Oklahoma State in NBA: Marcus Smart named to NBA’s All-Defensive First Team

Marcus Smart added another achievement to his resume Tuesday.

The former Oklahoma State standout was voted to the NBA’s All-Defensive first team for the second straight year with the Celtics.

Smart joined Rudy Gobert (Jazz), Ben Simmons (Sixers) Anthony Davis (Lakers) and Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) on the first team. Of the five players that made up the first team, Smart was the only player not to be named an All-Star this season.

The announcement comes as Smart and the Celtics are one win away from defeating the reigning NBA champion Raptors to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons. Smart has been to the Eastern Finals with Boston twice, losing to Cleveland both times.

Smart played a big role on the Celtics’ playoff run this year due to injuries to star players. One of those star players is Gordon Hayward, which is once again resulting in a starting role for Smart.

The Celtics, who are up 3-2 in the series, play Game 6 at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night. If the Celtics lose, Game 7 is scheduled for Friday night. A win would set up a matchup with the Heat in the East Finals. Miami bounced the top-seeded Bucks 4-1 in the second round.