NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently made a stinging claim on the use of point differentials in the recently concluded In-Season Tournament. Silver said that a lot of teams have problems regarding the idea and have shown their unhappiness with it. However, NBA veteran Eddie Johnson has a different outlook on it.

After Silver’s comment, Johnson took to X to show his disappointment over how point differentials are being painted by players and franchises. Putting everyone on blast, he said they should all “go kick rocks” if they have any problem with it.

Eddie Johnson responds to the recent complaints

The NBA commissioner addressed the players’ dislike toward the point differential in the in-season tournament. Silver stated that this revelation was made through a review done by the union. He said, “Many players disliked it, sources said, in early review by the union. Several league figures have suggested putting a single-game cap on how many points a team can add to their differential, perhaps something like 25 points per contest.” The point differential also worked as a second tiebreaker during the recently concluded tournament.

Following the commissioner’s comments, NBA veteran Eddie Johnson decided to add a few harsh words of his own to the ones complaining about it. The 64-year-old quoted Silver’s comment and responded with “I would tell those players, coaches and GMs to go kick rocks.” In addition to that, Johnson said that everyone involved needs to toughen up and work harder. “Toughen up and get better if you are getting your behind kicked. Geez”, he added.

Despite everything that was said about the in-season tournament at the beginning, it proved to be a success as teams did put extra effort into competing for the title.

Read More: Why the Lakers’ In-Season Tournament Win Will Hold Greater Significance Down the Line?

The Lakers are the inaugural in-season tournament winner

The in-season tournament final was played between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers. While it was a thrilling game until the end of the fourth quarter, the Lakers, at crunch time managed to take a comfortable lead and ended up winning by 14 points. The game ended 123-109 in favor of the LA franchise.

With this, they became the first-ever champions of the in-season tournament. Lakers superstar LeBron James was crowned the MVP for his series of brilliant performances over the last few months. Apart from LeBron, Anthony Davis proved his mettle on the hardwood as well. AD dropped 41 points with 20 rebounds and ensured the title for his team.

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