Carmelo Anthony was ejected from Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after he was assessed a flagrant 2 foul, and the New York Knicks star believes the call was the result of a flop.
On Thursday, Anthony told reporters that Thabo Sefolosha “did his European” by flopping when the two players got tangled up near the basket.
“I don’t think it was anything Sefolosha was doing as far as being overly physical or anything like that,” Anthony said, per ESPN.com. “It was just a battle; we were both trying to go for it. Got tangled up. He did his European and flopped a little bit.”
In Anthony’s defense, the play did not look all that aggressive. Sefolosha appeared to put his arms around Carmelo’s neck, and Anthony responded with a minor shove. It was the swinging of his right arm that an official deemed a punch. Here’s a video of the play:
Sefolosha felt the punishment fit the crime.
“That was a fist right in my face,” he said after the game.
Anthony said his reaction was more about just “getting him off of me,” and Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek agreed.
“You’re going to get the guy off you. It’s a natural reaction. You’re not going to let a guy grab you around the neck,” Hornacek said. “To me, that’s more inadvertent. It’s a reaction. If someone grabs you up there, you throw your hands up.”
In any event, Anthony’s ejection was his second this season, though he had a different excuse the last time he was tossed. Flop or no flop, he can’t expect the benefit of the doubt from officials.
