San Antonio Spurs probably won’t forget what Joey Crawford did to Tim Duncan, a future Hall of Famer, for a long time.
During a 2007 game against the Dallas Mavericks, Duncan started laughing on the bench after Crawford called a couple of questionable fouls. In response, Crawford gave Duncan a technical foul.
Shortly after, Crawford called another foul, and once again, Duncan began laughing. Crawford wasn’t having any of it, as he called another technical foul which led to Duncan’s ejection.
Crawford was suspended after the altercation, fined $25k and he was not allowed to officiate in that year’s NBA Finals.
Duncan was also fined $25k, and said Crawford was asking to fight him.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?”‘ Duncan said. “If he wants to fight, we can fight. I don’t have any problem with him, but we can do it if he wants to. I have no reason why in the middle of a game he would yell at me, ‘Do you want to fight?”‘
Crawford was cited for “improper conduct” and “inappropriate comments made to Duncan during the game.” Stern said Crawford’s actions “failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees.”