Matthew Dellavedova given a tech for Game 5 altercation
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard was fortunate to not be punished at the time for a dirty play on the Chicago Bulls‘ Taj Gibson.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has retroactively been given a technical for an altercation with Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Cavs’ Matthew Dellavedova was assessed a technical foul for his involvement in altercation with Bulls' Taj Gibson at 10:25 of 4Q yesterday.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 13, 2015
One look at a video of the incident, which lead to Gibson’s ejection, makes it easy to justify the NBA’s decision.
Taj Gibson kicks Matthew Dellavedova in the back while on the ground, & the teams get into a scuffle.http://t.co/7vAwBIf7SK
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 13, 2015
The situation featured another series of puzzling calls from referee Joey Crawford. Dellavedova employs the dirty and dangerous WWE leg-lock move and receives no punishment, while an ejection for Gibson’s “kick” seems a little too harsh.
Dellavedova has developed a bit of a reputation this season for being a pest with small dirty plays like this. With the way Dellavedova plays hard-nosed defense, he can certainly be an annoyance on the court.
The Cavaliers should still feel fortunate with the way the punishments shook out. Apart from a fine, the added technical won’t mean much for Dellavedova, as he won’t accumulate enough to be suspended.
Gibson’s ejection, however, might have meant something to the Bulls. Chicago lost an important contributor for the final 10 minutes of an all-important Game 5, which Cleveland ended up winning by five points.
The Bulls will return home for Game 6 on Thursday night on the brink of elimination. The series has been very tightly contested for the most part, including offsetting buzzer-beaters from Derrick Rose in Game 3 and LeBron James in Game 4.
With the intensity ratcheting up and frustrations already at a tipping point, more chippy plays could be on the way for the final game or two of what has been an entertaining series.