Written by Chris Forsberg at ESPN.com
Washington Wizards players are planning to wear all black to Tuesday’s home game against the Boston Celtics.
Recent games between the two teams have featured chippy play and plenty of trash talk.
Celtics forward Jae Crowder and Wizards guard John Wall were both fined after the two engaged in an after-the-buzzer dustup during the teams’ most recent contest. That Jan. 11 meeting culminated with five Boston police officers standing guard between the two locker rooms at TD Garden after players continued to bark at each other upon leaving the court.
“We’re wearing all black to the game. You know where we’re going with that,” Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. told reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, following the Wizards’ 109-99 victory over the Hornets on Monday.
A follow-up question inquired as to whether the Wizards were preparing for a funeral or a war.
“We’re ready for whatever,” Oubre said. “We’re wearing all black to the game. It’s a memo that the team is giving away. We’re ready for whatever, man. Round 3, let’s get it.”
Reporters also asked Wall about the dress code, and he responded, “All black everything. A funeral.”
Tensions between the two teams date back to last season, when Crowder accused former Wizards coach Randy Wittman of cursing at him. In the teams’ first meeting this season, in November, Wall was ejected after a flagrant foul 2 on Marcus Smart.
Earlier this month, tempers flared again in Boston, when Smart got dragged to the floor on a foul by Bradley Beal. Wall exchanged words with Crowder after the buzzer of Boston’s 117-108 triumph. Crowder poked Wall in the nose, and Wall responded by trying to slap Crowder, before the two were separated. Crowder was fined $25,000 for his role, while Wall was fined $15,000.
On Monday afternoon, Celtics players said they expected another physical game and left open the possibility that tempers could flare again. But for his part, Crowder said he is not interested in engaging in extracurricular activity.
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