Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is no stranger to physicality, but even he thought Draymond Green took it too far when he struck Jordan Poole during a Golden State Warriors morning practice.

The long-time Celtic was asked about the Golden State brawl and remarked that it wasn't out of the ordinary. Tempers flare in the NBA, even with your own teammates, according to Smart:

“It happens. Just like with your brother or your sister. You love them, you like them, you don’t wish nothing bad on them. But a couple of times here and there, you’re going to put your hands on them, and couple of times y’all do. So, it happens,” Smart shared.

Marcus Smart, perhaps the most open and vocal leader on the Celtics, did qualify his statement by saying that Draymond Green was in the wrong. While not all the details behind the fight are known, he said that at that moment Green failed as a leader:

“I know Draymond, as good as he is as a player and as a person, he made a mistake. I think we can all say that from what we know. As a leader, you can’t do that, especially with guys looking up to you and looking to you for advice and encouragement,” the Celtics star added.

After a tense NBA Finals last year that saw the Warriors take down Boston in six games, both teams have been involved with serious offseason controversies. The punch from Green might result in him being sidelined for an indefinite amount of games and will undoubtedly complicate Golden State's chemistry.

Meanwhile, the shocking suspension of Celtics head coach Ime Udoka left Boston reeling. Luckily, it hasn't had much impact on the team's impressive preseason performance.

So, both Boston and Golden State are in recovery mode after successful playoff runs and tumultuous offseasons. How each team responds to the controversy will be critical in the upcoming 2022-23 NBA regular season.