The Indiana Pacers frustrated Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin enough that he might be the first player to use an electronic device to debate an official’s call.
Blake Griffin tried to argue a call with NBA official J.T. Orr, which isn’t surprising. However, his use of an iPad to plead his case is what made the moment during the Indiana Pacers’ win over the Detroit Pistons memorable — and memeable.
So what exactly was Griffin so upset about? What did the Indiana Pacers do to him?
Griffin voiced his displeasure with Orr once the third quarter came to a close but the play was likely was this tie-up with Domantas Sabonis that occurred with 2:57 left in the quarter.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1078835007731441664
While Sabonis initiates the contact by getting his arm under Griffin’s arm, Blake turns and ends up throwing Domas to the ground as he searches for the rebound.
I actually get Griffin’s frustration. In a way, all he did was turn his body after Domas got under there. The foul was likely called for how rough it looked in live action, but seeing how the two ended up there does add context to help Blake’s case.
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He likely argued he wasn’t the one impeding anyone’ progress. Obviously, Orr disagreed, but despite his reputation for arguing calls, Griffin’s argument wasn’t without merit.
There was almost no chance of the Pistons winning at that point — ESPN says that Indiana’s probability of winning was 99.8 percent at that point — but he was looking for any way to get Detroit back in the game.
As fans, we often like to rib players when they complain about calls — if they are on the other team — and joke that they might get the call reversed if they whine enough.
But what we often look over is the seed they plant when they try working an official. After Griffin’s presentation on the iPad, officials called Sabonis for a lane violation, a close goaltending call, two illegal screens, a charge, and a shooting foul. Outside of the last and first one, you could argue the rest were judgment calls.
That’s a total of four personal fouls in less than eight minutes.
Did Griffin’s impassioned pleas make an impact? We’ll never know. Officials get calls right more often than not, and even when we call it a “soft” call, we admit there was something there for the officials to pick up on.
It’s worth noting, too, that Sabonis has the 13th most fouls in the NBA. He is foul-prone and it isn’t surprising when he gets into foul trouble, even in a short period of time.
If nothing else, the Indiana Pacers played a role in what appears was the first time in NBA history that a player used an electronic device during a game to debate a call with an official. What a time to be alive.