(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets starred in one of the most exciting games we’ve seen in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
But as good as the game was, no one seems to be talking about what actually went down on the court, but about the referees.
The officials tossed James Harden with a questionable flagrant foul after the Sixers star accidentally hit Royce O’Neal down low while attempting a drive to the rim.
The ejection has been met with harsh words all over the NBA scene, with Stephen A. Smith going as far as to call it the worst ejection he’s ever seen.
.@stephenasmith on James Harden’s ejection:
“That might be the worst ejection I’ve ever seen in NBA history. … It’s debatable if that was even a foul.” pic.twitter.com/g7OXWUo2t6
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 21, 2023
Smith added that one could even make a case for that not even being a foul, and he might be right.
It was a basketball play, something inevitable, and there was no actual point in purposely trying to hurt O’Neal with that move.
Harden was also livid with the officials after the game.
He called his ejection unacceptable and stated that he’s never had a reputation for being a dirty player.
The Sixers are now up 3-0 in the series.
Fortunately, Tyrese Maxey rose to the occasion and took over the offense once Harden was sent to the locker room, and they’re now in a privileged position to get some much-needed rest ahead of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Hopefully, we won’t have to talk about the officials anymore for the remainder of the postseason, as the games have been too good on their own.
The post Stephen A. Smith Sounds Off On James Harden’s Ejection appeared first on The Cold Wire.