Another chapter is being written in the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics rivalry.
In a podcast appearance this week, Heat big Bam Adebayo called himself the best defender in the NBA. He also threw a little bit of shade at the Celtics guard Smart (who won Defensive Player of the Year last season) as well as another top NBA defender. Adebayo said he himself should have won DPOY instead and reasoned that Smart cannot defend 1 through 5 on the court.
Speaking Wednesday on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Smart fired back at Adebayo.
“Me and Bam both know that’s a lie,” said Smart.
"Me and Bam both know that's a lie."
Marcus Smart had some HEAT for Bam Adebayo about last year's DPOY 🔥
(via @malika_andrews) pic.twitter.com/Qwyv3U0CUz
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 1, 2023
Smart, the first guard to win DPOY since Gary Payton in 1996, definitely deserved the award last season. But Adebayo also has a point in that Smart, through no fault of his own as a 6-foot-3 player, cannot defend true big men.
Perhaps the two will just have to settle it on the court the next time their two teams face each other. Keep in mind that Adebayo did make one of the best defensive plays of the last decade against Smart and the Celtics.
