New Laker Smart setting the tone for physical play

Marcus Smart picking up four fouls in 12 first-half minutes wasn't the plan Tuesday, but the Lakers guard still saw a purpose behind the maddening calls.

- BY THỤC NHI NGUYEN

HARRY HOW Getty Images

MARCUS SMART, center, hopes to bring a new focus on Lakers' toughness early.

For a team that signed the 31-year-old guard in large part for his tenacity, having Smart set the standard of physicality was the right way to start a season, even if the season-opening result went the wrong way for the Lakers.

"The toughest team," Smart said, "sets the rules."

"I've been in this league for 12 years and that's always been the motto," the former NBA defensive player of the year continued. "You see it. The team that comes out more physical, the momentum is kind of going their way, and that's how it is. We want to be the toughest team from start to the end."

Now against the team that bullied them out of the playoffs last year, the Lakers get to test their toughness on Friday at 7 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena in a rematch of last year's first-round series.

Film from last year's five-game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves has been rolling in front of coach JJ Redick for days as he fell down a deep rabbit hole preparing for the game. The clips aren't needed to prompt a revenge storyline, Redick said, but could help create a different type of motivation for a team that's trying to break in three offseason additions.