WALTHAM, Mass. -- After Friday's loss in Memphis, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the Grizzlies' frontcourt of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph "smoked" his team and suggested Boston's young bigs like Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk could "learn a lot" from watching Memphis' veteran duo.

Asked to expound upon that notion after Saturday's practice, Stevens said: "What I was really talking about in that situation was how well they play off one another, how well they read things. How Randolph hits you right at the right time to get his post position; how if you’re fronting him, he seals you right at the lane and Gasol reads it and flashes and plays high/low; how good Gasol is at getting to the seam in pick-and-rolls, because he doesn’t roll to the rim like a Brandan Wright or a Tyson Chandler in Dallas, where they are flying around and dunking everything. They run to the elbow and play out of that seam and find that seam for the pocket pass. Then [Gasol] has the ball with no pressure and he’s able to pick his spots. I think it makes your defense really have to react and you really have to play hard on every possession with multiple efforts just to keep them a little bit off balanced. Easier said than done for the entirety of the game."

So what did Sullinger take from battling Gasol and Randolph?

"Just how physical they are," he said. "They play really well together. They play like a tandem, that’s the biggest thing."

Can third-year Sullinger and second-year Olynyk get to a similar level of continuity as Boston's starting frontcourt?

"Yeah, it’s going to take some time," said Sullinger. "[Gasol and Randolph] played, I think it’s going on their fifth year, or something like that together. It takes time to build something like that."

Stevens admitted that film review from the Memphis game only confirmed what he saw on the court.

"I felt we had a pretty good idea of what we did and didn’t do," he said. "Obviously, they guarded us in a way that I thought made us a little passive and stagnant. Then, the biggest difference in the game were the interior guys, not only Randolph and Gasol, but [Jon] Leuer really played well for them."

A handful of notes from Saturday's session:

• Frustration of losing: Stevens was asked about his team's mental psyche when losses mount against good teams. "It should be [frustrating]. I hope it is. I think that’s a good thing. The key is then how do you respond from that? I think it’s a unique situation, in that we play 82 games, and you have to be able to bounce back and be able to respond. But if it’s not tough, then that’s not good. So I think that’s a good thing." Boston is 4-7, but that's still only a ½-game out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference (albeit, with a long way to go and a lot of teams crowded in that area).

• Smart out on Sunday: Rookie guard Marcus Smart engaged in some post-practice stretching with his teammates, but did not participate in the brief on-court activities. Stevens said Smart is out for Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, though had previously said the team hopes to have Smart back on the court later this week. Boston has a four-day break before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Friday afternoon.

• Light session: After traveling home from Memphis after Friday's loss, the team didn't spend much time on the court Saturday. While noting Smart's lack of participation, Stevens also noted: "We didn’t do anything physical, other than jog through. It wasn’t much that he could of done. [Rookies] James [Young] and Dwight [Powell] didn’t get any reps either." Boston did watch some film before and after the session. "Today['s pre-practice film review] it was a not-great possession followed by a good possession, just to show the difference, and how small the difference in what you look like physically and how quickly you react and those type of things, both offensively and defensively. No more than 10-15 minutes. It depends on what we’re trying to show after practice, whether it’s the opponent, or whether it’s more of our stuff, or whatever the case may be. I usually try to keep the film sessions fairly quick and to the point."