Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was on thin ice during Friday night’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, although in hindsight, the 25-year-old wasn’t wrong.
Tatum was ejected in the third quarter of Boston’s 125-119 win over Philadelphia at TD Garden, all over a brief protest over a loose ball foul call that was upgraded to a flagrant 1. Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee attempted to restrain Boston’s star forward, but that still didn’t stop officials from sending Tatum to the locker room and pulling a controversial trigger in the middle of a highly-anticipated rivalry contest.
But upon further review from the NBA league office, it was revealed Saturday that the officials were in the wrong and Tatum’s flagrant 1 was downgraded to a common foul.
That’s the second incorrectly assessed foul call involving Tatum this season, and the first since Opening Night against the New York Knicks.
Tatum, who had only been ejected one other time over the course of his seven-year career in the NBA, was dumbfounded by the decision. He even noted that there are instances where “magic” phrases such as cuss words could prompt an ejection, but ensured that none of those were used.
“I was shocked. It’s like we always say, ‘Get your money’s worth,’ when you get fined for these techs,” Tatum said in reaction postgame. “And I definitely did not get my money’s worth for getting thrown out of the game.”
Tatum added: “It’s not like we get that game back, I don’t get that time back. It’s unfortunate, but it’s like I said, I can’t change what happened.”
At the time, Tatum was Boston’s leading scorer with 21 points and the Celtics held a paper-thin 95-94 lead just seconds before the start of the fourth quarter. Some last-minute grit was required such as a 10-point frame from reserve unit guard Payton Pritchard, but the C’s still managed to survive and maintain their NBA-best record (15-4).
Tatum and the Celtics will next re-direct their focus on the NBA In-Season Tournament, facing off against the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinal round on Monday night.
