The Boston Celtics received a bit of unfortunate news when Marcus Smart revealed that he'd likely be out for at least a week after suffering an ankle injury against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. However, amid the Celtics' strong 2022-23 campaign, the vibes in their locker room remain immaculate. As a matter of fact, head coach Joe Mazzulla even saw it fit to joke around with his injured starting point guard with a confusing yet hilarious taunt.
Prior to the extremely shorthanded Celtics' 98-95 loss to old rivals Miami Heat, Mazzulla reportedly walked past Smart in the locker room, pulled off a full somersault in front of him, and told him “you can't do that” for absolutely no reason, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.
The most inexplicable part about all this is that Marcus Smart and Joe Mazzulla had never engaged in a battle of athletic feats before. When asked whether this was some sort of “inside joke” between coach and player, Smart revealed that he had no inkling as to what Mazzulla was thinking before talking smack regarding his inability to pull off a somersault.
The 28-year old reigning Defensive Player of the Year then said, in jest, that they ought to stop giving Mazzulla some sugar, Himmelsbach added.
Perhaps the funniest part from this entire exchange is that Marcus Smart currently has an injured ankle, so try as he might, it might not be in the Celtics' best interest for him to try pulling off a somersault at the moment. He truly can't do that right now, lest he exacerbates his ankle injury.
At the very least, Smart would have a goal to look forward to achieving once he returns to full health.
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