BOSTON -- Marcus Smart has seen more iterations of the Boston Celtics’ roster than anyone on the team, except for Brad Stevens.

Since Smart arrived, Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford all came and left. His tenure dates back to the days of Shavlik Randolph and Luigi Datome. During his rookie season, he was one part of a popular t-shirt slogan -- “We Are Young and Smart” -- with fellow rookie James Young.

Every year during that stretch, Smart has been to the playoffs, and he played in the Eastern Conference Finals twice. But in his opinion, this Celtics team has the best shot at a title since he arrived.

“(Other teams were) potential contenders, but not as much of a contender as this team is," Smart told MassLive on Wednesday. “I’ve had some where we thought, ‘Maybe we can go.’ That run that we had with Isaiah Thomas, we thought we were a pretty good team, even the two years ago team where we made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but this year is just a different feeling. We really got that sense of ‘We really, really, really, really have a chance this year,’ and it’s very evident to us. I think it’s starting to be evident to people around the league, and it’s evident to fans around the league.”

Jaylen Brown, when asked after the Celtics’ evening practice on Wednesday if this team is special, agreed.

“I think this is a unique team,” Brown said. “The previous four years that I’ve experienced, I think we’ve got a good shot. We’ve just got to believe that we’ve got a good shot despite what anybody else has to say about it.”

The only problem with Brown’s take on the team: People aren’t really doubting the Celtics any more. National outlets increasingly call Boston a contender, in part thanks to Jayson Tatum’s emergence as a legitimate star over the last few weeks. With Tatum, Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Smart, the Celtics pack a hefty punch.

“We’ve got what a lot of teams don’t have,” Smart said. “We have five core players who have been playing two or more years together in a system that they’re familiar with. They’re all unique and versatile in their position where they can play multiple positions, and you don’t find that very often on a team where you can find five, three, four guys that can play multiple positions, that can bring the ball up, that can score, that can play defense and really contribute to a team like we have here.”

The numbers are in Smart’s corner as well. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics have the league’s fourth-best offense, third-best defense and second-best net rating at +7.4, which trails only the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks, of course, are a real problem -- Milwaukee has torn through the NBA ferociously this season. The rest of the East is strong as well. The Toronto Raptors are playing like defending champions, the Miami Heat are enjoying the emergence of Bam Adebayo, the Indiana Pacers just got Victor Oladipo back and while the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled this season, they are still a tough matchup for Boston.

Still, the Celtics have had some success defending Antetokounmpo, and they have a lot of talent. That’s why they aren’t surprised to see the national conversation coming around in favor of their chances.

“For us, it’s understood,” Smart said. “No need to be said. We always felt that we were contenders, no matter what anybody says. Now that everybody, or people, are starting to talk about it means nothing to us. For us, we’ve always felt we were contenders, and we always felt like we could compete with anybody as long as we go out there and play the way we’re supposed to play. It’s no surprise for us that people are talking about us being contenders. We’ve just got to go out there and continue to stay focused and focus one another and keep holding each other accountable.”

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