Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers sees the officiating actions of the league as creating a new culture that is “dangerous.” In the wake of Game 2 of the first-round playoff series between the Western Conference No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, when Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green stepped on the chest of Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, the Warriors veteran was suspended without pay for the next game.
Green was responded to Sabonis grabbing and holding his right ankle after falling to the floor. Green received a flagrant one foul and was ejected, and Sabonis was assessed a technical foul.
A harsher punishment for a league star is an attractive proposition for players looking to neutralize one of their opponent’s assets.
Rivers Rant
“I’m going to say this, — probably shouldn’t — didn’t think Draymond should have gotten suspended, and I think the league is setting up a very dangerous precedent right now and this is not me campaigning and I’m dead serious,” Doc Rivers said in a video captured by NBC Philadelphia. “If we’re going to start punishing the retaliators and not the instigators, then we’ve got a problem. If I was at a park, and I’m going to make this point, and you stood over me, we’re going to have a problem. But these guys know you can do it because they know most likely you can’t do anything.”
Rivers has taken the same perspective during the Sixers’ playoff sweep over the Brooklyn Nets. After getting dunked on and stepped over by Nets Nic Claxton in the first quarter of Game 3, Embiid kicked at Claxton’s groin. Embiid received a flagrant one, and Claxton received a technical foul. Rivers saw a new pattern that protected t and made Embiid the biggest target in the arena.
“I’m not picking on Claxon, but I don’t think at a park you’re standing over Joel [Embiid], but when you’ve got the refs and everybody else there, you know nothing’s going to happen,” Rivers continued. “This is what I’m concerned by, teams targeting the better players with instigation to get them thrown out, and the better players have to be above and can’t retaliate. We’re asking our stars to turn their head a whole bunch more than they can at times. It’s a tough one for the league. … They’re in a tough spot.”
During the same game, Sixers guard James Harden was ejected after hitting Royce O’Neale below the belt while driving to the basket. The officials gave Harden a flagrant two, an automatic ejection that forced Harden to the locker room at the end of the third quarter.
From Rivers’ perspective, it was a sham decision.
Perspective’s Many Lenses
“James’ thing was a joke; The first thing with James is, I’m still looking for the foul,” said Rivers. “The problem I have with James getting thrown out was there were three officials and at least one to two guys in a caucus and that’s what they come up with? I just can’t understand that one.”
The Sixers won Game 3 and then executed a sweep on Saturday in Brooklyn. Although Rivers’ team was ultimately successful, he feels the Green situation is analogous to that of his organization; Rivers sees hard, hard foul charges, suspensions, and ejections of league stars in reaction to what he sees as provocations as an idea that can only grow legs.
“We’ve played games without Joel. We played games with Joel,” Rivers continued. “We played games without James and with James. We come to win; doesn’t matter who’s playing. We just have to be ready for whatever, and this is part of the journey, and that’s the other part with your team. You’re on a journey, and we can’t write the script; the script is being written in real time, and we have to be able to handle it, and we have to be ready.”
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