Basketball is an ever-evolving sport. From attack to defence, new trends always come up. While in attack the three-point shooting got revolutionized, the defence has also seen great change in trends. Defenders often go without getting any appreciation for their hard work on the court.
The changes in rules in the NBA has also forced out several trends. The rule change saw NBA empower their defenders as earlier it was mostly attack-minded and biased towards offensive players. One of the standout players who used this rule change to perfection has to be Boston Celtics fan favourite Marcus Smart. The 27-year-old guard is one of the best defenders in the league. Smart is one of the few players in the NBA who can successfully guard positions 1-5.
Recently the 27-year-old guard appeared on JJ Reddick’s podcast ‘Old Man and the Three’. There he claimed that the Celtics would have beaten the Golden State Warriors back in 2018 only if the Cleveland Cavaliers had not taken the Eastern Conference.
JJ Reddick then showed him a compilation video of the flops made by Marcus Smart. It was a fun watch as the Celtics guard claimed that shooters like Reddick forced the defenders like him to come up with these flops.
Redick also pointed out a certain time when Smart fouled him and he had to get eight stitches just above the eye. Smart saw the video and when asked about his challenge against Pascal Siakam, he highlighted that it was strategical.
“If I can get the ref to call it in my favor, what is Toronto going to do? They’re going to challenge it. If they do, they won’t have the challenge in the 4th quarter. That actually went in our favour.”
This is the foul in question here.
Smart carried on and said, “It works for the international players, so I learned it from them. There is no better feeling than getting a guy, you bait him in a trap, get a foul call on him, and he just goes ballistic. It’s one of the best feelings in the world!”
Marcus Smart has been one of the most vital cogs in this Boston Celtics setup. He has been excellent in defence and with the Celtics winning Smart is getting the due praise that he deserves. After a rough start to the season, the Celtics are currently on an eight-game winning streak as they climb up to the sixth position in the Eastern Conference.
