David Fizdale stood up for his players and team getting “rooked.” Could the Philadelphia 76ers face similar issues when they make it to the playoffs?
If you missed David Fizdale’s rant after the Memphis Grizzlies’ game two loss to the San Antonio Spurs, listen to it immediately.
In a league that tries to instill fear in coaches and players about speaking out against officiating with hefty fines (Fizdale was fined $30,000 for these comments, but reportedly his players will chip in and cover the cost for him) not a lot of coaches will stand up for their players and teams. Fizdale couldn’t just sit back and take what happened to his team in game two, though.
Fizdale ranted, discussing the evidence for why he thought the referees never even gave the Grizzlies a chance to get in the game. He listed off plenty of numbers and metrics that had to do with free-throws as his evidence, ending his press conference slamming his hand on the table and saying, “take that for data!”
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One of the things he said he wasn’t going to sit by idly and let happen was getting “rooked.”
"“I know Pop’s got pedigree, and I’m a young rookie, but they not gonna rook us! That’s unacceptable, that was unprofessional.”"
His team isn’t necessarily young (Vince Carter, Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley add up to 62 seasons of NBA experience) but Fizdale is a fairly fresh face in the NBA coaching scene. This is his first year as a head coach in the NBA. So it makes sense that some referees might take into account the other guy on the floor in Gregg Popovich, who has plenty of seasons (21) under his belt.
Looking at the Philadelphia 76ers, this could come as a warning to them for when they finally get into the playoffs.
You see, there’s a certain hierarchy with officiating in the NBA. Unfortunately, not all referees — in fact, most, it seems — make fair calls. Plenty will not give calls to younger players because they haven’t proven themselves in the league.
First of all, that is a terrible practice, and must be stopped. I don’t think it’s always intentional, I believe a lot referees do it unintentionally. That said, we could see this issue with the Sixers when they enter the playoffs for the first time since their rebuild began (which hopefully will be next year).
The Sixers will be the underdog and the young team no matter who they go up against in the NBA playoffs. They almost undoubtedly will be an eighth or seventh seed, pitting them against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. This means they could be facing off against LeBron James or players of similar caliber in the first round of the playoffs.
In a heated, competitive playoff series, I don’t see any way Sixers players get the benefit of the doubt over James when it comes to 50/50 foul calls.
So, yes, the Sixers very well could get “rooked” in their first, and maybe even first few trips to the playoffs. That said, it should be expected, and being a young team, they should prepare themselves for that. Luckily, the team is respectful to referees and often approaches foul calls with legitimate conversations rather than lashing out.
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So, who knows. Maybe a year or two from now we could see Brown at the table in front of the press exclaiming “take that for data!” or something similar. Brown is certainly not one to step down when it comes to defending his players.