Watch: Marcus Smart ejected as Celtics and Cavaliers tussle
JR Smith and Smart were hit with double technicals, but Smith wasn't tossed.
There was plenty of talk this offseason about how Jayson Tatum’s added strength could help him overpower opponents.
What wasn’t discussed, however, was how that extra muscle would benefit Tatum when wrestling his own teammates to the ground.
Things have gotten HEATED at the Q. Marcus Smart was ejected as result #NBAPreseason #BOSvsCLE pic.twitter.com/iGSC8ffHJQ
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 7, 2018
That’s right. Tatum dragged Marcus Smart to the floor Saturday night in the Celtics’ preseason game against the Cavaliers. This wasn’t an intrasquad melee, but rather a brawl between the Celtics and Cavaliers. Smart, who wasn’t involved in the initial play, had to be restrained as he charged toward JR Smith late in the first quarter.
Smart and Smith were hit with double technical fouls, Smith and Aron Baynes committed double personal fouls, and Smart was ejected, while Smith was not.
You big mad 😡!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 7, 2018
The crazy sequence started at the 3:59 mark, when Smith came off the bench and immediately drilled an uncontested 3-pointer. On the next possession, Baynes tried to shield Smith to get possession underneath the basket to exploit a mismatch.
Their arms got tangled, and they spun in dizzying circles until they eventually unglued. Smith shoved Baynes, and that’s when Smart – who was recently voted by general managers as one of the three toughest players in the NBA – sprung into action and pushed Smith.
“Smart is definitely a foxhole guy,” announcer Brian Scalabrine said. “You don’t want to mess with that guy.”
Marcus Smart: “I did the action so whatever consequences come with it, come with it.” – Here’s what else he had to say after being ejected pic.twitter.com/IGFmj9tbkp
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 7, 2018
A referee restrained Smith, who had a massive grin on his face, and Tatum and Terry Rozier held Smart back. The Celtics guard tried to lunge at Smith again, but Tatum managed to pull him backward and away from the chaos.
Smith appeared to make a chatterbox motion with his hand, and Smart beckoned to the crowd as he retreated to the locker room. Smart momentarily returned, but once he was officially ejected, his night was over.
“It’s clear that these teams, there’s some carry-over from the Eastern Conference Finals last year,” Scalabrine said.
So Smart is Rodman, Rozier is Pippen, and Tatum is Jordan?
Checks out. pic.twitter.com/Su5gE1lT03
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) October 7, 2018
The Cavaliers outlasted the Celtics in seven games in that series, one that featured bad blood and animosity. Now that LeBron James is gone, the Celtics are widely considered the prohibitive favorites to reach the NBA Finals, but Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson views the matter differently.
“We’re still four-time Eastern Conference champions, so until you take us down from that, teams ain’t got much to say,” Thompson said.
Marcus Morris, who was charged with a technical foul later in Saturday’s game, responded to those remarks on Twitter, saying: “Get that vacation ready early this year fam!” Morris yelled in Thompson’s face in Game 2 last year after an and-one, and it’s clear there’s an ongoing beef between the two.
The Celtics-Cavaliers rivalry might not have quite the same luster now that James is in Los Angeles, but Saturday’s theatrics made it clear it certainly hasn’t disappeared altogether.
