Rick Carlisle Calls Out Referee For Baiting Deron Williams Into A Technical Foul

Mavericks point guard Deron Williams was given a technical foul by referee David Jones during last night’s game against the Pistons. According to Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle, the tech was only called because Jones went out of his way to bait Williams.

Here’s a clip of Jones calling Williams for a technical foul:

It’s pretty clear that Williams was trying to return to his bench after having a discussion with Jones, only to have Jones follow him toward the sideline and shout something else in his direction. It’s not until Williams turns around to respond to Jones that he is given a tech. Carlisle was not at all happy about how this went down (via ESPN):

“For the first time in a 33-year NBA career, I saw a referee make a point of going out of his way and walking into our huddle and baiting one of our guys into getting a technical,” Carlisle said after Wednesday’s 102-96 lossto the Detroit Pistons, which extended the Mavs’ losing streak to a season-worst four games. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my years in this league. I don’t see how that can ever be excusable.”

Carlisle has good reason to be angry. It’s already hard enough for NBA players to avoid getting T’d up by referees who have itchier trigger fingers than ever, and a referee going out of his way to continue a heated conversation with a player isn’t making things any easier.

Photo via AP

[ ESPN]

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