Thomas on Carroll flagrant: 'Guys who aren't factors' do that
It doesn't look like Isaiah Thomas is going to forgive DeMarre Carroll anytime soon.
The 5-foot-9 guard appeared to take a shot at the Raptors small forward for his hard foul Friday, suggesting Carroll contributed little beyond the apparent cheap shot.
Related: Raptors-Celtics gets heated following Carroll's flagrant foul on Thomas
"That’s not a basketball play by any means. Guys who aren’t factors in games do that," Thomas told Jay King of MassLive.com.
DeMarre Carroll fouled Isaiah Thomas hard and IT didn’t like it
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) February 25, 2017
(Via @clippittv)pic.twitter.com/nKR0Zlrmla
Carroll, meanwhile, defended the play, believing the Raptors had to make a statement after surrendering a big fourth-quarter lead to the Celtics earlier this month.
"We can't let people think that we're soft ... Sometimes, we've got to take a stand," Carroll told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. "We can't just let teams roll over on us."
Carroll was assessed a flagrant-1 for his actions, while Thomas and Celtics teammate Jae Crowder both received technicals for attempting to escalate the situation.
Carroll's Raptors ultimately came out on top, overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat Boston 107-97 at Air Canada Centre.