WALTHAM, Mass. — On the day Marcus Morris arrived at his first preseason Celtics practice he talked about being the "bully" the team needed to make sure it didn’t get pushed around the NBA.
Now, as the Celtics approach the playoffs down two All-Stars and two more rotation players, the seven-year veteran knows he is going to have to be a lot more than that if Boston is to advance deep into the postseason.
That’s why [...]
WALTHAM, Mass. — On the day Marcus Morris arrived at his first preseason Celtics practice he talked about being the “bully” the team needed to make sure it didn’t get pushed around the NBA.
Now, as the Celtics approach the playoffs down two All-Stars and two more rotation players, the seven-year veteran knows he is going to have to be a lot more than that if Boston is to advance deep into the postseason.
That’s why Morris is frustrated with his two ejections in the last week, which he felt were unwarranted, as he tries to transition from an enforcer to go-to scorer for a team with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
“That was when I first got here,” he said of the “bully” declaration after Saturday’s practice. “I thought that fit me perfectly. But, at the end of the day, I'm trying to do what's best for the team. I'm not trying to be a bully to get kicked out of the game.”
That’s what happened in the final seconds of last Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. And that’s what happened again in the third quarter of Friday night’s 111-104 victory against the Chicago Bulls when he and Bobby Portis each received two technical fouls in the same inbounds play.
“I thought he came in my space,” Morris said. “I gave him a little push. I didn’t think it was that serious. The refs, again, overreacted.
“We were talking. At the end of the day, it's the NBA. It's not college, not high school. If we're having a conversation, we're allowed to speak. We weren't saying anything that was harmful or anything.”
Morris said he is growing concerned that he is getting the “Rasheed Wallace treatment” and getting technical fouls based more on history than action. He added that with his increased role — and the successful run the team has gone on to get him to the playoffs for only the second time in his career — he has tried hard to redeem himself in the eyes of officials.
“Because of my reputation,” he said. “I think they are just throwing me out. But I haven’t done anything this year to tarnish my reputation. I think I’ve been really good with the referees.”
Morris lamented that his own mother keeps calling and yelling at him for the technicals, but he assured the pattern would not continue into the postseason.
Pretty much, anyway.
“Going into the playoffs, that's nothing to worry about,” he said. “I promise I won't be getting any techs. Unless, we're just getting blatantly cheated.
“I want my team to win. I won't put my team in any jeopardy like that.”
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he appreciates the passion Morris brings to the court.
“You want to have a competitive streak,” Stevens said. “You want to have an edge. Obviously, you want to be able to stay in the game. But I’m not worried about it.”
Al Horford and Jayson Tatum followed Morris to the locker room after Friday’s ejection — with Horford saying it was as a precaution just to make sure Morris was good with the Boston and Chicago locker rooms across the hall from each other at TD Garden. Horford said Morris was “fine” on Friday, but also welcomes the spirit that he will bring to the postseason.
“It’s great,” Horford said. “The playoffs, they bring that out of you. Even if you don’t necessarily have it, by the end of a series you will have it going against a team so many times.
“We have a lot of guys on this team with an edge. Marcus is just more expressive about the way he goes about his. And we’re happy about that.”
Morris seems ready to redirect that edge away from the officials, and toward all those who claim squads are “dying” to face Boston in the first round without Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis.
"I hope so,” he warned. “I do. I hope so. I really do. This team, we're resilient. Every guy on this team is ready to compete. We all feel disrespected."
“Myself, and looking at all the players on the team, you’re looking at the doubt as motivation. People counting you out. ‘You’re not going to do this. Not going to do that.’ It’s got to be motivation to prove everybody wrong.”