“Marcus Smart got DPOY from me, I taught him everything he knows!”: Jaylen Brown is adamant in receiving credit for Celtics defender’s stellar play against Kyrie Irving and Nets

Jaylen Brown wants credit for teaching Marcus Smart ‘everything he knows’ and also for winning Defensive Player of the Year. 

Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics have protected home court perfectly this first round series against Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. While Kyrie may have been able to keep it a one possession game in Game 1, both him and Kevin Durant weren’t anywhere close what you would expect from the proclaimed ‘most skilled duo in NBA history’ in Game 2. 

KD and Irving combined for 8-30 shooting with the former keeping the game alive with his James Harden-esque free throw shooting numbers of 18-20. The Celtics on the other hand played a great game on both ends of the floor, with Jaylen Brown leading the pack with 22 points on 50% shooting from the field.

Also read: “Tonight he was Kevin Can’t-Do-Rant”: Skip Bayless goes on a rant against the Nets superstar post his poor performance in Game Two against Celtics

6 players on the Celts, excluding Brown, were in double figures tonight with Grant Williams scoring 17 of his own and being a major contributor in the first half. Of course, Marcus Smart was a deciding factor on defense with his ability to swarm opposing players recognize when double teams are necessary. 

Jaylen Brown on Marcus Smart getting everything he knows from him. 

Marcus Smart is the elder statesmen on the Boston Celtics and plays a role similar to what Patrick Beverley and Draymond Green play on their respective teams: defensive identity and vocal leader. With that comes the responsibility of keeping everybody in check throughout a game or a series.

Also read: “LeBron James and Dwyane Wade concurred that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are greater and that is why they will win”: Skip Bayless boldly predicts Celtics will lose series against Nets

Safe to say that Jaylen Brown didn’t exactly get that memo as he hilariously takes to his postgame presser to say, “I don’t know. That was a play. I taught Marcus everything he knows. He may be defensive player of the year but he got that from me.”  

Jaylen Brown asked what he saw in Marcus Smart’s hand: “I don’t know. That was a play. I taught Marcus everything he knows. He may be defensive player of the year, but he got that from me.” https://t.co/vIg2BVG4mM

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) April 21, 2022

It’s refreshing to see the Celtics in high spirits as it’s a stark difference from what they were like in the beginning of the season with a 18-21 record. Everything from Smart calling out both Tatum and Brown to those two having to defend themselves, the entirety of the NBA landscape was debating whether or not they could co-exist. 

Fast-forward to today and they have a comfortable 2-0 lead over Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Seems as though Brown’s tweet about the energy shifting was really what Boston needed to become a postseason juggernaut.