'It was a heated moment between two competitors and I think it kind of got a little bit shine because of me being who I am as a defensive player and I guess my reputation as a guy who is very tough or whatever you want to say,' Smart explained.

Marcus Smart has tried to play down the idea of any tension between himself and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks ahead of their first playoff game on Saturday.

The two clashed in March of the regular season when there was just 1:26 left on the clock and eight points between the teams with the Celtics leading 129-121.

They tangled, fell to the floor, and needed the teams to split them before Smart was ejected and Young received a technical foul.

And as they prepare to meet again, Smart said he won't change his way of dealing with Young.

'There is no way I would change my approach to the game,' Smart told The New York Post.

'But no, me and Trae, we’re cool. I’ve known Trae for a long time we go back to the Big 12 days. He’s a great player.

'We all know that Trae has done some awesome things in this league, and he’s going to continue to do some awesome things in this league.'

Smart doesn't think Young will hold any anger toward him ahead of the first game of a potential seven-game series.

'It was a heated moment between two competitors and I think it kind of got a little bit shine because of me being who I am as a defensive player and I guess my reputation as a guy who is very tough or whatever you want to say,' Smart explained.

'So when I and Trae kind of got into it, at first we were just talking and then obviously we got tangled up.

'When everybody ran over, it caused more of an effect than it should have because then we lose our footing and because we’re tangled up and me being the bigger person, he’s going to have more impact than I am and I’m going to generate more impact towards him, so it’s going to look like that.'

Smart and the Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks were seventh.