The Celtics and Wizards do not like each other very much.
Last year’s match-ups between the two teams featured with a lot of words and a star in concussion protocol, and both of the first two times the teams have played this season, they’ve wound up in some sort of confrontation.
On Nov. 9, John Wall took umbrage at how Marcus Smart was defending him, fouled Smart twice and was ejected from the game. On Jan. 11, Wall wound up jawing with Jae Crowder, who then put his fingers in Wall’s face, resulting in fines for both players. And on Tuesday, the teams will play again.
According to the Washington Post’s Candace Buckner, the Wizards are dressing for the occasion, wearing all black to the game as if it’s a funeral for the Celtics.
The #Wizards will come to the arena tomorrow in all black b4 for Round 3 vs #Celtics. Kelly Oubre: "You know where we're going with that."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
Beal came up w/ the idea for the #Wizards to wear all black tomorrow. Teammates agreed. Even 2nite, guys were amped for the game.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
Me to John Wall: "All black everything?"
Wall: "A black everything. A fun-er-ral!"
Beal in background: "Yaa."— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) January 24, 2017
On one hand, the Wizards are maybe getting a bit too worked up about a random game in January. On the other hand, this gives us the rare excuse to care about a random game in January.
The Celtics, for their part, are downplaying the significance of Tuesday’s game and the Wizards’ funeral wear.
“That’s cute that they’re wearing all black,” Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said Tuesday, via CSN’s Chase Hughes. “I just kind of laughed [when I heard]… it’s not like it’s a Game 7.”
“They talk a little more,” Crowder said of the Wizards. “They say a little more disrespectful things than other teams. So that’s what escalated it.”
Still, you’ve got to expect some fireworks when these teams take the court Tuesday.
Currently, the Celtics have the third best record in the Eastern Conference and the Wizards place sixth. If those records hold, you know what that means…
A first-round playoff series.
