"I couldn't believe it, it was a dream come true" - Marcus Smart reflects on winning DPOY, credits former guards for creating the opportunity
Marcus Smart made NBA history last season by becoming just the second point guard in NBA history to win the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gary Payton being the last point guard to win the award during the 1995-96 season. The NBA and the Boston Celtics made sure to break the news to smart in the best way possible, complete with an appearance from The Glove himself in a video that has since gone viral.
In addition to the two men both sharing the distinction of being the only two point guards to win the award, they are also the only guards to win the award in the last thirty years.
The last guard to win the award other than the two was none other than Michael Jordan himself, who won the award during the 1987-88 NBA season. Given the history behind Smart's win, it seems only fitting that the self-described "young dude from Dallas, Texas who had a dream one day," found himself in disbelief when his team and Payton shared the news with him last season.
During a recent interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Marcus Smart spoke about winning the DPOY award, saying:
"I couldn't believe it. It was a dream come true. To not only get acknowledged for what you do and you pride yourself on it but to have the one guy who you've looked up on that defensive end, who was the previous recipient of this award before you, who opened the door for guards to even have an opportunity to win this at his size. So, it was incredible. It was an incredible feeling."
Gary Payton pulled up to surprise Marcus Smart winning DPOY 👏 https://t.co/FrGtxLWEsR
The historic win set the stage for the Boston Celtics to have a breakout year in the playoffs, where the team's young core eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champions Milwaukee Bucks en route to the team's first Eastern Conference Finals win in over a decade.
Despite coming up short in the finals against the Golden State Warriors, their incredible run during the 2021-22 NBA season will go down in the franchise's history.
Marcus Smart, the Boston Celtics & a chance at redemption
Despite some setbacks, Boston Celtics fans have high hopes going into the upcoming season. Most notably, the team made a huge move by acquiring Danilo Gallinari this offseason. However, the 2008 Italian League MVP suffered a catastrophic ACL tear while representing his country during the FIBA World Cup qualifying games.
Given that Gallinari will be sidelined for most, if not all, of the upcoming NBA season, the pressure on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and the rest of the Celtics' young core has, without question, increased exponentially.
this undoubtedly leaves the team in a tough spot in regards to how they will fill Gallinari's minutes while also attempting to match his production. But if basketball fans have learned one thing in recent years, it's to never count the Boston Celtics out.