Marcus Smart's questionable play Wednesday night that knocked Steph Curry out of the Warriors' loss to the Boston Celtics was labeled "dangerous" and "unnecessary" by Steve Kerr and Draymond Green.
But Celtics coach Ime Udoka didn't understand what the issue was.
"The play they were complaining about was totally legal and not malicious at all," Udoka said after Boston's 110-88 win at Chase Center. "One guy dove for it, one guy reached for it, and it was a loose ball there, so I don't think there wasn’t anything there to really complain about."
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During the second quarter at Chase Center, Smart dove for a loose ball and rolled into Curry's leg. The Warriors star left the game and didn't return. He reportedly will be out indefinitely with a sprained ligament in his left foot. X-rays reportedly were negative, and there is "optimism" Curry can return for the playoffs.
The Celtics' league-leading defense made life tough on the Warriors from the jump. To Udoka, it was apparent Boston's physicality had the Warriors looking to the officials for help.
"Other than the third quarter, I thought our physicality was great," Udoka said. "Any time we can impose that on guys from the start, we wanted to do that and start the road trip off right. Any time you can make teams start complaining, you know you're in a good spot."
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Smart defended the play after the game, saying he was "down" about what happened to Curry but noting he isn't a dirty player.
“I could really care less about that,” Smart said. “I know who I am. My teammates, my colleagues, they know I'm not a dirty player. They know I'm going to go out there and leave everything out there on the floor for my team, and I'm going to hustle.”
Kerr was seen yelling at Smart after the controversial play, but the two cleared the air after the game.
"I thought it was a dangerous play," Kerr said. "I thought Marcus dove into Steph's knee, and that's what I was upset about. A lot of respect for Marcus. He's a hell of a player, gamer, competitor. I coached him in the world cup a couple summers ago. We talked after the game, and we're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play and just let him know."
After finally getting Green back on Monday, the Warriors will now be without Curry for an undetermined period of time. With just 12 games remaining, Golden State's once-clear title hopes are murkier than ever.