The L.A. Clippers were called for a ridiculous 7 technical fouls, including two flagrants and three techs in 30 seconds during the fourth quarter of Friday’s 109-106 loss to the Nuggets.
“I just keep saying, ‘Coaches and players get technicals for losing their composure,'” Rivers said afterward. “I don’t know if we lost our composure today. I’m pretty sure we didn’t.”
“It’s crazy,” said Chris Paul, who finished with 17 points, 15 assists and one technical foul in the second quarter for complaining. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Never. As someone who has been in this league for awhile, you’re supposed to be able to react, then calm down.”
Paul was referring to the play midway through the fourth quarter in which Jordan voiced his displeasure with getting hit by Faried, who was called for a flagrant 1 foul.
“My exact words were, ‘Come on, he hit me in the head,'” Jordan said, “and I got a technical foul.”
Rivers then groused about the technical and received one of his own before Clippers reserve Hedo Turkoglu picked up a third technical from the bench.
“Turk got a tech for saying, ‘That’s not a foul,'” Clippers forward Matt Barnes said. “I mean, this is just getting out of control, man. They’re just whistle-happy.”
Barnes also received a technical foul early in the fourth for complaining about a call in which Jordan Farmar was assessed a shooting foul for trying to break up a lob to Denver’s Alonzo Gee.
“I got a tech for saying, ‘He’s not shooting the ball,'” Barnes said.
