Grizzlies coach David Fizdale goes off on referees in epic rant over free-throw disparity

Memphis Grizzlies v Denver Nuggets

Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale probably knows his team won’t be in the playoffs much longer, given that they find themselves down 0-2 in the series against the Spurs, but he’s making his presence felt.

Out of nowhere, Fizdale delivered an epic rant after the Grizzlies’ 96-82 loss on Monday night when speaking to reporters. He made sure to make light of the free-throw disparity in the game, and specifically pointed out that Kawhi Leonard went to the line more times (19) than his entire team (15).

“It was a very poorly officiated basketball game. … Overall 35 times we shot the ball in the paint … we had 15 free throws for the game. They shot 18 times in the paint and had 32 free throws. Kawhi (Leonard) shot more free throws than our whole team. Explain it to me,” Fizdale said.

The Grizzlies coach also pointed out that his team doesn’t get the respect the Spurs do, and insinuated it’s because he’s a young coach, and Gregg Popovich is an established veteran.

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/854191627799326722

Fizz raised some good points, and there were a few missed calls in the game. The Grizzlies cut the Spurs’ lead to four points midway through the fourth quarter, and maybe the end result would’ve been different had the game been officiated more fairly.

[Larry Brown Sports]

 

Arrow to top