Backing Anthony Edwards, “Sick” Stephen A. Smith Echoes Austin Rivers on “Soft” Officiating

For some time now, there have been calls that the NBA was going soft. This was mainly due to the change in the assessment of technical fouls. When any player displays what the referees deem as “unsportsmanlike behavior”, a tech is immediately called on them. However, during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, the assessment from the officials left the entirety of the NBA scratching their heads.

It all went down when Anthony Edwards was given a technical foul. This was because he stared down the opposition following a thunderous dunk on Warriors forward Dario Šarić. What many could not understand was, that this is the way players have been celebrating their wins forever. So why has the league decided to put its foot on this now?

Stephen A. and Austin Rivers call out the NBA

After the game, veteran Timberwolves guard, Austin Rivers took to his social media to let everyone know his thoughts on the event. He shared, “Can we stop giving guys techs for stare downs…it’s stupid and takes away from the game…  It’s all passion nothing personal. Stop that BS.” Rivers added that if players have to compete and play with an edge, things like these are essential to add to the fun. He had many supporting him, including Stephen A. Smith. The sports television personality replied to Austin’s post with his agreement. He also added, “ Totally agree. The combativeness sells. It matters. It’s validates competitiveness. Sick of how soft are trying to make this game”

Basketball is a high-intensity sport that draws in viewers due to competitiveness and players’ and fans’ active engagement during the game. If the officials choose to meddle in that, well.. it will leave many people angry, as we are seeing now. 

The ridiculous nature of tech fouls

In recent times, the league has been stricter with “taunting” on the court. However, no one knew that even celebratory actions were considered taunting. We saw this with the Giannis Antetokuonmpo -Isiah Stewart situation and we are seeing it now with ANT. In any sport, rules are essential to ensure that it is a fair game. However, when these rules start restricting the overall nature of sports, it is time for people to rethink their necessity. 

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What do you think of this tech call? Do you agree with Stephen A.? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.

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