Markieff Morris left the Detroit Pistons with malice that went beyond the Phoenix Suns' 88-86 victory on Wednesday night. A first-half shoving match that earned Morris and Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope technicals wasn't their last clash. It led to some pointed postgame comments from the Suns forward.
Suns forward says Pistons’ guard ‘doesn’t have any heart’
Markieff Morris had some words for Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on Wednesday night. Afterwards, Caldwell-Pope’s coach fired back.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
While describing the second-to-last play of the game, Morris recounted that a loose ball off his block of Brandon Jennings bounced to an open Caldwell-Pope atop the three-point arc. Caldwell-Pope couldn’t drain the shot as Phoenix held on.
Afterward, Morris had a curious analysis of the miss, per MLive.com's David Mayo.
“Caldwell-Pope got it and you know he doesn’t have any heart, so we knew he was going to miss,” Morris said.
On Thursday afternoon, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy had the opportunity to fire back at Morris.
"I'm not quite sure -- maybe he knows -- I'm not quite sure what Markieff Morris has accomplished in the league that gets him to the point of mouthing off," Van Gundy said. "I mean, I don't like the mouthing off anyway. It seems to me you should at least participate in a playoff game before you do. But maybe not, maybe that's not the standard anymore."
Referring to the earlier tussle between the two players, Van Gundy said he was pleased to see Caldwell-Pope ready to fight. Of course, it wouldn’t have drawn applause from commissioner Adam Silver. Wednesday was the 10-year anniversary of the Malice at the Palace brawl.
Caldwell-Pope told Mayo he’ll remember Morris’ words when the two teams meet on Dec. 12, but he didn’t go back at Morris when asked what he thought of the Suns forward’s comments.
“That’s his opinion,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I know what I can do and how I carry myself. So that’s his opinion on me. It is what it is.”
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