NBA: How memorable is the coach of the Raptors’ tirade?
Darko Rajaković, the coach of Toronto, issued a harsh criticism of the refereeing after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Raptors by a slim margin on Tuesday night, 132-131.
The game’s stark free throw difference infuriated Rajaković, who was in his first year as head coach. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers tried 23 free shots to the Raptors’ two.
Rajaković became even more irate when he saw LA’s Anthony Davis, who scored twenty of his forty-one points in the last quarter, go perfect 11 for eleven at the free-throw line. During the game, the Lakers attempted 36 free throws, but only made 13 attempts overall, all of which were made by Davis.
He didn’t hold back, calling the scenario “outrageous” and beating the table to show how disappointed he was with the officials and the league for permitting such a large imbalance in free throws at the most important part of the game.
Was Rajaković correct?
In a game where Anthony Davis of the Lakers showed off his dominance with 11 rebounds and a 13-for-17 performance from the free throw line, the disparity in calls was even more apparent.
Davis successfully sealed the win with an incredible performance that included eight free throws, a crucial block, and ten crucial points in the last minute.
The idea of unfair treatment is closely linked to sport.
We’ve seen it all before: a mishandled LBW call by the cricket umpire, an undetected forward pass, a “missed” high tackle against the Warriors.
It doesn’t take much searching in our own backyard to locate some well-known instances of behavior similar to Rajaković’s:
Geoff Toovey (2014, NRL)
A memorable moment, Toovey’s passionate post-match rant after a Rabbitohs loss is a welcome change from an era where sincere expressions of opinion are more often replaced with platitudes.
The controversial calls made during the 22-10 victory, especially one shocking call by Henry Perenara, a longtime favorite referee of the Warriors, served as the impetus for Toovey’s scathing outburst against the officials.
It concerned Steve Matai’s purported inability to plant the ball during what the replays showed to be a clear-cut try. It was sufficient to cause Toovey to blow up:
He questioned the referees’ qualifications and the penalty count, emphasizing the need for responsibility.
Toovey became a long-running meme and was fined $10,000 by the NRL for his controversial remarks.
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