Wednesday marked Marcus Smart’s first game as Defensive Player of the Year, but his premier Game 2 highlight was on the offensive end.
Smart effectively put the dagger in the Brooklyn Nets when he gave the Celtics a 10-point lead with a minute left to play in the fourth quarter at TD Garden. Boston’s longest-tenured player reached deep into his bag of tricks, putting an off-balanced left-handed floater off the glass right as the shot clock expired.
Smart’s clutch bucket was very impressive, but the celebration might have been even better.
Jaylen Brown was asked about the play after the game, and the C’s star jokingly took some credit for it.
“That was a play — I taught Marcus everything he knows,” Brown told reporters, per a clip shared by NBC Sports Boston. “I know he’s Defensive Player of the Year, but a lot of that he learned from me. Nah, Marcus played great. He does what Marcus does: made some big plays down the stretch and we pulled out another win.”
The win gave Boston a 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven series against Brooklyn. The Celtics can put themselves within one win of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday when they visit the Nets for Game 3.
