Every team in the NBA playoffs feels like they get the worst of the officiating.
It’s an inalienable right.
That’s why Rick Carlisle was vigilant about prepping the Mavericks on the dangers of letting emotions get the better of them when they opened the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 118-110 loss on Monday night.
Carlisle’s words of wisdom didn’t exactly help, however.
Early in the third quarter, with the Mavericks battling the Clippers on every possession, Luka Donu010diu0107 got tangled up with LA’s Marcus Morris. It escalated into a pushing match with Kristaps Porzingis jumping to the defense of Donu010diu0107.