Jayson Tatum’s first career ejection came during a one-sided loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night and former Celtics player Eddie House believes that Tatum’s first ejection won’t be his last.
“Well, I’ll tell you this,” House said during the NBC Sports Boston post-game show, “it won’t be his last because he doesn’t get the respect from the referees as a player that he is, you know, superstar status.”
Tatum’s first career ejection came on a considerably cold shooting night for the Celtics, who took a whopping 50 percent of their shots from the three point line and went only 9 for 42, a dismal 21.4% showing. Tatum’s first technical foul came after he voiced his disapproval for the lack of a foul call after he was pushed during a dunk in the last minute of the third quarter. Then, when Tatum again voiced his displeasure with the refs after what he believed to be a foul by Julius Randle on a three-point shot with 4:06 left in the game and the Celts trailing 102-91, it was the final straw.
“I just told them this is probably the best officiated game I’ve been a part of. I tried to give them a compliment, it didn’t go over so well,” Tatum said semi-sarcastically in the post-game conference.
When watching a clip of Tatum’s aforementioned three-point-shot and the non-foul call on Julis Randle, Eddie House added, “This right here is a clear-cut foul. I don’t care if the ball’s gone, you can’t hit his arm. He has every right to be upset at that. That does bother you as a shooter, that is something that upsets you, and then he should have the right to talk to referees.”
House added that Tatum wasn’t trying to disparage the referees, was simply voicing his justified concerns with the non-call and that the officials need to recognize Tatum’s stature when taking into account his concerns.
“He’s not being demonstrative,” House continued, “he’s not showing the referee up, he’s talking to him, and maybe the words that he’s saying, I’m quite sure the referees hear worse words than that from fans. They have to understand who they’re dealing with. This is Jayson Tatum, who is an MVP candidate, been part of the NBA Finals, five Conference Finals, and then on top of that, won the MVP of the All-Star Game. He has to get some respect, and I understand where it’s coming from because he sees everyone else getting that respect, and he’s not getting it; he should be upset.”
House concluded, “I’m telling you, it’s been building up since last year. The lack of respect of what he’s done, the work he’s put in, and where he’s at.”
Tatum finished the game with 14 points on 6-18 shooting, including 1-9 from beyond the arc. He also had 5 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal in a total of 36 minutes and 41 seconds played.
What do you think of the comments made by Eddie House on Jayson Tatum’s first career ejection? Do you think the referees called a fair game for the Celtics in their loss against the Knicks?
