An HBO miniseries recommendation for Celtics G Marcus Smart

It's not often that NBA Twitter turns into a referendum on one of the central founding fathers, but that's just how quickly Marcus Smart's defensive tips took a turn.

The Boston Celtics guard, who recently inked a four-year, $77 million extension, started it all on Friday when a fan tweeted an innocuous request for tips on how to be a better defender on the court. Smart tweeted his response minutes later, saying it's all about outworking your opponent. And then he wrote the last two sentences:

"No one remembers the 2nd US President. Only the 1st."

At that point, we were left with two pressing questions:

1. Does Marcus Smart know who the second U.S. president was?

2. Does Marcus Smart think the presidential line of succession is some kind of race in which George Washington won?

Perhaps sensing his tweets were making such waves, Smart posted a follow-up tweet definitively answering the first question ... while making the second one even more of a mystery.

Putting aside the fact that a member of Celtics has decided to take shots at one of the most celebrated figures in Boston history, it is at this point we might recommend that Smart drop whatever he has planned for the night and instead check out the HBO miniseries "John Adams."

First aired in 2008, the "John Adams" series remains a timeless look at the American Revolution and a resounding statement that John Adams, who assuredly wasn't perfect, was far more than just our second president.

The series is anchored by a career-defining performance from one of America's most celebrated actors, Paul Giamatti, who takes us through events that show the human cost of a revolution and the difficulty of governing a nascent country. Just as impressive was the performance of Laura Linney as Abigail Adams, whose advice was vital to Adams at some of his most turbulent moments.

The whole story is based on the Pulitzer-winning biography penned by David McCullough, but it won plenty of awards by its own right. "John Adams" captured 13 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2008, including Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries for Giamatti and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries for Linney. That total, which came out of 23 nominations, remains a record among miniseries.

Oh, and the theme music is an absolute banger, to the point that it played before Washington Nationals games for several years.

Take our advice, Mr. Smart. You won't be disappointed.