‘Playing for the Sixers is everything’: Now with his hometown team, Marcus Morris discusses taking on former team

BOSTON — Marcus Morris joins Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Dana Barros, and Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo on a list of players who played for the 76ers and Boston Celtics.

As a Celtic, Morris played a major role in eliminating the Sixers in the second round of the 2018 playoffs. The 6-foot-8 forward is still beloved by the Boston faithful.

Yet, the North Philly native was a member of the Celtics’ hated rival Friday night at TD Garden. And he didn’t care.

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“Philly is my hometown,” he said. “So playing for the Sixers is everything. My time here in Boston was great. The fans here were great. I loved playing here.

“But if there was a side I had to choose, it would be Philly.”

The Sixers acquired Morris from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade Nov. 1. He’s recently been more involved in the game plan and is thriving as a result. Morris averaged 9.8 points and 16.9 minutes while shooting 53.3% on three-pointers in the four games before Friday, which included two starts.

He averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 129 games with the Celtics during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. But he’s remembered for getting physical with former Sixer Ben Simmons in the 2018 playoff series.

Morris set the tempo by shoving the then-rookie point guard in the open court during an inbounds play in Boston’s 117-101 Game 1 victory.

“They [the Sixers] feel it when I come on the court,” Morris said at the time. “They know it’s not going to be easy, down the line, from All-Stars to first-year, second-year players.”

He held Simmons to one point and 0-for-4 shooting in the Celtics’ 108-103 Game 2 victory. Boston won the series in five games. Simmons averaged 14.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists during the series. But Morris made him work hard for everything.

“This was my first big ... you know how they say in the league your first big market? Boston was my first big market,” said Morris, who broke in with Houston as a first-round pick in 2011 and then played for Phoenix and Detroit. “So when I got here, everything changed for me. We got more TV time. I was able to play on a bigger stage.

“I feel like my career started really taking shape once I got here.”

After playing well on a team with championship aspirations, Morris signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the New York Knicks on July 15, 2019. The Knicks traded him to the Clippers on Feb. 6, 2020. Then on Nov. 25, 2020, he signed a four-year, $64 million deal to remain in Los Angeles.

All his earnings were made possible by the Celtics’ exposure.

“I still get a lot of love [in Boston] for being with the Celtics,” he said. “It just shows they care about what you’ve done for the organization, and how I came out and gave them everything I had.”

The Sixers should be able to solidify their rotation and build confidence over the next few weeks. Only three of their next 14 games will come against teams that had winning records as of Friday. Those three teams were the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-4), the Miami Heat (11-8), and the Orlando Magic (13-5).

The Sixers also will face the Chicago Bulls (6-14) three times, the Washington Wizards (3-15) and Detroit Pistons (2-17) twice, along with games against the Atlanta Hawks (9-9), Charlotte Hornets (6-11), Toronto Raptors (9-10), and Houston Rockets (8-8).