New York Knicks point guard Elfrid Payton doubled down on his decision to shove Memphis Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder in the final minute of regulation, earning his ejection.

Crowder had stolen the ball from an inbounds play and squared up for a corner 3-pointer before Payton charged at him and knocked him to the ground, earning a Flagrant 2 and an early ticket to the showers:

Following the game, Payton was unapologetic, unequivocally believing that he did the right thing in the eyes of the unwritten rules of the game:

“No,” said Payton when asked if he'd take back the shove on Crowder. “I stand on that. I'd do it again. It doesn't matter who took that shot, don't disrespect the game like that.”

Payton's school of thought is based on the Knicks already being down 18 points with 53.5 seconds left in the game. The outcome was resolved, the Grizzlies had won convincingly, and there was no need for Crowder to steal another possession and tack on more points to an already large lead.

Yet Crowder is a player known for his grit and his play-until-the-whistle-blows mentality — something he paid for with that shove at the end of the game. Crowder faced criticism from the likes of ESPN analyst Tim Legler but barked back defending his stance.

Payton could face additional discipline from the league office after he signaled the MSG exit sign when trying to confront Crowder, which would be considered a way of escalating the conflict on the court.