For at least the third time in the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets were on the unfortunate end of a shot to the midsection.
In the first round against Oklahoma City, the victims were Ben McLemore (by Chris Paul) and P.J. Tucker (by Dennis Schroder). In Sunday’s Game 2 of the second round versus the Los Angeles Lakers, it was Anthony Davis who got in a shot against Jeff Green in the final seconds of the first half.
A foul call wasn’t whistled, and Green stayed down in obvious discomfort for several minutes entering the halftime break. (Later reports indicated that he would be able to return during the second half.)
Barring an outright confession, it’s impossible to determine the intent of any specific incident with 100% certainty. However, the repeated pattern over the first nine playoff games certainly seems unusual.
I feel for you, Jeff Green. 🏀🏀 pic.twitter.com/ffVgTiJFVe
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) September 7, 2020
From Houston’s perspective, the frustration seems to be boiling over. After Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen tweeted about the play and said he had no explanation or guess for why this has occurred so frequently, Rockets GM Daryl Morey replied:
“No accountability.”
Needless to say, that should escalate the issue. Expect further discussion on this subject in the hours and days leading up to Tuesday’s Game 3.
No accountability
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) September 7, 2020
