Marcus Smart Sounds Off on Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers’ rivalry will remain alive and well as long as Joel Embiid and Marcus Smart are sharing the court together.
Since the two prospects were selected by their respective organizations in the 2014 NBA Draft, they have had their fair share of dust-ups on the floor over the years.
When the Sixers and the Celtics met for the season opener on Tuesday night at TD Garden, it was a matter of a different season, same stuff going on between Smart and Embiid.
As Boston and Philly came out for the second half with a tied score, both teams were ready to continue their physical battle on the court. Once again, Embiid and Smart got tangled up, which led to a near-scuffle in the third quarter.
Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Marcus Smart discussed the altercation following a Boston victory against the Sixers. The defensive standout definitely didn’t hold back.
“I went for a rebound — basketball play. Went for the steal — basketball play. The referee blows his whistle and calls a foul. I stop playing, and my arm is still stuck in there, and he tries to break it. Then I’m the only one that gets a tech,” said Smart.
“I mean, everybody saw it,” he continued. “I don’t have to keep talking about it. If I did that, I’d probably be ejected or suspended for three games, four games, fines. The fact that I was the only one that got something out of that is kind of beyond me. Especially the defending DPOY, and that’s how he gets treated? It’s tough. I could’ve cracked his head open, but I didn’t, and that’s the maturity that we have. We move on from it. It is what it is, and we control what we can control.”
Smart didn’t mince words discussing his feeling about the situation regarding Embiid. While the two veterans didn’t let the altercation affect them for the rest of the game, Smart’s postgame comments could add more fuel to the fire of the Philly-Boston rivalry.
The Sixers and the Celtics will battle it out for a second time on February 8, 2023.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
