“Give Zion Williamson more foul calls!”: Pelicans Head Coach Stan Van Gundy denounces NBA referees for badly officiating his All-Star forward

Raahib Singh
|Published 26/02/2021

Stan van Gundy feels some type of way due to how badly he thinks Zion Williamson is being officiated by NBA referees this year.

The New Orleans Pelicans lost a close game to the Milwaukee Bucks. After a match of spectacular scoring, the Bucks edged a 129-125 win over the Pelicans. The reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with his 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. Khris Middleton added 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.

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The Pelicans fell short in the final minutes, as they let the Bucks end the game on a 9-2 run. For the Pelicans, Zion led the way with his 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Brandon Ingram added 23 points, while Lonzo Ball pitched in with 20 points of his own.

Stan Van Gundy is displeased with how Zion Williamson is being officiated

The Bucks ended the game on a 9-2 run, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Pelicans coach was not exactly pleased about the same. Apart from the mistakes made by his team, SVG also blames the referees for how the game turned out.

Zion scored 30 out of his 34 points from the paint. What is astonishing that he just attempted 5 Free-Throws, despite making his living inside the paint. This did not sit right with Van Gundy.

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SVG also added that Zion is not at the point in his career where he is getting the same calls as Giannis is. The numbers seem to support his point. Zion attempts an average of 7.8 FTs per game, making 5.6 of them. Giannis, on the other hand, attempts 10.6 FTs per game and makes 7 of them.

Zion is in just his second year and hopefully would start getting more calls as his time in the league increases.

Zion Williamson displays maturity upon not receiving foul call

The Duke product is very mature about the way he handles noncalls. He does not like passing blames, and lets his work on the court do the talking. One such case was when Brook Lopez clearly fouled him late in the final quarter last night, yet upon receiving no call, Zion just continued playing, instead of arguing.

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The 2nd year forward has been playing tremendously this season and is on his way to his first All-Star game. He would hope that his performances propel his team to a playoff spot in the stacked Western Conference. The Pelicans currently sit on the 11th spot, with a 14-18 record.


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About the author
Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him toward TSR. He started playing basketball when he was 14, and fell in love with the sport ever since. His interest in the NBA developed at the same time as when Stephen Curry put the entire league on notice. Raahib was spellbound by Steph and the Warriors and has been a fan since. From starting off as a Warriors fan, Raahib has evolved into someone who can never miss a good game of basketball. He converts his love for the game and the knowledge he has gained into the articles he writes. In his spare time, he enjoys cricket, going for walks, and murder mysteries.

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