Before we bury the plot a bit, Joey Crawford arguably gave San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan the worst technical foul in NBA history. More on that in a bit, though.
The art of technical fouls is an electrifying experience. The anger and the intensity between the players and officials bring a lot of energy into the building. Most times, after one technical foul, it tends to motivate star players to play harder than before. The heat of a matchup forces players and coaches to express their true emotions on how they feel.
Sometimes technical fouls can be out of hand, though. This is particularly true in the modern-day NBA. The referees must protect the players at all costs. Nonetheless, most of them will not tolerate a second of an argument over a call. Often, but not all the time, the moment a certain player begins to express their opinion, they are thrown out of the game. Although things can get out of hand in arguments, the officials should always give players a slim chance before disqualifying the participant.
Joey Crawford has been a well-known official in the NBA for 39 years. Throughout his career, he had the opportunity to officiate 50 NBA Finals games and over 300 NBA Playoff games. To many, Crawford is well respected for the work he has done in the NBA. His performances have solidified him to be known as a top tier NBA official as his career ended in 2016.
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Despite the accolades that Crawford accomplished, many were not fond of him. After a particular incident in 2007, it was a near career-changing event for Crawford that put a huge dent on his reputation. Crawford has stated in the past that he regrets the situation that happened. It took him a few seasons before he would regain his reputation as a respected referee.
On April 15, 2007, Joey Crawford was officiating an end-of-season matchup with the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs and Mavericks already had recent history after their epic seven games series in the Western Conference Semifinals a season ago. As the game went on, as it so often does, intensity and emotions were running high.
The situation started when Spurs forward Tim Duncan was called for an offensive foul with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter. As Duncan was in disbelief with the call, he began to stare at the refs wondering how a foul was called against him. The foul would give Duncan his first foul of the contest. After the timeouts, head coach Gregg Popovich would sit Duncan on the bench to have him rested for the fourth quarter.
The tension between Duncan and the officials began to rise over the next few minutes. As Duncan tended to not be phased by the officialâs power, it seemed to not sit well with the likes of Crawford. With 2:20 left in the third, Crawford called a technical foul on Duncan. Many could tell that Crawford was becoming fed up with Duncan. The first technical foul was called to send a message to Duncan to not harass the referees.
Later, with 1:04 remaining in the third, a foul was called against the Spurs as Duncan is seen on the bench laughing with a towel on his face. Crawford would call another technical foul on him, forcing Duncan to an automatic ejection. The entire building was in shock, wondering what just transpired. Later on, Timn Duncan was escorted out of the game and wasnât available in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks would hold off the Spurs and finish the game with a 91-86 victory. Although it was a less memorable loss for San Antonio, the presence of Duncan wouldâve certainly made a difference on the floor in the fourth quarter. The frustration of the situation surfaced across the association. Then-NBA Commissioner David Stern would fine both Duncan and Joey Crawford for their behavior in the Sunday afternoon game. The situation led to many conversations on how referees should better approach both games and players.
There have been numerous head-scratching ejections through NBA history. Nevertheless, the rift between Tim Duncan and Joey Crawford has to be at the top of the list. Being ejected for laughing during a game would have never been pictured by an average fan, coach, or player.
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