Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was thrown off during Monday's showdown against the New York Knicks after he took offense on a no-call on rookie Brandon Miller.
Early in the fourth quarter, Miller attacked the rim and scored on a floater over Knicks big man Jericho Sims. However, the second overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft was clearly fouled in the process, and he even fell hurt after making the shot.
It should have been an and-one, which would have been a crucial play for the Hornets as they were trying to get back in the game amid the Knicks' dominance. But with no foul called, Clifford got heated and went at the referee for missing such obvious foul.
Clifford had to be held back by his players and staff before he was ejected.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford was IRATE and was ejected after this no-call on the bucket by Brandon Miller 😳pic.twitter.com/yGdSAoylFF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 30, 2024
To be fair, Steve Clifford has every reason to be angry. They really needed every point they can get, and to be denied because of the officials' mistakes is definitely unacceptable.
Unfortunately for Clifford and the Hornets, they really couldn't do anything about it. They are not the first ones to be victimized by poor officiating as well, as such occurrences has been prevalent this 2023-24 season.
Without Clifford guiding them for a huge chunk of the fourth quarter, the Hornets ended up losing to the Knicks 113-92. The absence of LaMelo Ball certainly hurt them as well, with Brandon Miller ending up the only 20-point scorer on the team with his 31 points. As for the Knicks, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 60 points.
Follow Us
Subscribe