© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
NBA head of referee development Monty McCutchen explains the reasons behind the recent spate of ejections, including that of Giannis Antetokounmpo
Being a referee in the NBA is a thankless job that often requires a delicate balance of judgment calls, instant decisions, and ensuring the safety of players on the court. Recently, there has been an uptick in ejections, including that of Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokoumpo, who was ejected from the game versus the Detroit Pistons for incurring two technical fouls—the second one for supposedly taunting Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart after a dunk.
Right balance
According to that game’s crew chief Rodney Mott, Giannis faces Stewart a second after finishing a slam dunk, a move that was tantamount to “taunting.”
“After the dunk, Giannis turns to his opponent and taunts him, and a taunting technical foul was called an unsportsmanlike. And he was ejected from the game, per rule, because two unsportsmanlike technical fouls, you are ejected from the game,” Mott explained in the pool report after that game.
However, NBA head of referee development and training Monty McCutchen that the league’s officiating crew is still trying to find the right balance of what a legitimate technical foul is.
“Finding the right balance of what is and isn't a good technical foul and taunting is something that will continue to calibrate with the competition committee,” McCutchen said.
Taunting often leads to more aggressive incidents
McCutchen added that based on their collective experience, taunting often escalates to more physical play, which, if left unchecked, can also lead to more aggressive incidents.
“When you start talking about taunting, there's a fine balance, and I think you're fair to hold us accountable to what you believe that is. What we do know historically is that taunting gone unchecked leads to altercations. It leads to an increase in physicality. It leads to more, to put it kindly, passionate play,” McCutchen said.
