ESPN Insider: Duncan ejected? That's no joke.

[slayermin]

Joey and TD used to get along great. I hope they resolve this.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

technicals on THE SIXTH MAN and Amuseddaysleeper

oh , now do i get ejected?

[xfycox]

*laughs* oh dont ban me from the topic for laughing.

[TDMVPDPOY]

all that trainin in online fightin games is going to come in handy in a fight with joe....

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Does the Onion Sports articles have Spurs fans on their staff?I seem to remember them having a couple Spurs Basketball articles. The one about Manu was pretty funny.

[Taco]

Unloaded, actually, doesn't begin to cover it, since the famously reserved Duncan (at least in his dealings with the media) not only accused Crawford of having "a personal vendetta" against him but also revealed that Crawford challenged him to a fight.


And with players on both sides telling me they heard the word "fight" tossed around on the floor, I have no reason to doubt the veracity of Duncan's account.

[CubanMustGo]

Here's another Insider take, from Chris Sheridan:

Will NBA whistle Crawford?
posted: Monday, April 16, 2007 | Print Entry

A little over a year ago, a little birdie who has been around the NBA almost as long as I have been alive told me a little story about Joey Crawford, who ejected Tim Duncan from Sunday's Mavs-Spurs game for laughing -- yes, laughing -- from the bench.

For the blow-by-blow of what happened Sunday, including Duncan's claim afterward that Crawford challenged him to a fight, be sure to check out Marc Stein's latest blog entry.

What I'm here to give you is a little Insider background, as well as the following quasi-prediction: It would not surprise me if Crawford loses his whistle for the upcoming postseason.

Here's why:

That little birdie I spoke of before told me that Crawford was summoned to the league office in New York by Commissioner David Stern nearly four years ago following his antics in Game 2 of the 2003 Western Conference finals.

Crawford had called four technical fouls in the first 10 minutes, 11 seconds and ejected Mavs coaches Don Nelson and Del Harris. Here's the way I reported that story way back then when I was the pool reporter who interviewed Crawford in the officials' locker room after the game.

Stern, from what I was told, was livid that Crawford had become the story of Game 2, and Crawford was told that if it ever happened again, the consequences would be serious.

Well, it sure looks like Crawford is the story again, and I'm eager to see how Stern and NBA vice president Stu Jackson handle this.

Nothing infuriates Stern like seeing the words "conspiracy theory" in print, but Stein has already gone there, and a lot of others are going to be going there, too -- especially if Crawford ends up being assigned to a Spurs game during the playoffs.

The easiest way to prevent that from happening would be for Stern to give Crawford an early summer vacation, explaining to the 56-year-old how undignified it is to be challenging players to fights, and how he was warned before to knock off the shenanigans.

Yes, Crawford has 31 years of NBA experience. Yes, he has worked 38 NBA Finals games, 266 postseason games and more than 2,000 games overall. And yes, he is from the first family of American officiating (Joey is the son of retired Major League Baseball umpire Shag Crawford and the brother of veteran ump Jerry Crawford).

He can be a joy to be around on his good days, but Crawford can become bigger than the game itself when he's feeling ornery, and his temper might one day end up having an effect on which team wins the championship. San Antonio lost yesterday's game by missing its final nine shots over the final 6:30 with Duncan unavailable. I dare say the Spurs' finish would have been different had Duncan not been booted, and it'd be a disaster to have the same thing happen if these teams meet in the Western Conference finals.

After all the debate about the officiating we went through last June following Dirk Nowitzki's questionable foul against Dwyane Wade late in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, does the league really need to put itself in harm's way by assigning the bombastic and confrontational Crawford to officiate?

I don't think Stern and Stu Jackson are willing to take that chance, which is why I've got a hunch we may have seen the last of Joey Crawford until next season.

[Findog]

And so the media has decided that today is going to be the day that Duncan has the reputation of complaining to the officials. Yesterday, he rarely ever complained about fouls in their player manual. I guess it got updated.

TD is a great player and a class act in the way he conducts himself on and off the court, but give me a break -- he is one of the biggest whiners in the League. He's never committed a foul - EVER. Aside from the jump hook, his patented move is palms up, along with pleading, sad eyes.

[Findog]

Here's another Insider take, from Chris Sheridan:

Will NBA whistle Crawford?
posted: Monday, April 16, 2007 | Print Entry

A little over a year ago, a little birdie who has been around the NBA almost as long as I have been alive told me a little story about Joey Crawford, who ejected Tim Duncan from Sunday's Mavs-Spurs game for laughing -- yes, laughing -- from the bench.

For the blow-by-blow of what happened Sunday, including Duncan's claim afterward that Crawford challenged him to a fight, be sure to check out Marc Stein's latest blog entry.

What I'm here to give you is a little Insider background, as well as the following quasi-prediction: It would not surprise me if Crawford loses his whistle for the upcoming postseason.

Here's why:

That little birdie I spoke of before told me that Crawford was summoned to the league office in New York by Commissioner David Stern nearly four years ago following his antics in Game 2 of the 2003 Western Conference finals.

Crawford had called four technical fouls in the first 10 minutes, 11 seconds and ejected Mavs coaches Don Nelson and Del Harris. Here's the way I reported that story way back then when I was the pool reporter who interviewed Crawford in the officials' locker room after the game.

Stern, from what I was told, was livid that Crawford had become the story of Game 2, and Crawford was told that if it ever happened again, the consequences would be serious.

Well, it sure looks like Crawford is the story again, and I'm eager to see how Stern and NBA vice president Stu Jackson handle this.

Nothing infuriates Stern like seeing the words "conspiracy theory" in print, but Stein has already gone there, and a lot of others are going to be going there, too -- especially if Crawford ends up being assigned to a Spurs game during the playoffs.

The easiest way to prevent that from happening would be for Stern to give Crawford an early summer vacation, explaining to the 56-year-old how undignified it is to be challenging players to fights, and how he was warned before to knock off the shenanigans.

Yes, Crawford has 31 years of NBA experience. Yes, he has worked 38 NBA Finals games, 266 postseason games and more than 2,000 games overall. And yes, he is from the first family of American officiating (Joey is the son of retired Major League Baseball umpire Shag Crawford and the brother of veteran ump Jerry Crawford).

He can be a joy to be around on his good days, but Crawford can become bigger than the game itself when he's feeling ornery, and his temper might one day end up having an effect on which team wins the championship. San Antonio lost yesterday's game by missing its final nine shots over the final 6:30 with Duncan unavailable. I dare say the Spurs' finish would have been different had Duncan not been booted, and it'd be a disaster to have the same thing happen if these teams meet in the Western Conference finals.

After all the debate about the officiating we went through last June following Dirk Nowitzki's questionable foul against Dwyane Wade late in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, does the league really need to put itself in harm's way by assigning the bombastic and confrontational Crawford to officiate?

I don't think Stern and Stu Jackson are willing to take that chance, which is why I've got a hunch we may have seen the last of Joey Crawford until next season.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Let this be true. And send Bennett Salvatore packing too -- Helen Keller would make a better ref than him.

[monosylab1k]

Yet there's no way this can be downplayed in the league office. Duncan does have a well-chronicled rep as one of the league's most frequent complainers to referees and had to have said more to Crawford over the course of the afternoon than he claims.

best part of the article. but crawford should be fired.

[monosylab1k]

It's awfully lukewarm and doesn't give a sense of what happened because it doesn't take Tim Duncan's side 100% and didn't include a picture of Crawford as the anti-Christ with a pentagram tatooed on his forehead.

fixed.

[LilMissSPURfect]

hmmmmmmm still hearing excuses from the mavs and their fans for last year you deal with it and move on i suppose

in any case, this situation with timmy was unprecedented that why all the hoopla

yes tim whines, and complains but so do all the other ballas out there!

[ManuTastic]

With all those ABC cameras around, it is a mortal lock that one of them was one Crawford during that ejection sequence. It should be a matter of reviewing the tape to find out who said what. If Crawford did say "you want to fight?" then he should be suspended and sent to anger management camp. How is that different from a player challenging someone to a fight on court?

If the new crackdown on player bad behavior truly does allow refs to eject players for laughing while sitting on the bench, then it needs to be revamped and restricted. It's ridiculous for refs to be so sensitive. I hope the league sends Crawford home early for some R&R so he doesn't get in a snit like this during the playoffs.

The refereeing in this league has gone from bad to worse. They should get rid of the whole current crew and bring in a new crop. Anything would be better than the flip-a-coin calls that are made every minute of every NBA game. Review any game and see if there's any consistency to, say, charging/blocking calls. They're essentially random. It's almost made the game unwatchable.

[foodie2]

Wow what a burn. Maybe next time you should capitalize the first letter in a word when beginning a new sentence.
Further proving that you're an idiot. Are there anymore typos you'd like to point out?

"Anymore" is not a word. It's "any more".

Just helping.

[foodie2]

*About that overturned ejection? Some good trivia I had forgotten, courtesy of our pal Johnny Ludden from the San Antonio Express-News: Duncan's only other career ejection -- on Feb. 4, 2002, after an exchange with Kevin Garnett got both guys tossed -- was rescinded by the league a day later.

Wasn't he also ejected for that thing with Jack Nies?

[monosylab1k]

With all those ABC cameras around, it is a mortal lock that one of them was one Crawford during that ejection sequence. It should be a matter of reviewing the tape to find out who said what. If Crawford did say "you want to fight?" then he should be suspended and sent to anger management camp. How is that different from a player challenging someone to a fight on court?

If the new crackdown on player bad behavior truly does allow refs to eject players for laughing while sitting on the bench, then it needs to be revamped and restricted. It's ridiculous for refs to be so sensitive. I hope the league sends Crawford home early for some R&R so he doesn't get in a snit like this during the playoffs.

The refereeing in this league has gone from bad to worse. They should get rid of the whole current crew and bring in a new crop. Anything would be better than the flip-a-coin calls that are made every minute of every NBA game. Review any game and see if there's any consistency to, say, charging/blocking calls. They're essentially random. It's almost made the game unwatchable.

This is exactly what Fuhrer Stern wants...to rule his league with an iron fist and allow his Gestapo to do what they please. I don't think we've even scratched the surface of how corrupt things are going to get unless someone gets rid of the Fuhrer.

[Sec24Row7]

No, suspended... he just got 1 T for that.

[nkdlunch]

Crawford wanted to fight Duncan??

that ing nut has lost it. I hope the league checks recordings of this and fires that bald head

[nkdlunch]

TD is a great player and a class act in the way he conducts himself on and off the court, but give me a break -- he is one of the biggest whiners in the League. He's never committed a foul - EVER. Aside from the jump hook, his patented move is palms up, along with pleading, sad eyes.

newsflash, most of NBA players do that.

Duncan almost never complains about officiating AFTER the game. during yes.

unlike mav players, coaches and that got Cuban.

[tmtcsc]

I thought that was a joke ! I thought you were kidding. I even wrote it in my diary. "Someone said Joey Crawford challenged Tim Duncan to a fight. That was very funny." -- homage to Anchorman the movie.

In all seriousness, I did think someone was joking about the fight challenge. Joey Crawford should be suspended and banned from doing Spurs games. That is unexcusable. It was all caught on tape. Tim said NOTHING but hahahha for the second T.

[mFFL03]

I do like crawfords T-foul on the second situation. No so much on the first....but players do need to learn to respect and back off of the refs a little more.

Duncan was clearly mocking the decision making of a ref, and that shouldn't happen. It's different than football or any other sport because the bench is so close to the game.

However, if the line "do you want to fight?!" is true, then crawford should be banned from ever reffing in the league again. Duncan can call him a piece of (*&(8 all he wants, but in no way should violence seep into this part of the game (official vs player). The league has had enough problems in the last 7 years with fights and violence.

[nkdlunch]

Duncan said he can fight crawford in allstar halftime. like when barkley raced bevetta

[monosylab1k]

Duncan said he can fight crawford in allstar halftime. like when barkley raced bevetta

that would be the biggest ratings draw ever. duncan vs. crawford in the octagon. of course it wouldn't last too long as duncan would knock that old asshole out in about 5 seconds.

[nkdlunch]

this is how the fight would go.

Duncan would absorb Joey's old and wrinkled punches, laughing histerically. Then, when crawford runs out of breath and starts having a heart attack, Duncan would push crawford's face into the ground, with his pinky.

[spursfan09]

TD is a great player and a class act in the way he conducts himself on and off the court, but give me a break -- he is one of the biggest whiners in the League. He's never committed a foul - EVER. Aside from the jump hook, his patented move is palms up, along with pleading, sad eyes.

Mavs fans are So stupid. If you think Tim is bad, then what the od you think of Mark Cuban, who always complains about the refs, and sends in tape after tape of his precious Dirk getting fouled.