Former NBA player Eddie Johnson called out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for making “dirty” plays during the Oklahoma City Thunder vs Los Angeles Lakers series. Johnson is a former Sixth Man of the Year winner and averaged 20+ points in multiple seasons. The retired veteran called out Gilgeous-Alexander for a questionable play against Austin Reaves in Game 2.
Johnson said the following, via his social media pages:
“This was a flagrant 2, and I am a SGA supporter. Flat-out dirty maneuver. He could have dislocated Reaves’ elbow. I know. I got my shoulder dislocated on this same kind of play.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was called out by NBA fans for the play that could have easily injured Reaves on the defensive play. The officials issued a flagrant-one foul, but that allowed him to stay in the game compared to a flagrant-two potentially causing an ejection.
Johnson claimed that he suffered an injury from an opposing player doing to him what Shai did to Reaves to create controversy. Multiple players and pundits have said that Gilgeous-Alexander was out of line for his play. However, most give Shai the benefit of the doubt for not being a dirty player since he rarely injures others.
Eddie Johnson Accused Thunder Of Having An Acting Coach
Another interesting comment made by Johnson featured him calling out the entire Thunder team for how they carry themselves on the court. Oklahoma City has been criticized for foul baiting on offense and getting away with fouling their opponents on the defensive side.
Johnson had more criticism towards the Thunder with a hilarious bold accusation:
“I am convinced the Thunder have an acting coach. Chet grabs his mouth, and his elbow was nowhere near it. Officials, you’ve got to stop being scared to call flopping!”
Johnson claimed that Chet Holmgren flopped during a play while defending Lakers center DeAndre Ayton. The referees called an instant offensive foul and forced the turnover, despite Ayton not making direct contact with Holmgren. Johnson joins many other critics who dislike Oklahoma City’s playing style. Quite a few names have talked about the Thunder getting special treatment from referees, and Johnson accused them of having an acting coach.
Why Referees Are Getting Called Out This Series
Oklahoma City often gets accused of having a favorable whistle, but the complaints are much stronger this series against the Lakers. A higher profile matchup against the most popular team in the entire league is adding more eyes to the viewership of their games.
The Lakers are also the much worse team, so the Thunder getting questionable calls in a close game feels unfair. Reaves, LeBron James, and JJ Redick all had arguments with referees at the end of Game 2 due to the game getting out of hand via their calls.
History has shown that teams complaining in the playoffs about officiating could get change by bringing the story to the public. Referees tend to call the game more closely with the spotlight now on them. Game 3 will be fascinating to see if any changes occur after all the arguing from the Lakers and media members calling out OKC.
NBA Legend Calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander A Dirty Player