Boston Celtics vet Marcus Smart showed his respect to Phoenix Suns youngster Mikal Bridges, who gave him tough competition for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Smart won the DPOY honor on Monday, with Bridges finishing second in the voting. The Celtics' defensive guru accumulated a total of 257 points behind 37 first place votes, while the Suns' guard had 202 total points with 22 first place votes.

The Celtics leader was appreciative of Bridges and highlighted that it was undoubtedly a “tough” battle between them. However, he is happy that two guards fought for the recognition.

“We watch Mikal as well. We love the way he goes out there and just shows it every night. It's tough between me and him. It was a tough decision. It's ironic and crazy how me and him–how two guards leading this race for guards–ended up being one and two,” Smart shared, per Michael C. Wright of NBA.com.

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Marcus Smart further highlighted the importance of a guard like him winning DPOY. He is the first guard since Gary Payton to win it, with the award being dominated by forwards and big men over the past couple of decades.

For Smart, having him and Mika Bridges actually fight for it shows that winning the best defender accolade can be done even if you're not a big man.

It is definitely great to see Smart and Bridges dominate the DPOY voting. They have been snubbed for a large part of the regular season, but their brilliant plays have forced everyone to turn their focus on them.