Marcus Smart called out JR Smith for his “dirty” play against Al Horford on Tuesday night.
During the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, Smith pushed Horford from behind to prevent an easy basket. Smart came over to get in Smith’s face after the play, leading both to get technical fouls. Smith also was called for a flagrant 1 foul for pushing Horford.
Celtics' Marcus Smart points finger at Cavaliers' J.R. Smith after hard foul on Al Horford: "That's a dirty shot. You can't allow that to keep happening. That's not the first time J.R. has done some dirty stuff. He's known for it." pic.twitter.com/Sio1f7Ew31
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 16, 2018
“That’s a dirty shot,” Smart said of Smith’s play after the game. “You just can’t allow that to keep happening. It’s not the first time J.R. has done some dirty stuff, especially playing against us. He’s known for it, especially playing against us. We know that. It’s like a bully; you keep letting a bully pick on you, he’s going to keep picking on you until you stand up.”
Smith appeared to be acting out of frustration as the game was slipping away from the Cavaliers. He also was enduring a particularly rough game, as he missed all seven of his shots and finished without a point. Smith does have a history with Boston, as he was ejected three years ago for hitting Jae Crowder.
Despite that play by Smith, Cavs coach Ty Lue still made an ironic comment about the Celtics after the game.
