The Houston Rockets refused to let the Los Angeles Lakers take home an easy win. The game stayed within striking distance. For every big play, there came a retort. Late in the game, Tari Eason broke down Dorian-Finney Smith and finished strong at the rim. It was the perfect spark for the Rockets fans present in the arena. In such games, emotions can be crucial. Sadly, Eason was deflated really quickly.
All the third-year forward did was bellow and celebrate his dunk. It cut the game to two points, keeping the Rockets alive in the game. Still, referee Tre Maddox gave him a technical. Is it even surprising anymore? The playoff intensity of the game came crashing down after the call. And in particular, Pacers legend Reggie Miller was annoyed at the ruling.
“Oh come on. Come on man! You knew how I was going to react on that. Are you kidding me? Come on Tre Maddox you are better than that this is the NBA. I can see it in college or high school. Stop it,” Miller blasted Maddox on air.
Reggie Miller unloads on referee Tre Maddox for calling a tech on Tari Eason for daring to show emotion pic.twitter.com/nQSK4PAlZ3
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 1, 2025
The Pacers legend comes from such an era. Back then, a technical foul meant a player had committed a grave offense that was irrelevant to the game. They valued the weight of emotions and friction between opponents. That’s what the game is about, beating those in front of you. To fully embrace it, how can players be nice to each other all the time?
A little celebration and two words after a great play can help rally a team and possibly intimidate rivals. But with a technical foul, the momentum gets away in an instant. Eason must have felt just as Miller did after the play. And fans too are tired of watching such ‘soft’ technicals.
A little back-and-forth never hurt anybody. In fact, players have recorded some of their best performances when battling with passion.
The post TNT’s Reggie Miller Gives a Piece of His Mind to NBA Ref for Unjustly Penalizing Rockets Star vs Lakers appeared first on EssentiallySports.
