Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale fined $30K for 'data' rant at refs
Take that for NBA discipline.
Memphis coach David Fizdale, whose "Take that for data!" rant at the officials after a Game 2 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday was was so popular it inspired a T-shirt, was fined $30,000 by the league for his comments on Wednesday. Rest assured, the 42-year-old who is in his first year as a head coach knew this was coming when he took such boisterous command of that press conference microphone.
Fizdale had offered plenty of substance to go with his fiery style before his drop-the-mic moment at the end, noting how the Spurs shot 32 free throws (19 alone for Kawhi Leonard) to the Grizzlies' 15. He complained that Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley wasn’t getting calls, in large part, because of his quiet nature (amazingly, he has never earned a technical foul). He even insinuated that there was a bias towards his team, one rooted in his rookie status.
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"I know Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has) pedigree, and I'm a young rookie, but they're not gonna rook us,” Fizdale, whose team is down 2-0 in the series with Game 3 in Memphis on Thursday, had said of the officiating crew that included Danny Crawford, Bill Spooner and Rodney Mott. “That's unacceptable. That was unprofessional. Our guys dug in that game and earned the right to be in that game. And they did not even give us a chance."
Yet truth be told, the Grizzlies are getting whistled even less during the playoffs so far than they were during the regular season. It’s a small sample size, of course, but their average of 21 personal fouls per game (seventh-most out of 16 teams) is lower than the 22.4-per-game figure during the regular season (second-most behind only the Phoenix Suns). The Grizzlies defended well enough this season to earn the league’s seventh-best defensive rating, in other words, but they clearly lack some discipline when it comes to committing fouls.
As for the Spurs, Fizdale surely isn’t the first opposing coach to wish they’d draw the whistle more often. Not only did San Antonio have the league’s top defense during the regular season (100.9 points allowed per 100 possessions), but they ranked just seventh in personal fouls per game (18.3). The part that will likely rankle Fizdale to hear? They’re drawing even fewer whistles in the postseason, a playoff-best mark of 16.5 per game.
Take that for data.
Nonetheless, Fizdale's message was well received by his players. Conley said Wednesday that he sent Fizdale a "Thank you" text after the game, noting that he and the rest of the team will collectively reimburse Fizdale for the fine.
