Marcus Smart hears the knocks on his offensive game and is aware of the seemingly never-ending trade rumors involving his name.
He's never allowed the noise to lessen his confidence.
In a wildly entertaining interview on JJ Redick's podcast, "Old Man and the Three," Smart pushes back against critics who don't think he can be a vital part of a championship team.
"I mean, we can sit here and talk about my shooting, I'm probably not the best shooter in the world. But let's not forget I still hold the record for most threes in a game in a Celtics uniform," he said. "But it's a popularity contest. People have guys that they like more than others, so no matter what those guys do, they're always going to be right, and no matter what those guys do, they're always going to be wrong. And that's just what it is, unfortunately. I play the game to win, and the individual stats will come with it, but for me, it's just about winning."
The numbers don't lie: Smart is only a career 38 percent shooter. He's often been criticized for controlling the ball at the end of games and not taking the best shot. But his defensive tenacity has been a fundamental reason for the Celtics' success over the last eight years.
With a four-year extension, Smart said he feels secure now, though the persistent focus on trade rumors still baffles him. "You put in that hard work, and you're like 'this is what you're focusing on?,'" he said.
Still, Smart professed his love for Celtics fans, calling them the "most devoted fans you will ever play in front of." The veteran guard says he's confident the Celtics would've already come through with a championship in this era, if only they played the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers bested the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, though it's worth mentioning the Celtics were leading at halftime in Game 7.
"We definitely thought that we had a great chance," Smart said. "And to this day we still thought that if we went to the championship instead of LeBron and those guys, we definitely would have beat Golden State that year."
That bold claim may not be as crazy as it appears. The Celtics famously played the Warriors tight at the beginning of Brad Stevens' tenure, going 3-3 against them from 2015-18. One of their first high-profile showdowns was a double overtime thriller at the Garden in December 2015, which the Warriors won 124-119.
The Celtics beat the Warriors in November 2017 and then lost by four in their January rematch.
The 2017-18 season might've been the apex for Stevens. The Celtics pushed Cleveland to the brink, despite entering the postseason without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Their young core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Smart and Terry Rozier seemed like it was primed to embark on a long-term run.
With an eight-game winning streak, the Celtics are maybe playing their best basketball in a couple of years. Smart will likely play a big role in their fortunes going forward, even if he still shoots a little too much for his critics' liking.
You can watch the full interview, which was conducted in front of a live audience at the Crystal Ballroom in Boston, below:
