Marcus Smart has made good on his promise as a game-altering defender. The Boston Celtics guard has been known for his hard-nosed defense since his college days at Oklahoma State.

Smart claimed the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award for this season, presented to him by the only other guard to ever win it – Gary Payton.

Asked about that moment and drawing comparisons to the Seattle Supersonics legend, the Celtics star was humbled and spoke candidly about facing off against his son in the coming days.

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image idea: Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown next to Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard with report cards around them (could be in a classroom background). they're all looking happy/hyped

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Golden State Warriors stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in front of the Chase Center.

Zachary Weinberger ·

Warriors' Klay Thompson, Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Steve Kerr, Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry

Jack Winter ·

Coming of out college, watching his tapes and him telling me I remind him of him and then to see his son (Gary Payton II), who’s the spitting image, comes in, and we all know what he can do on that end too. So it’s special to be on the same court as that guy. I’m glad to see him back from his injury and excited to get that opportunity to go against him.”

Gary Payton II has been out of action since getting injured during the Warriors' Western Conference Semis matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. But with GPII literally begging Steve Kerr to let him play after making huge strides in his recovery, Smart may have some competition in the backcourt stopper department throughout the rest of the NBA Finals