Today, the NBA playoffs continue, and the Boston Celtics have no games to play for the time being, but their main guard Smart has a happy event, that is, he finally won the recognition and won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
It has been eight seasons since entering the NBA, and Smart, who has always been known for his defensive tenacity, has gradually become an indispensable part of the Celtics, but his defense has not been recognized by the relevant rewards. Today, Smart has received the award, which is a compliment to his continuous efforts.
It is worth mentioning that the NBA has not won the Defensive Player of the Year award by the guard for 26 years, and the last one was "glove" Gary Payton. Today, Smart got the trophy, or Gary Payton came to present him and took a photo with him, which is full of meaning.
This season's Celtics are also not easy, they went from 10th in the Eastern Division at the beginning of the season to improve all the way to the 2nd place in the East. In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics were also not optimistic, feeling that they would be ranked 7th by the Brooklyn Nets. But what they didn't expect was that the Greenshirts were able to kill their opponents 115-114 in the first game of the series.
This one kill was still done by Smart assisting Tatum. After 8 seasons of polishing, Smart is no longer a pure defensive tip, his offensive ability and the overall situation have been greatly improved, and he is a trusted defender of the Greenshirts.
However, Smart's award has caused some controversy, such as some fans feel that Smart is not even the best defensive player in the Greenshirt Army, and the center Robert Williams who is absent due to injury is more suitable. But since this is the best defensive player voted by the coach, it must still make sense.