Marcus Smart says he could have cracked Joel Embiid's head open, 'but I didn't'

During the opening night for the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid got tangled up. This didn’t necessarily surprise anyone. Both players have an edge that they play with and have been known to chirp at one another in the past.

In the third quarter, while going for a rebound, Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid got tangled with each other. They ended up on the floor and Smart got a technical foul for grabbing at Embiid’s leg. However, when watching the incident, it’s clear that Embiid instigated by locking Smart’s arm.

The play, according to Marcus Smart, was dirty and intentional. These two players have a long history together that dates back to their time in college, at Kansas and Oklahoma State respectively. Whether it was dirty or just two players getting tangled up is a matter of perspective in this rivalry.

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Marcus Smart on Embiid incident: “It's maturity. I could’ve cracked his head open but I didn’t. That’s the maturity we had.” pic.twitter.com/68NjPczafy

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 19, 2022

Marcus Smart was upset after the game that he was the only one to receive a technical foul for the scuffle. He also said he was being mature because he “could’ve cracked his head open, but didn’t.”

“I went for a rebound, basketball play,” Marcus Smart said. “Went for the steal, basketball play. Referee blows his whistle, calls a foul. I stop play. My arm’s still stuck in there and he tries to break it. And then I’m the only one who gets a tech. … If I did that, I’d probably be ejected, suspended three games, four games, fines. But the fact that I was the only one that got something out of that is kind of beyond me. 

“[I’m the] defending [Defensive Player of the Year], and that’s how I get treated? It’s tough. But, like I said, it’s maturity. I could have cracked his head open, but I didn’t, and that’s the maturity we have. So, we move on from it. It is what it is.”

For his part, Joel Embiid thought that it was a regular foul and he got his foot pulled while walking away. Then, in Embiid’s mind, the scuffle was happening around him and he was just an innocent bystander.

The Celtics and 76ers next play on February 8, 2023.