Marcus Smart criticized officials following the Boston Celtics’ 108-87 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, and predicted the future during his postgame media availability when he forecasted a fine coming his way.
“A lot of calls that they called, I didn’t understand where the fouls were,” Smart said, per MassLive. “And it just seems like whenever I get the ball and I’m on offense, I can’t get a call, so with the (Miles) Bridges push and stuff like that, I told them, ‘If it was me, y’all would probably throw me out the game and everything. So you clean it up, or I will.’
“But at some point as a player, as a man, you’ve got to protect yourself,” Smart added. “Nobody else is going to protect yourself, you’ve got to protect yourself. So if that means I’ve got to lose a little bit of money, then I’ve got to lose a bit.”
Smart was fined $15 thousand for his postgame comments, the NBA announced Friday evening. The league labeled his actions as “public criticism of the officiating” in the release.
Luckily for Smart, he basically called his shot. Not sure if that makes losing $15 thousand better or worse, but either way, he was prepared.
Smart and the Celtics wrap up a three-game road trip in San Antonio on Saturday when they take on the Spurs at 5 p.m. ET.
