The NBA has announced it will fine Boston Celtics veteran guard Marcus Smart $5,000 for flopping in the Celtics 102 – 99 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series on Tuesday evening.
The Oklahoma State product collided with Raptors small forward Pascal Siakam on a play late in the game’s third quarter, with Smart selling the contact hard while falling to the ground on the play.
The defensive theatrics would end up earning the Flower Mound native an initial foul call that would quickly be overturned with a successful coach’s challenge by Toronto head coach Nick Nurse.
Marcus Smart gets fined $5,000 for a flop in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/gtIQDuDyve
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) September 2, 2020
Smart was slapped with not only a reversal of the call but his own foul as a result, which could have been the end of the game for Boston as Toronto had just built its biggest lead of the game.
However, it served instead as a catalyst for the sequence of the Texan defensive specialist nailing five straight 3-point shots to wrest back the lead for the Celtics.
Five large is rarely an amount to scoff at, but in this case it seems like a worthwhile investment for the heart and soul of the Celtics.
