Ah, the NBA pre-season, where almost nothing of consequence happens, especially violent conflict.
Unless you’re Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ J.R. Smith, it would seem.
On Saturday, during what was promising to be a rather innocuous exhibition game between the Celtics and Cavaliers in Cleveland, things hit fever pitch between the two sides in a hurry.
Late in the first quarter, Aron Baynes had Smith boxed out for an offensive rebound. After the ball went up, Smith, for some odd reason, decided to hang onto Baynes resulting into the two getting tied up and all hell breaking loose.
After the two untangled, Smith gave Baynes a hard shove, leading to Smart to rush in from behind and take a swing at the back of Smith’s head and then, finally, the benches to clear and break it all up.
As a result, a double technical foul was assessed to Smith and Smart, but only Smart got ejected, much to Smith’s delight.
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1048726425921101824
After the game, Smart spoke to the media about the incident and sort of issued a challenge to Smith to throw down off the court, for real.
“To J.R. Smith to meet me in the back,” Smart told reporters of a gesture he made to Smith he he was leaving the court. “I told him to come to the back. All that on the court, we can handle that off the court. I ain’t with that.
“Ain’t no punk right here.”
There will almost assuredly be extra discipline heading Smart’s and, maybe, Smith’s way. What it is, however, is unknown.
We can only hope that whatever punishment comes their way won’t effect the first regular season meeting between the Celtics and Cavaliers on Nov. 30.
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