Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray revealed the reason why he decided to bump a referee.
Following the Hawks' Game 4 defeat against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Murray was seen bumping Gediminas Petraitis as he was exiting the game.
Unsurprisingly, the former San Antonio Spurs player was given a one-game suspension and will now miss Game 5 in Boston which takes place Tuesday night.
As far as Murray is concerned, he is usually respectful to just about every referee. That is why this was a completely isolated incident with an official that goes back to his San Antonio days.
“The individual goes back to San Antonio where I don’t know why that person treated me the way he treated me over the years,” Murray told reporters during Hawks practice (via SI). “You ask 98% of the refs why they greet me before games, they’ll tell you because I’m one of the respectful ones.”
Murray — who expressed frustration that Petraitis was ignoring and brushing him and his teammates off during the game — also believes coaches and referees should be held as accountable as the players themselves.
“I hold my own and take full responsibility for not being able to play for my teammates and the fans and the organization as a whole,” he added.
The Hawks currently trail the Celtics 3-1 and have a mountain to climb if they hope to prolong the series any further.