"It's just too much silliness going on"- Monty Williams says the league needs to do something about flopping
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams cut a frustrated figure following the team's 118-103 Game 5 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Williams sounded off about players around the league pulling off antics like flopping and entering opposition team huddles.
The Suns experienced that late in the third quarter when Nikola Jokic and Bruce Brown hovered around their huddle. That incident ended with Kevin Durant pushing Jokic, who exaggerated the contact, leading to the refs drawing a technical foul on KD.
Williamson believes the league needs to do something about the "silliness" floating around the NBA. Here's what he said after the game (via Suns' beat reporter Duane Rankin):
"The league has to figure out all that stuff. It's just too much silliness going on in the NBA when it comes to that. Everybody does it. There should be like a written rule that you shouldn't walk over to somebody's huddle."
"The league has to figure out all that stuff. It's just too much silliness going on in the #NBA when it comes to that. Everybody does it."
Monty Williams as Nikola Jokic and Bruce Brown were hovering around #Suns huddle. Kevin Durant and Brown got double techs. #Nuggets https://t.co/irehW7vREQ
These tactics have been used for several years to throw the opponents off their game and get in their heads. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets were up 20 and sought the opportunity to frustrate the Phoenix Suns, who were already struggling to maintain their intensity and focus during the contest.
The NBA doesn't have a rule for an underhanded tactic like this, which gives players the freedom to pull this off and gain an undue advantage.
Monty Williams hasn't held back his thoughts regarding officiating and flopping this season
Monty Williams generally has portrayed a calm demeanor as a head coach in this league. However, this season has been different in that regard. Before sounding off about opposition players sneaking into huddles, the veteran head coach has ranted about officiating multiple times this season.
One of his famous rants was after the Phoenix Suns' 116-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 15th. Williams called out the referees for the free throw disparity in that game after the Bucks made 37 trips to the foul line, while the Suns had 16 attempts. Giannis Antetokounmpo alone made 24 free throw attempts. Here's what Williams said:
"It's just not fair. Book [Booker] has three free throws if I'm reading this [sheet] right. And Jrue Holiday is one of the most physical defenders in the game. He has three and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] has 24 free-throws. It's ridiculous!"
Monty Williams also went off after the Phoenix Suns lost against the LA Lakers by a 122-111 margin on March 22nd. The Lakers made 46 attempts to the Suns' 20.
“That’s just not right, I don’t care how you slice it,” Williams said. “It is happening to us too much. Other teams are reaching. Other teams are hitting, and we’re not getting the same call, and I’m tired of it. It’s old.”
NBA announced Monty Williams has been fined $20,000 for his postgame comments about the officiating following the Suns’ loss to the Lakers: https://t.co/i1VQcAuUFe
Monty Williams was fined $20,000 for his comments after the Lakers game. The Phoenix Suns have since received calls they thought they should be rewarded with, a trend that's continued in the playoffs.
The Suns are attempting the second-most free throws per game at 23.7 among the eight active teams in the playoffs.