Another Warriors – Grizzlies game, another ejection, but this time it’s not anyone from the Stephen Curry camp who got the Flagrant 2.
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Referring will be a focal point in these Playoffs and the NBA is going to have to do something to get the quality of officiating up where it should be for the grandest Basketball stage of the world.
After a handful of badly officiated games in Round 1, much better was expected of the referees as Conference Semi-finals started. But nothing changed as Draymond Green got a Flagrant 2 and hence an ejection in the first game of the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors series.
Although it didn’t result in the Warriors losing the game, it would certainly have been a costly decision as the game went down to the wire and the Dubs won it 117-166 in Memphis.
There was another ejection much earlier in the 2nd game as the Warriors visited the FedEx Forum on Tuesday to seek another victory and get done with the series early. But this time it was a Memphis player who came under the hammer.
“The refs just made sure America’s darling Stephen Curry advances to play the Suns”: Skip Bayless, on Dillon Brook’s ejection
Although Grizzlies fans and much of the internet wouldn’t agree, so wouldn’t a new Grizzlies bug from Fox Sports, Dillon Brooks did deserve a Flagrant 2 by the definition of it for this play on Gary Payton II.
Memphis’ Dillon Brooks gets tossed for this foul on Golden State’s Gary Payton II.
Two games, two ejections between the Warriors and Grizzlies.
🎥 @TSN_Sportspic.twitter.com/nTxWW5PfSX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 4, 2022
Now, Skip Bayless believes referees are being biased towards Stephen Curry and Co in a bid to get the advanced to the Conference Finals and to the Championship.
Well, that’s it, the refs just made sure America’s darling Steph advances to play the Suns.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 4, 2022
That’s a catchy line, agreed. But that’s what it is, it can’t be anything more than that. He couldn’t have believed what he is saying himself a couple of days back when Green was ejected.
By the same definition of Flagrant two that cannot have Brooks escape whether it’s a playoff game or not, Draymond wasn’t at fault at all for his Game 1 foul.
If there was a ploy to get the Warriors forward, why would referees get their most important player out of the most important game of the series, which generally builds momentum? That’s just Skip being Skip, nothing else.