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“Marcus Smart can’t call out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on national television, that is a locker room code”: Former Celtics player Kendrick Perkins slams Smart for taking shots at his teammates publicly

Arjun Julka
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Former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins slams Marcus Smart for calling out his teammates during a post-match media interaction. Big Perk believes Smart’s statements are going to create tension in the Celtics locker room.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Boston Celtics 128-114, with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine helping their team overcome a 19-points deficit. The Celtics have lost their third consecutive game at home, despite Jaylen Brown shooting 5-for-8 from the 3-point line in tonight’s game.

The Celtics were coasting with the game till the fourth quarter. According to Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the team started celebrating too early that led to them blowing a 19-point lead. The frustration amongst the fans at the TD Garden was evident.

However, matters got worse for the Celtics when guard Marcus Smart would call out his teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum during a post-match media interaction. Smart took a shot at the All-Star duo for not learning to pass the ball.

Also read: “The Celtics shot 2-26 from three tonight, at what point do you stop settling for jump shots”: Kendrick Perkins slams his former team for having an atrocious night from the 3-point line

Former Celtics player and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins seemed livid with Smart venting out his anger in public. Big Perk slammed the Celtics guard for breaking locker room codes.

Kendrick Perkins slams Marcus Smart for calling out Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum during a live media interaction.

Perkins won his only NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Thus it is no surprise that the team has a special place in his heart. Having played 14 seasons in the league, Perkins understands locker room codes and snitching about teammates.

Thus he seemed visibly outraged with Smart’s statements, saying he should have consulted his head coach rather than talking about it to the media.

“Marcus can’t come out publicly and say that. Like, you cannot call your guys out on national television that is a locker room code. If you have a problem with the offense, you have to go to the head coach because no matter how you wanna look at it. You guys calling out publicly is not gonna bring out the best in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and now you cause unnecessary turmoil that is going to go on in the locker room. Like you cannot do that, Marcus Smart knows that.”

(2:54 Kendrick Perkins addresses Marcus Smart’s comments)

Big Perk added, that blaming Tatum and Brown solely for blowing a 19-point lead was wrong. The ESPN analyst felt that nobody was discussing the lackluster defense of the team.

Also read: “Some of y’all still think Russell Westbrook should come off the bench?”: Kendrick Perkins slams critiques when Lakers superstar came back to form against the Spurs

This is not the first time that Smart and Brown had indulged in an argument. During the 2020 conference finals in the Orlando Bubble, as per reports, things got heated between the two teammates after the Miami Heat were up 2-0 against the Celtics.

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka

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Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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