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After seeing one star player kicked out of Thursday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets and another hit with a controversial flagrant foul, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers is not happy with the NBA’s discipline process.
James Harden was ejected in the closing seconds of the third quarter of his team’s 102-97 win over the Nets on April 20 after he made contact with defender Royce O’Neal in the groin area while attempting a drive. After an official review, Harden was hit with a flagrant foul 2 and given an automatic ejection.
Earlier in the game, Sixers big man Joel Embiid was hit with a flagrant foul 1 after kicking toward Nets big man Nic Claxton after Claxton dunked on him and drew a foul.
James Harden ejected.
Rivers spoke candidly about the incidents and another controversial league ruling in a different series, calling out the league’s standard on discipline.
Doc Rivers Defends Controversial Golden State Warriors Star
Harden’s ejection came just days after the NBA announced a one-game suspension for Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green. Rivers said he believed the league was wrong for that decision.
“Listen, and I’m gonna say this, I probably shouldn’t, I didn’t think Draymond should have got suspended and I think that league is setting up a very dangerous precedent right now,” Rivers said, via USA Today’s Sixers Wire.
Rivers said he was not just trying to lobby for Harden and Embiid to avoid a suspension, saying he believes the league is too loose on players who goad opponents. Green’s ejection stemmed from an incident in which Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis fell to the ground and grabbed onto Green’s foot. Embiid’s flagrant foul came after Claxton was stepping over the Sixers big man.
Nets coach Jacques Vaughn said he believed Embiid should be suspended, and Rivers pushed back on the suggestion.
“I said it kind of yesterday before,” Rivers said. “I wish I’d said it louder, but if we’re going to start punishing the retaliators and not the instigators, then we got a problem in this league because you know, and as a coach and I love Jacque, but I can’t believe we have coaches campaigning for guys not to play. That’s just nuts to me.”
Rivers pivoted back to Green, saying he believes if the Warriors big man faced a suspension for the incident, Sabonis should have as well.
Joel Embiid, James Harden Sounds Off on Calls
Speaking to reporters after the game, Embiid seemed to echo his coach’s concerns about opponents goading him into making frustrated plays. Embiid said he believes the Nets are trying to play overly physical with him in order to prompt a response, and he doesn’t want to play into it.
“You could see what the game plan was. Got to hit him, try to make me frustrated so I could get ejected,” Embiid said, via The Associated Press. “So, I’m too mature to put myself in a position where I’m going to be ejected, so I just went about my business and we got the win.”
Harden also pushed back against his ejection, saying he did not hit O’Neal intentionally and didn’t even believe it should have been a foul.
James Harden: “I didn’t even think it was a foul on me…that just, that can’t happen”
“I didn’t even think it was a foul on me,” Harden said, via Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice on Twitter. “It wasn’t like a wind-up elbow, none of that. I didn’t hit him in the private area, none of that. That just can’t happen. Can’t happen.”
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Sixers Coach Doc Rivers Calls Out NBA Over Draymond Green Suspension