Marcus Smart is an integral part of the Boston Celtics' defense. He's usually tasked to guard the best players from the opposing teams. His tenacious defense is one of the reasons why he accomplished something great during Boston's 134-129 home win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Marcus Smart has passed John Havlicek and is No. 14 on the Celtics all-time steals list (@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/M07oGeyUoo
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 3, 2019
Passing someone like John Havlicek in the franchise's record books is something that Smart should be proud of. It's a testament to his dedication on defense, and he should feel great that he's recognized for it.
Smart had a stat line of 18 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals in the Celtics' win.
The Celtics have won four straight, and nine of their last ten games. They're now the third best team in the East with a 34-19 record, and are four games behind both the Milwaukee Bucks (38-13) and the Toronto Raptors (38-16) for the top seed in the conference standings.
After a roller coaster season that saw the Celtics almost implode following Kyrie Irving's public criticism of the team's young core, Boston seems to have figured things out, as it sparked a furious run consisting of impressive wins against some of the best teams in the league.
To say that the team is back to playing championship level basketball might be premature at this point, but they are obviously getting there. The collective effort of the team on both ends of the floor is starting to produce positive results.
They seem to be peaking at the right time, and that could be a problem for the rest of the Eastern Conference contenders.
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