Jayson Tatum's ejection in the Celtics 109-84 loss to the surging Knicks was his first - but not his last - time getting tossed after picking up two technical fouls. His verbal reaction to the ejection?
''But all the great players get thrown out a few times in their career, so it's good for my rep,'' he (Jayson Tatum) said.
He's right. Larry Bird had a number of ejections during his stroried career, often for fighting. I was at the Old Boston Garden when he and Julius Erving were tossed after a physical altercation on the court.
Another ejection took place when he whipped a ball at Bill Laimbeer after Larry just could not take any more abuse from the much-hated Detroit center. Bird was not known as a referee-baiter, but he did pick up two technicals (and an ejection) when he had a disagreement with the refs in a game versus the New Jersey Nets.
Admittedly, Jayson Tatum needs to curtail his complaining to the refs to some degree, but it probably was time - in his sixth season - for him to get tossed. As he indicated, "...all the great players get thrown out a few times." He is intense, but an ejection from a future game-of-importance could be costly to his team.
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