The Rockets are “shocked and disappointed” Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers avoided any punishment from the National Basketball Association in Monday’s freaky incidents, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports.
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After an investigation in which more than 20 people were interviewed, the league deemed Harden and Chris Paul peacemakers in the incident and there was no disciplinary action for either player.
Butler demonstrated his two-way abilities by guarding both Paul and Harden for stretches then slashing to the lane on offense instead of settling for perimeter jumpers. Neither were any of the Clippers players. Hopefully everyone can keep their wits about them until we make it to the All-Star break. “They just didn’t go in”. It’s much ado about nothing, if you want me to be honest.
Minnesota is the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and will need to beat teams like the second-seeded Rockets come playoff time. In the days after he was traded last summer, Paul made comments about the team’s culture that clearly irked Coach Doc Rivers and others.
“We were where we were supposed to be”, Griffin said. “It was like, ‘Seriously?’ I told him to talk to [athletic trainer Keith Jones], don’t talk to me”.
Stifling defense from Los Angeles was on display throughout the game, holding Houston to 40.4 percent from the field and even 29.5 percent from the three, converting on 13 of 44 three-point attempts. “You have to ask them”, Griffin said. Griffin and D’Antoni received technical fouls. But at the time, “he didn’t hear what I said”. “At the end of the day, the was really minimal”.
Ariza was ejected following a heated argument with Clippers guard Austin Rivers near the Clippers bench late in the game. “The league has rules and my understanding is if you throw a punch, you get suspended”.
“In Chris Paul, D’Antoni found a proxy for the side of the ball he’d abandoned in his quest for total offense”, wrote Chau.
It didn’t matter because he got help a little help from his friends, namely from backcourt mates Gordon and Paul.
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Information from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Bobby Marks was used in this report.
