’s going to be out there, wants to be out there. But if he can’t play, certainly we totally understand that.’’