Jordan Clarkson wasn’t fond of his late ejection after he reacted to a garbage time bucket by Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric in the closing seconds of the game.
Saric went for a layup with the game already under wraps, which drew the ire of the young guard, who then threw the ball against the Sixers forward’s back to let him know he disapproved of his antics.
Clarkson was ejected with 12.2 seconds left in the game and he talked through the moment with reporters postgame.
“It’s basketball. It’s part of the game, that’s it,” said Clarkson. “If anybody say different, they wouldn’t do what I did, dealing with something different, or they stay in line, especially in that part of the game. They know what’s up.”
Saric likely violated an unwritten rule of basketball, but given his European roots, this is something still likely not familiar to him throughout his near-two-years in the league.
The European game is merciless, and teams take pride in blowing their opponents out, as they all take pride in not getting blown out by vastly-better clubs. The NBA game is not only more elegant but a lot more cordial in terms of sportsmanship, a lesson Saric will likely learn as soon as he gets a word with coach Brett Brown at practice.
As for Clarkson’s ejection, it’s yet another example of the easily-lit fuming tank the refs have had with player conduct this season, as it would have merited only a technical foul at best in the past few seasons.