Kristaps Porzingis ejected from his first playoff game

NBA officials ejected Kristaps Porzingis from the Mavericks game one tilt against the Clippers early in the third after getting two technical fouls.

Much is said about the increasing physicality of the NBA playoffs, but apparently, nobody passed that on to tonight refs, who saw fit to slap Porzingis with two - questionable at best, flagrantly weak at worst - technical fouls and kicking him from a game in which he had scored 14 points and grabbed 6 boards.

Kristaps first T came after what looked to be a clean block was called a foul, leading him to protest to no one in particular. The officials still found a way to take offense, though, and saw fit to T him up.

The second came after the big Latvian came to the defense of Luka Doncic after Montrezl Harrell got a bit too touchy-feely after a whistle.

Don’t take my word for it, though. Here’s what some of the game of basketball’s greatest ambassadors had to say about KPs ejection.

So if you think I’m wrong, it’s really like you’re telling Dirk he’s wrong, and to that I would say, I bet you wouldn’t say that to his face, you coward.

Nevertheless, there was still game to play, and the Mavericks, up to that point, were going shot for shot with the heavily favored Clippers. Going the distance without KP will no doubt make an uphill climb all the much steeper.