Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum capped off a frustrating night with his first career ejection during the final minutes of Monday night’s loss to the New York Knicks at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
Tatum was hit with a second technical foul during the fourth, which triggered the ejection. Tatum picked up the first technical with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter for complaining over a non-call on a dunk.
“I don’t know,” Tatum said when asked what led to the ejection, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “But all the great players get thrown out a few times in their career,” he continued. “So, it’s good for my rep.”
Tatum also talked about the lack of calls, in a sarcastic manner.
“It’s tough,” Tatum said. “The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul. And those are the ones that’s tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about. [On the] second one, I just told him this was probably the best-officiated game I’ve been a part of.
“I tried to give him a compliment. Didn’t go over so well.”
“I said it was the best-officiated game I’ve been a part of. I meant it.”
The Celtics will get a chance to avenge the loss in Boston on Sunday, but will now get set to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
“Get back home,” Tatum said, when asked where his focus is. “I haven’t been home in two weeks. I miss my bed. See Deuce. Just get back home, get some home-cooked meals and get ready for Wednesday.”
