It didn’t take very long for the blogosphere to react to the technical fouls assessed to Kendrick Perkins in Wednesday Night’s Game 5. Colby Hall of Sports Grid for example, asks if the second tech Perkins picked up last night was the worst call in NBA history.
Kendrick Perkins’ Technical Fouls Draw Mixed Reaction As He Waits Ruling From NBA
But according to media reports, social media and Twitter feeds, the Magic got some help from referee Joey Crawford, who gave Celtics center Kendrick Perkins what many saw as the lamest technical foul in recent history.
After earning a double technical with Magic center Marcin Gortat with just over two minutes to go in the first half, Perkins appeared frustrated with a call made by Crawford. The rule of thumb is that players aren’t supposed to “show the ref up” but Perkins demonstrative complaint seems to be the most pedestrian complaint to ever register a technical.
Most people have agreed with Hall that the foul was probably unjustified, but to say it was the worst foul in NBA history is probably a little bit of an over-reaction. Hall includes a video of Perkins receiving another questionable technical earlier this season from referee Joe Crawford, who was the crew-chief in Wednesday Night’s game.
Trey Kirby of Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie offers a dissenting opinion:
As the NBA’s rule book states, players are allowed “heat of the moment” reactions, so that’s fine. However, they aren’t allowed to “air punch, wave off or direct any other similar gesture directly at an official.” You could argue that Perkins’ air punch wasn’t directly at an official, but neither are the rule book’s video examples. It’s kind of ambiguous, but it’s easy to see how an official could make the call.
If you go by the letter of the law, then technically Kirby is correct, what Kendrick Perkins is a technical foul. But players “air punch” all the time and rarely get called for techincals. Its like a lane violation, it happens nearly every time without being called, so when a referee decides to make the call, it stands out. Add that to the fact that Perkins was walking away from the referee who made the call, and it doesn’t seem like the rule needed to be invoked in this particular situation.
Both arguments hold water, but we’ll know who is right when the league issues its ruling on Perkins’ eligibility for Game 6.
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