Alvin Gentry was heated after the New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, all thanks to a late foul on James Harden. Oh boy.
Gentry was given a technical foul after speaking with officials with 5:39 to go in the fourth quarter in a tight matchup between the two Western Conference playoff teams. The Pelicans coach was heated about a foul called on Jrue Holiday after Harden swung through the defender’s area to get free throws on a 3-point attempt.
That didn’t sit right with Gentry, who went after referee David Guthrie. After complaining for some time, Gentry got a handle on himself and went back to his seat on the bench. That’s when he was called for a technical foul.
Here’s the play in question, and Gentry’s response after the game:
#Pelicans HC Alvin Gentry with a heated response to the officiating today.... pic.twitter.com/kmsjgF0Crt
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 18, 2018
Gentry does have a general point, and sounds like just about any non-Houston fan you overhear at games or in bars regarding Harden’s wacky inflatable flailing arm tube man style. Nevermind his driving -- which consistently gets players to legitimately hack away at his arms -- the question on the play in New Orleans is whether the defender has a right to that space, and whether Holiday made a move.
Pelicans broadcaster David Wesley pointed out that if a defender is in his own defensive space and not moving, it shouldn’t be a foul if the offensive player jams his way into the defender’s arms. That’s part of why the idea of verticality works for modern NBA big men defending the rim.
Offensive players are getting more astute at drawing contact, then finding a way to immediately get fouled after the contact. It’s something that will need to be addressed by the NBA in coming seasons, as there are quite a few instances of contact specifically being drawn by an offender by moving into the defender’s space and drawing contact with their arms.
However, on the play in question, if you rewind it enough times you can barely see Holiday’s arm and elbow flex reactively before Harden moves the ball up. Thus, in the purview of instant replay, it was probably a foul.
Here it is in super slo-mo:
Gentry was quickly fined by the NBA. The league announced in a statement on Sunday morning that Gentry had been fined $15,000 for his comments. It seems that even after the All-Star Break meeting to sort out some issues between the NBPA and NBRA not everyone is happy.
Expect a bigger overhaul and more announcements regarding NBA refereeing in the offseason.