The NBA has cracked down on technical fouls for players hanging on the rim after dunks this season. It’s been a source of frustration for players and fans, because while there have always been rules that are designed to prevent guys from hanging on the rim unless they’re trying to avoid falling in a way that would cause them to get hurt, referees have been quick with T’s this year, even when guys are just trying to be safe.
We got one of those moments on Tuesday night as the Dallas Mavericks played host to the Los Angeles Lakers. Tim Hardaway Jr. dunked in transition, then held onto the rim just a tick too long and got hit with a technical — you can see that there’s a tiny bit of contact from Anthony Davis that looks like it pushed Hardaway forward, and he waited until his momentum brought him backwards before he landed.
LUKA STEALS IT FROM BRON
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— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 13, 2023
It is, to put it bluntly, one of the worst calls you will ever see. And in the immediate aftermath, Reggie Miller of TNT — who is not the kind of person to really tear into referees on a broadcast — said this was the worst technical foul he’s ever seen for hanging on the rim.
“This is absolutely the worst technical foul I’ve ever seen… Joey Crawford would have ever would have called that.”
Reggie Miller went OFF at the officials after Tim Hardaway Jr. got hit with a tech for hanging on the rim after his dunk
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 13, 2023
“That is terrible by these officials, and for them to have six eyes and not huddle up and correct themselves, that’s terrible,” Miller said.
Reggie Miller is right.