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The Portland Trail Blazers' win over the Dallas Mavericks was not just highlighted by Damian Lillard's 61 points, but also by the late-game offensive foul slapped on Trey Burke. Head coach Rick Carlisle seems to have moved on from that “flop,” noting that he'll leave it to the NBA to decide if he'll get fined.
Per Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Carlisle thinks the NBA might levy a fine if their review confirms that it's indeed a flop. However, the Mavs coach acknowledged that it was an intelligent play by a great player.
Rick Carlisle on critical offensive foul called on Trey Burke and drawn by Damian Lillard: "The people that had the iPads said it was clearly a flop. But great players in the moment, they know how to create that situation. So, hey, if it’s a flop, maybe he’ll get fined."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 12, 2020
Below is the said play involving Burke and Lillard. In real-time, it's difficult to conclude if Lillard did flop or if Burke shoved him to the ground. What made it worse is that the call came before a successful three-pointer that could have put the Mavs up by two.
https://twitter.com/bobbykaralla/status/1293354885510057985
Burke, for his part, shared his thoughts on the controversial play and what was running through his mind throughout the whole ordeal. Burke gave props to Lillard for thinking on his feet.
Trey Burke on his offensive foul call on Damian Lillard: "To me, I didn’t think that I fouled him or pushed off; it was just a clever move on his part. I think if it was
on the other end, hopefully they would call it on the other end if I was to do that . . . (more).— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) August 12, 2020
Burke shared that he wanted to screen Lillard off but the referees saw it as a charge.
Burke, part 2: "But I just tried to shut him off. I knew that he was at least going to be able to contest the shot
and I thought that I just put my arm out. As soon as I put my arm out, he threw his head back and fell, and
the refs thought it was an offensive foul. I don’t know.”— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) August 12, 2020
Luka Doncic, who saw the entire play transpire before his own eyes, wasn't pleased at all. However, like Carlisle, Doncic has moved on.
Luka was not thrilled with the call on Trey Burke at the end of the game pic.twitter.com/z1sj4JPqOK
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 12, 2020
It's a tough loss for the Mavs. But the good thing is that they've already qualified for the playoffs. But as extremely competitive individuals, winning is the only option.
The Blazers, for their part, keep their postseason hopes alive. Tuesday's win — like any other win — is much needed. However, they will have to hope that both the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs lose their games on Thursday.
A LOT on the line today in Orlando. #WholeNewGame
2pm/et: @houstonrockets/@spurs, NBA TV
4:30pm/et: @suns/@sixers, NBA LP
5pm/et: @celtics/@memgrizz, NBA LP
6:30pm/et: @trailblazers/@dallasmavs, TNT pic.twitter.com/lEW0NNCNJf— NBA (@NBA) August 11, 2020
