NBA offers explanation on rising number of ejections that leaves fans confused
The NBA has explained the ‘fine line’ officials are walking when explaining the rising number of ejections.
Just three weeks into the 2023/34 season, multiple players have been thrown out of games for reasons such as taunting technical fouls to post-adjudication to a flagrant foul, the latter of which is not often seen in the league. Fans believe some players have been harshly ejected which can impact competitive and intense games.
It is clear that the NBA now seems to be less lenient on what players can get away with before being sent to the locker room. In a conversation with Yahoo Sports, NBA head of referee development and training Monty McCutchen says the league has done this to help maintain order if fights occur between two teams. Therefore, on some occasions, players have been handed premature technical fouls.
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“When you start talking about taunting, there’s a fine balance and I think you’re fair to hold us accountable to what you believe that is,” McCutchen shared. “What we do know historically, is that taunting gone unchecked leads to altercations. It leads to an increase in physicality. It leads to more, to put it kindly, passionate play.
“Finding the right balance of what is and isn’t a good technical foul and taunting is something that will continue to calibrate with the competition committee.” In the last week, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Draymond Green, both big names and important players in their respective teams, have been thrown out of games.
‘The Greek Freak’ was handed a second technical in the third quarter of last Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He landed right in front of Isiah Stewart after completing a fast-break dunk and glanced in his direction, before running back up the court. This resulted in the former league MVP being given a taunting technical foul and as it was his second technical, he had to leave the game.
The 28-year-old was furious and viewers were not happy either as one tweeted: “You can’t tell players to embrace emotion during the regular season and do this. Maybe the ref didn’t realise Giannis had a tech. Who cares? Ejections should be reviewed.” Green, on the other hand, has received two ejections in the last three games. The first of which came in the first quarter of the Warriors' games against the Cleveland Cavaliers after Green argued with one of the referees.
The NBA is stricter when it comes to handing out ejections to keep the game under control (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)Then halfway through the third quarter, Green, stood in the face of Cavaliers player Donavan Mitchell after the guard shoved him, as they engaged in an intense faceoff. Upon review, the referees decided Mitchell's push was a common foul, but they ruled that Green made contact with Mitchell after he stripped him of the ball and deemed it a technical foul, which saw him ejected.
He was thrown out again but this time against the Minnesota Timberwolves after putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock and was given a flagrant foul 2. This came after a scuffle between Jaden McDaniels and Klay Thompson, who were also given their marching orders. The incident that ensued between the Warriors and Timberwolves is the very type of situation the officials want to avoid.
Following his ejection against the Cavaliers at the weekend, Green thought he was hard done by. "I am the same person that got suspended from the NBA Finals for flagrant fouls that were all called from after the game," he told ESPN. "Nothing surprises me."
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