“Every coach will preach ‘when it’s a loose ball… be the first to hit the floor”: Kendrick Perkins defends Marcus Smart for his ‘dirty play’ that sent Stephen Curry to the locker room

Kendrick Perkins backs Marcus Smart for his loose ball play sending Stephen Curry to the locker room with a rolled ankle.

The Golden State Warriors-Boston Celtics clash was a highly-anticipated clash. Jayson Tatum and co., who are one of the hottest teams in the league, faced off against Stephen Curry and co., with Draymond Green returning to the lineup after more than 2 months.

As expected by many, it was one action-packed thriller and a feisty one, to say the least. Early in the game, Steph limped towards the locker room, and never returned back to the floor.

Almost midway into the 2^nd period, Marcus Smart dove on the floor to gather the loose ball. During this process, the Celtics’ guard ended up crashing on Curry’s leg which caused him to roll his ankle. Soon, the 2-time MVP was ruled out of the game.

Here, have a look at the play.

Also Read: Warriors’ Head Coach Steve Kerr talks about the plays the Celtics’ defensive leader made against the Splash Brothers

Kendrick Perkins believes Marcus Smart did what every coach would ask from their players

Marcus Smart is known for being a player who likes to be present everywhere on the defensive end – whether it is taking charges, fighting for rebounds, being in the opponent’s face all game long, or diving around for loose balls.

While many GSW fans heavily criticized Smart, there were a set of players and analysts who back Smart. Kendrick Perkins was one of many who defended the two-way star, stating that Marcus did what every coach would want from their players – to dive for the loose balls. Perks tweeted out:

Every Coach preach “When you it’s a loose ball… be the first to hit the floor”

Also Read: Warriors’ Draymond Green doesn’t believe Marcus Smart made dirty plays against Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson

Whether Smart was in the wrong or not, with the playoffs around the corner, we hope the injury is nothing serious that keeps Steph sidelined for several games.