Marcus Morris’s alleged ‘foul’ play is a real problem for the Clippers

Marcus Morris is emerging as one of the key figures in the 2020 NBA Playoffs for all the wrong reasons. The Los Angeles Clippers forward found himself in the midst of several controversial moments in his team’s first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, which culminated in an expulsion in the first quarter in Game 6 before LA closed the series with a 111-97 win.

As Luka Doncic drove to the basket Sunday night, Morris wrapped him from behind and hit him twice in the head. Doncic would rise to face Morris before teammates from both sides intervened.

Morris received a flagrant two and was expelled. The Clippers were only two points up at the time of the foul, but would take control of the game in the second and third quarters with Morris out to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he believed Morris was only sent off because of his reputation. That one really doesn’t pass the sniff test. Morris hit Doncic over the head twice, which is enough to justify the blatant one. Just because that kind of gambling was allowed in the 1990s doesn’t mean it deserves to be allowed today.

Rivers is right about one thing: Morris certainly has a reputation. The expulsion for hitting Doncic was at least the third controversy Morris was involved in during the series. As it happened, the fans I keep claiming Morris is a dirty player.

The fact that Morris tweeted about never trying to hurt anyone just days before. did not go unnoticed by fans critical of his style of play.

Morris was causing chaos against the Mavericks from the start of the series. In Game 1, Morris wrapped Doncic tightly and gave him an extra push at the end of the foul. When Kristaps Porzingis rushed to confront Morris after the play, Morris pushed him before the two were separated by their teammates.

Morris and Porzingis were charged with a technical double foul. He was Porzingis’ second coach of the night, which meant he was sent off the game. Dallas had a slight advantage before Porzingis was thrown and ultimately lost the game.

Morris and Doncic were involved in another incident when a Clippers win was well under control during Game 5. After Doncic converted a brilliant 43-point triple-double and hit an immaculate batter to win Game 4, Morris appeared to rush in. Doncic and stepped on the ankle that he had sprained in Game 3.

It’s too hard to tell if this was intentional or not, but it doesn’t look good for Morris given that he had another incident to end the series.

The Clippers acquired Morris from the New York Knicks in a three-team trade in February, giving up their first-round pick, Detroit’s 2021 second-round pick, Maurice Harkless and Jerome Robinson to complete the deal. While Harkless has a case as a more versatile defender, Morris gave the Clippers a superior shooter on the wing and another, um, physical presence.

Morris has had his ups and downs since coming to Los Angeles, but there’s no denying that he’s made some impressive statistical gains thus far. Morris’s net rating of +15.8 is identical in both 19 regular-season games with the Clippers and six games in the playoffs. Morris is also in five of the Clippers’ six most played lineups during the postseason, including the one with the most minutes and a net rating of 21.7.

In six games against the Mavericks, Morris finished with a ridiculous 68.5 percent of actual shooting. Despite his hot hand in the first round, there is still an argument that Morris’s penchant for causing trouble on the court could ultimately hurt Los Angeles. JaMychal Green also threw the ball well against Dallas and could be another lineup option for the Clippers, although he’s not as good defensively as Morris. You wonder if the team will miss Harkless as a seasoned full-back at some point in this career.

Morris has a long history as an instigator on the court. He was sent off with the Knicks during this year’s preseason for stealing the ball from Justin Anderson.

Morris also faced foul play allegations when he hit Ben Simmons with a knee to the head during the regular season.

One thing is for sure: Doncic won’t miss out on facing it. Doncic was asked about Morris after the Game 6 loss to end the series and he didn’t hold back.

“Terrible foul,” Doncic said. Two games in a row he did something like that. I really hoped the first one wasn’t on purpose, but looking back at the lack of this game, you know what I think. I don’t want to deal with that type of player. ”

Of course, Morris couldn’t let the series end without taking one last blow. When an Instagram account posted a graphic with Doncic’s quote, Morris commented: “A river cries. Clips in 6 “

The Clippers go into the second round, and you can bet the officials will keep a close eye on Morris when he starts. Morris better hope his shot continues to fall offensively as often as it did against Dallas. Your antics will tire very quickly if that is all you are contributing.