ICYMI: Steve Kerr has some strong words for Marcus Smart after Steph Curry limps off to the locker room during Celtics vs Warriors
Marcus Smart is known for his physical brand of basketball, which is what's made him such a desirable player around the NBA in recent years. It's also why the Boston Celtics fanbase is so enamored with him.
The Celtics are a physical team that prides themselves on the defensive end, ranking first in the NBA for defensive rating. So, when Smart dived to the floor in the 2nd quarter of the Celtics' game against the Golden State Warriors on March 16, nobody was surprised. However, as Smart hit the deck in search of the ball, he landed on Stephen Curry's foot, causing him to roll an ankle.
Steph was limping and headed to the locker room after an awkward loose ball exchange with Marcus Smart
(via @NBCSWarriors)
https://t.co/UCcPBYBRZZ
As you would expect, the referee's took a prolonged look at the sequence of events when the Warriors superstar point guard got up from the floor with a limp, and eventually penalized Marcus Smart with a Flagrant 1 penalty.
But a flagrant foul call doesn't fix Curry's ankle, and as Steve Kerr faced the prospect of his team playing the rest of the game without their star guard, he felt it necessary to engage with Smart on the sidelines.
"I thought it was a dangerous play, I thought Marcus Smart dove into Steph's knee, and that's what I was upset about. Lot of respect for Marcus, he's a hell of a player, gamer, competitior. I coached him the world cup a few summer's ago. We talked after the game, and we're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play, and I let him know," Steve Kerr said in his post-game press conference.
The interaction between Marcus Smart and Steve Kerr after Steph Curry was headed for the locker room. https://t.co/y0NbQ20Upp
Boston Celtics stars Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown shared their thoughts on the play
Members of the Celtics roster saw things differently, as they're used to Marcus Smart being aggressive in his pursuit of loose balls and encourage that style of play from him.
"Me and Steve have that relationship from USA Basketball, so, he knows that I'd never try and hurt anybody. He knows that since I got in this league I've been sacrificing my body for the better of my team and my teammates. I get it, I understand, hate to see it happen to anybody. Especially playing and doing your job," said Marcus Smart.
Hate to see any injury. I hope Steph's alright. We looked at it, I didn't even see him, I saw the ball, dove on the ball, tried to make a play. Unfortunately, that occurred. I'm really down right now about it, but that was it," Smart added during his post-game press conference.
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown also weighed in on the controversy that followed Smart's high-impact play, which saw Curry head to the locker room with an injured ankle. Brown noted that he didn't see anything wrong with the possession from an aggression or style standpoint.
"I looked at the play, we all saw the play, we didn't think it was nothing dirty. That's what Smart does - first to the floor. It's unfortunate that Steph got hurt and stuff like that, in was unintentional. But, that's what Marcus does, he's the first to the floor every time, both team's know that. I don't know what the controversy was about, but that's what Smart does," Jaylen Brown said following the Celtics victory over the Warriors.
The Warriors, who only got their big three back together last week after almost two years with injury issues, will now be waiting to see how Curry's ankle responds overnight. Let's hope the injury isn't significant and the chef can get back to cooking on the court in the very near future.