Carmelo Anthony was ejected during the first half of his team’s blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday, and many were surprised at how quick referee Tony Brothers was to hit the New York Knicks start with back-to-back technical fouls.
Anthony could have seen it coming.
On Saturday, Carmelo hinted to reporters that Brothers holds a grudge against him.
“I always feel it’s something,” he said. “Every time we … I don’t want to say it’s personal, but I always feel like it’s something.”
Anthony would not go into detail about why Brothers allegedly has it out for him.
“I didn’t think [Friday] night it called for a tech or an ejection at that point of time,” he added. “I really don’t know what to say about the situation. There’s nothing for me to say to him. It ain’t personal with me from my end. I don’t have anything to say to him. He’s a ref. I play. I’ll keep my mouth shut next time.”
Carmelo’s wife La La weighed in on the situation with a tweet.
He hates Mel. It's personal. Always has. https://t.co/oHGrrOe30Q
— LA LA (@lala) November 12, 2016
While it appeared the first technical Brothers gave Anthony for arguing was warranted, the second one seemed a bit uncalled for. Usually players are allowed to vent their frustrations a bit once they get T’ed up. Here’s a video:
As ESPN’s Ian Begley notes, Anthony reportedly got into an argument with Brothers during New York’s loss against the Detroit Pistons earlier this season. Again, Anthony would not go into detail about the issues between him and the official.
With all the disturbing allegations the NBA has faced over the years, it’s not a good look for Anthony to be saying a ref has a personal issue with him. That could, in theory, affect the integrity of the game, which is the last thing Adam Silver wants.
H/T Deadspin
