After watching one, nearly two of his max contract players get ejected from the Philadelphia 76ers' Game 3 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Doc Rivers was bothered. Sure, his team was ultimately able to secure the win and keep their undefeated postseason streak alive thanks to a hot closing frame from should-be max contract player Tyrese Maxey and the heads-up play of P.J. Tucker and De'Anthony Melton, but losing James Harden for a dubious groin shot on Royce O'Neale and almost seeing Joel Embiid suffer a similar fate due to a kick on Nic Claxton, who was also ejected from the game, certainly didn't make matters easier for the Sixers.

Addressing this issue with reporters for NBC Sports Philadelphia on Friday, Rivers noted that the NBA may be setting a dangerous precedent by punishing the “wrong players” for their involvement in fights.

“Listen, I’m going to say this — and I probably shouldn’t — I didn’t think Draymond should’ve gotten suspended and I think the league is setting up a very dangerous precedent right now,” Rivers said ahead of a team film session. “And this is not me campaigning, all right? And I’m dead serious. … If we’re going to start punishing the retaliators and not the instigators, then we’ve got a problem in this league.”

Rivers then turned his attention to his coaching foil in the opening round, Jacque Vaughn, who was, in the long-time coach's opinion, actually campaigning to see Philly's finest get ejected. In Rivers' opinion, that isn't right.

“I love Jacque, but I can’t believe we have coaches campaigning for guys not to play,” Rivers told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick. “That’s just nuts to me, really. I’ve been a player and this is a players’ league, and I am 100 percent pro-player. I think players should play in games. We talk all year about fans not being happy about guys not playing, and now we’re taking guys out of the playoffs.

“I don’t believe in the past stuff either. They take away all your techs at the end of the season and you start over. Then you should start over on that stuff, too. Was saying with Draymond that the past — no. You should’ve done something then. This is now. But on top of that, Draymond Green stepped on (Sabonis’) chest because he was holding his foot. The instigator was holding his foot.”

In a way, Rivers' evaluation of why Green was thrown from the game but Sabonis wasn't is the exact inverse of why Embiid was allowed to stay in Game 3 despite kicking Claxton, as the Nets center stepped on/over the should-be MVP and “The Process” retaliated. Thankfully, both Harden and Embiid will be available to play in Week 4, so Rivers won't have to pull a Steve Kerr and realign his rotation down one – or more – of his star players.

Doc Rivers weighs in on the Sixers' “joke” Flagrant 2 ejection.

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Turning his attention to his own ejected player, Harden, Rivers called the ref's call a “joke,” noting that he “couldn't find the foul” while watching the play back with “The Beard” after the Sixers game.

“James’ thing was a joke,” Rivers said. “I hadn’t seen it clear enough until late last night… We’re watching film and the first thing with James I said is, ‘I’m still looking for the foul.’ The problem I have with James being thrown out is there were three officials and at least one or two guys in Secaucus, and that’s what they came up with? I just can’t understand that one.

“Joel’s could’ve went either way, now that I’ve watched it. I think he kicked him in the leg, actually, but I don’t know if that’s where he was targeting or not… We definitely have to be ready and handle that stuff better as a group. … Joel’s probably the main guy, but it’s the whole game, if you watched it. They were bumping him, they were hitting him, they were holding him, and it was allowed. And the lesser guys never get that treatment. No one’s doing that to them.

“So we’re asking our stars to turn their heads a whole bunch more than they can at times. It’s a tough one for the league. I think they’re in a tough spot, but I do think if you’re going to suspend Draymond, you should suspend the other guy, too. You’ve created it, you go too. So if you want to do that, you’re putting yourself with the chance, if the guy does respond, that you may go too. I think we have to come up with something like that. I’m no longer on the rules committee, but that’s what I would go to.”

Is Rivers' assertion correct? Should Sabonis have been suspended right alongside Green, or did the Warriors forward receive the correct punishment for his actions, even if it was influenced by his previous behavior from before the series? Either way, with the Nets backed into a corner, it's safe to assume Vaughn's squad is going to grow increasingly chippy with each passing possession, especially if they start to lose quarters to the Sixers. If that happens, Rivers' squad may again find themselves fighting to stay eligible for Game 5 of this series or Game 1 of the next series, depending on the final outcome.