Skip to content

Condition: Post with Page_List

Listen
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

Marcus Smart gets his wish, earns finalist nod for DPOY

Can Smart get past Gobert?

It took a little campaigning, but Marcus Smart is the only Celtics player who has a chance to hear his name called on awards night this season. The Boston guard has been named a finalist for 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is once again a finalist for the award, now having won it three times. The other finalist is Phoenix Suns forward Mikal Bridges, who helped his team post the third-best defensive rating in the league — behind only the Celtics and Warriors.


"I think my defense and my game speaks for itself," Smart said in response to the news following Sunday's Game 1 win against Brooklyn. "But, I'm really focused on this next game we got on Wednesday. It'd 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."

Although Jayson Tatum could force himself into the MVP conversation someday if he keeps up the level of play he's displayed since the start of 2022, the only major Celtics snub in this year's awards discussion is Ime Udoka. Boston's head coach lost out to Memphis' Taylor Jenkins, Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix's Monty Williams.

Can Smart get past Gobert?