The Hawks came into game three of their series against the Cavaliers needing a win with no Kyle Korver and a less-than-100% DeMarre Carroll. Odds became stacked against them even more when Al Horford was ejected just prior to halftime.
Late in the second quarter, Matthew Dellavedova lost his balance and fell to the floor, coming in contact with Horford’s knee in the process. Horford responded with an elbow to the shoulder area of Dellavedova, apparently thinking it was intentional. Horford was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and subsequently ejected, with the following explanation coming from the NBA’s Twitter account for officiating and rule clarifications.
Explanation (1/3): 34.3 seconds left/Q2: Horford threw an unnecessary and excessive forearm/elbow to Dellavedova, making contact…..
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) May 25, 2015
Explanation (2/3): 34.3 seconds left/Q2: … Above the shoulders, therefore a Flagrant 2 foul was called on Horford…
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) May 25, 2015
Explanation (3/3): 34.3 seconds left/Q2: … Who was ejected from the game, and Dellavedova received a technical.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) May 25, 2015
While it looks like the decision to give Horford the flagrant 2 was indeed the correct one, the technical on Dellavedova seems questionable, to say the least.
During game two, Dellavedova was going for a loose ball when he rolled up on Kyle Korver’s ankle. The result was a high ankle sprain and the Hawks ruling the shooting guard out for the remainder of the playoffs. In Cleveland’s series against the Bulls, Taj Gibson was ejected from game five for kicking Dellavedova for attempting to grab Gibson’s legs with his own as Gibson tried to get to his feet.
Matthew Dellavedova has had a couple of game during the playoffs that have made people stand up and take note. However, he’s also been at the center of a few not-so-pleasant incidents.
