SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Memphis coach David Fizdale blasted the officiating in Game 2 of the Grizzlies’ first-round series against the Spurs, deeming it “unprofessional” and “unacceptable” before slamming his fist on a table and storming off.
San Antonio held off a late rally to beat Memphis 96-82 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round matchup.
Fizdale said the veteran crew of Danny Crawford, Rodney Mott and Bill Spooner “did not even give us a chance” to even the series. After initially saying he needed to “have a glass of wine on the plane” to analyze what happened, Fizdale unleashed a nearly two-minute tirade during a postgame interview that grew increasingly louder.
“It was a very poorly officiated basketball game,” Fizdale said. “Zach Randolph, the most rugged guy in the game, has zero free throws, but somehow Kawhi Leonard had 19 free throws?”
Leonard had a postseason career-high 37 points and made all 19 free-throw attempts. The Grizzlies took 15 free throws as a team against San Antonio’s 32 even though Memphis attempted 35 shots in the paint, 17 more than the Spurs.