Al Horford Not Giving Markieff Morris The Time Of Day
BOSTON (CBS) -- Things have been a little chippy between the Celtics and Wizards in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But Al Horford isn't going to start a war of words with the series shifting to the nation's capital and Boston up 2-0.
Horford has drawn the ire of Wizards forward Markieff Morris, who hurt his ankle in Game 1 after landing on Horford's foot after taking a jump shot. Morris felt Horford slid over on defense with the intention of injuring him; Horford said there was nothing intentional about the play.
But that didn't stop Morris from having a pregame talk with Horford before Tuesday night's Game 2 tipped off in Boston. And it certainly seemed that the chat didn't do much for Morris, who threw Horford into the crowd as the two players went for a loose ball in the opening minutes of the tilt.
Asked about the pregame discussion after the team arrived in Washington DC on Wednesday, Horford didn't seem interested in talking about the little tiff between the two players.
"I'm not going to give him any more play," Horford said. "That's it."
He also didn't want to discuss the toss into the stands.
"Again, I'm not going to give him the time of day," the C's forward said.
Morris has been doing his best to try and get under the skin of Celtics players over the first two games. In addition to giving Horford a heave into the front row, he was jawing with guard Isaiah Thomas throughout Tuesday night's win. That proved to be a bad idea, with Thomas nearly breaking the forward's ankle on one play, staring him down as the two made it back up the floor.
While the injury, and subsequent ankle-breaking, may have limited Morris, he still made the most of his 27 minutes on the floor on Tuesday. He had 16 points and six rebounds over 27 minutes for Washington, before fouling out with just a minute left in overtime.
"He had a good game. He helped his team," Horford said of his opponent, taking the high road.
Horford continues to be a valuable contributor for Boston, going for 15 points and 12 rebounds in their Game 2 win.
We'll see if Morris has more to say, and do, to Horford on Thursday night.
