"He is a serial clapper" - Jayson Tatum's technical foul call for clapping draws NBA fans' ire
Jayson Tatum was not a happy man when the referees slapped him with a technical foul late in the fourth quarter in their blowout 114-98 win over the New York Knicks on Monday (November 14).
The forward, who has been having a scintillating season so far, was whistled for a foul on Immanuel Quickley, following which he clapped in frustration. The referees didn't hold back and issued a tech on the superstar right after.
In a clip that did the rounds soon after on Reddit, Tatum's reaction was dissected by fans who believed that it wasn't right on the Celtics' star to clap back at the officials.
The responses continued to pour in:
Despite the on-court drama, the Celtics coasted to a dominant win over the Knicks, improving their record to 8-2 to be placed second in the East.
Jayson Tatum lambasts the referees, says he didn't deserve the technical foul
Speaking to the media, Tatum didn't hold back on his words when he called out the referees for issuing a technical. According to Sports Illustrated, he opined that he didn't deserve to be handed one.
“I shouldn’t have got the tech. I mean, it’s tough. It’s an emotional game, right? The fans can see it, everybody watching can see it, it’s hard to play the game without emotions. I understand there’s a fine line and balance, but fourth quarter, we playing defense and I screamed nothing crazy. I’m not even directing it towards anybody. For the ref on the other side to come and give me a tech, I don’t agree with that because it wasn’t right. Can’t go back and change it now.”
The whistle played its part in fueling Tatum, who launched into a 17-point assault in his game-high 35 points. Soon after Immanuel Quickley made his two shots from the charity stripe, Tatum replied with a 6-0 run that demolished the Knicks to give his team a 108-92 lead.
The win also saw Jayson Tatum continue his rollicking form. He is now averaging 28.4 points in the season, coupled with 8.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The win over the Knicks puts the Celtics in a strong position with three wins in a row as they head into a tough matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.