G. Allen got ejected for a Flagrant 2 last night on a Caruso dunk attempt. It was a hard foul and Caruso went down hard, but the way that Donavan and some others talk about it you'd think he tackled him or shoved him into the stanchion.
Allen went up to challenge the dunk and hit wrists and ball with his left hand. Then when Caruso still had the ball, he swung his right hand at the ball and his forearms to prevent any chance of an And-1.
Three thoughts on this.
1. If Allen doesn't have a history, this is probably a flagrant-1 and we are done talking about it.
2. He didn't hit him above the shoulders. He didn't take out his legs. He didn't purposely stick out his legs and trip a guy.
3. Donavan is playing some gamesmanship here and the Bucks have to get it under control. The "he could have ended his career" comments were WAY over the top. Donavan is setting up the next Bucks game or a Bucks playoff series. DeRozan got 18 FTs last night shooting jump shots. On some of the replays, there was phantom contact. A reason the Bucks were able to build an 8 point lead in the 4th and then hold on was that the officials stopped calling those tacky-tack calls on the jump shots.
4. And this is the most important point. This probably happens to Giannis 100 times a year, and it's understandable why. He gets by a guy, draws contact, hears the whistle, and then the opponents try to make sure he doesn't get an AND-1. They grab his arms/waist, swing hard at the ball in his hands, etc. That doesn't make it a dirty play, it's just what happens. Caruso has a little bit of DDV or Thanasis in him in that he's somewhat out of control himself at times. He doesn't have the body control or strength that a guy like Giannis has to absorb the contact and avoid a hard fall.
If the league office tries to make a point by suspending Allen, then the Bucks need to make sure that Giannis gets officiated the same way. In other words, when guys hammer him when he's going for an AND-1 when he's in the air without really going for the ball, they need some Flagrant-1s called to stop that.
