It was an obvious message, a macho challenge.
Marcus Morris pushed Ben Simmons in the chest. It happened in the open court, with two officials watching. Simmons took a step back … and just let it happen. No retaliation. No resistance. It happened on the Celtics’ baseline late in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday.
Asked about the incident, Morris interrupted the question.
“You mean the push-off?” he said. And he smiled.
Morris stands 6-feet-9, so almost everyone looks up at him. When you do, you see a thick thatch of beard that hides a large measure of malice.