There's a different vibe surrounding this year's Boston Celtics team, and others across the NBA -- including Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green -- are taking notice.
The Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Jayson Tatum capped the thrilling 115-114 victory with a buzzer-beating layup after a heads-up pass from Marcus Smart, who showed great patience upon receiving the ball near the 3-point line.
Green, who, like Smart, is known for an energetic and tenacious brand of basketball, immediately took to Twitter to shout out the Celtics point guard and heap praise on how Boston has played this season under first-year head coach Ime Udoka.
"And there's the difference in the Celtics team," Green tweeted. "Last year Marcus Smart would've taken that shot. Ime got him to buy in and be the Marcus smart everyone loved out of Ok State. BEAUTIFUL! Looking like a true PG again! That's what made Him special!"
Tatum and Jaylen Brown receive a lot of credit for Boston's second-half turnaround, and rightfully so. Tatum has developed into one of the NBA's best players, and Brown is a two-way force whose return to the lineup after an early-season injury absence proved pivotal.
But there were major questions about the point guard position in wake of the Celtics trading the oft-injured Kemba Walker in a deal that brought Al Horford back to Boston. Smart has resoundingly answered any concerns by evolving as a playmaker while also providing his usual elite defense.
If Sunday's game is any indication, the Celtics-Nets series will be an absolute brawl. That might've posed a serious problem for Boston last season, but this year? The C's are ready to trade punches.
