Anthony Davis argues with the referee during his 6th and final foul, leaving the game after only 29 minutes.
Only a few minutes after the Game 6 tilt between Phoenix and New Orleans – a game which saw the Anthony Davis-led Pelicans advance to the second round – coaches, players and fans alike were left scratching their heads.
In total, 68 fouls were call on both sides. Phoenix was whistled 14 more times than the home team, six players fouled out (Davis, Lillard, Bledsoe, Portis, Larkin, Williams) and both Delon Wright and Tyson Chandler finished the game with 5 fouls (Chandler in limited minutes as a result).
Although New Orleans held on to win by only four points, Damian Lillard (23 minutes) and Anthony Davis (29 minutes) were left watching the fourth quarter from the sidelines.“It was very strange.” Admitted New Orleans GM Jace Hinderland. “It made for a choppy game, one where no one really got any momentum. It’s almost like the refs were on a mission. I wish they had just let us play some basketball.“
Was there more to this outing than meets the eye? Rumor has it that the referees held an extraordinarily long pre-game meeting. What was discussed beforehand, no one is quite sure of. Several league employees were, however, seen leaving the same meeting – a rare occurrence for a first round matchup.“It was difficult,” admitted Lillard, “you want to be out there fighting with your boys. I feel like the refs were just messin’ with us, ya know?”
Regardless of the actual motive behind the strange and, in some ways, conspiracy-motivating game, the box score tell the story.
Phoenix shot 89 times, converting 47% of those attempts, drained 10 of 15 from deep and converted 67% of their 37 foul shots.
New Orleans only attempted 69 shots from the field, but converted 52% of the time, hit only 2 of 8 from distance, but scored on 79% of their 62 free throw attempts.
In a game decided by only 4 points, it’s obvious that the Phoenix Suns put forth a Herculean-effort.
“I love that young Phoenix squad,” Hinderland said nodding, “they have a great GM and a young, motivated team. They were missing Isaiah (Austin) and that kid is already a difference maker. There is no doubt in my mind that the Suns truly are and will remain a top seed in the Western Conference for a long time.”
