A year of squabbling, dust-ups, and spats between the Wizards and Celtics culminated with John Wall and Jae Crowder getting into a scuffle at the end of another intense game between the two squads on Wednesday evening.
Here are a few angles of the Wall-Crowder, Wizards-Celtics argument: pic.twitter.com/75tw37WEqf
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) January 12, 2017
It led to quite the scene after the game:
After players left the court several witnesses saw #Celtics Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder engage in a verbal back & forth w/ John Wall
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 12, 2017
Isaiah Thomas walks by: "They can't F--- with a real killer." Not sure what that means but emotions kinda high. #WizCeltics
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) January 12, 2017
Five Boston police officers standing between Celtics and Wizards locker room after teams were barking at each other after buzzer.
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) January 12, 2017
It certainly wasn’t the worst fight in NBA history, but the league takes all physical altercations seriously, and as such, it wouldn’t be surprising if Wall and Crowder receive hefty fines and possibly suspensions for their actions.
The scuffle came after a very chippy game that also included Bradley Beal getting a technical foul after tangling up with Marcus Smart in the third quarter.
It’s just the latest episode in a tense rivalry that has emerged over the past year as the Wizards and Celtics have fought for respect in the Eastern Conference. It started in January 2016 when Jae Crowder accused former Wizards coach Randy Wittman of cursing at him during a game. Later that month, Bradley Beal suffered a concussion and a broken nose after catching an elbow from Marcus Smart in a mid-air collision. Then, earlier this season, John Wall was ejected from a game against the Celtics after shoving Smart.
On top of that, you have the simmering tension from how the Celtics edged out the Wizards to sign Al Horford over the summer, which included Crowder bragging about how he used the Wizards’ poor record as part of their pitch. There’s also the tension between Wall and Isaiah Thomas as they try to prove who is the better player in the league. And let’s not forget about that time Marcin Gortat tried to sneak in the Celtics’ huddle.
It won’t take long to see if there’s another chapter in this emerging rivalry. The Wizards and Celtics meet again in Washington on Tuesday, January 24.