Oklahoma City Thunder legend Chris Paul just helped his team win a game in the last few days by complaining to referees that Timberwolves forward Jordan Bell had his jersey untucked and that should be a delay of game.
The Thunder eventually won thanks in part to the technical foul that resulted from that second delay of game call in that contest.
On Sunday, it happened again with a call he might have helped get on his old friend, Carmelo Anthony.
In the Thunder’s 108-96 win over the Blazers, Anthony clapped his hands loudly after no foul was called on a play late in the second quarter. Paul turned around, mid-dribble, to point at Anthony. BOOM, technical foul.
What’s funny about this is that Paul and the Thunder was whistled for a pair of delay-of-game infractions, resulting on a technical foul and a free throw for the Blazers. Paul was caught on mics yelling “You’re trying to prove a point” and “You’re going to be on SportsCenter tonight!” (WARNING: There’s some NSFW langauge in there):
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game that (per ESPN) “the explanation was they stepped on the floor with their sweats on,” which really does sound to me like the referees were proving a point after Paul pointed out the jersey violation days earlier. Here’s what Paul said:
“What you think?” Paul said. “What you think? [Brian Forte] got me. I learned something, too. That you can’t have your shooting shirt and your pants on when you’re checking in. They said if I’d had just one of them on — so you learn something new. They got me.”
