Marcus Smart had two reasons to celebrate on Sunday — the Celtics won Game 1 against the Nets at the buzzer, and the NBA named him a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
For Smart, the former meant a lot more than the latter. A reporter asked him about being named a finalist and whether he feels he has “momentum” toward the award.
“I think I do, I think my defense and my game speaks for itself,” Smart said. “But I’m really focused on this next game we have on Wednesday. It would be an honor to win it, it’s an honor to be mentioned, but I’m playing for something bigger, and right now my focus is actually on the next game.