Because of his lack of words, even the expressionless Kawhi Leonard wears the nickname of a robot and gallops on the battlefield with a lonely pace, but even such an honest person is inevitably stung by technical fouls.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been on a thriving streak lately, with a career high set by Kawhi Leonard. Unfortunately, however, he also got the spotlight for a rare technical foul.
In their 131-122 win over the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers suffered three technical fouls, including a rare technical bench foul against Hyland and an even rarer technical foul against Kawhi Leonard.
The technical foul was the fifth of Leonard's career and the first of the 2023-24 season. The silent superstar rarely complained to the referees for displeasure, but the game against the Suns was frustrating for both sides, as the referees whistled for a total of 41 fouls and awarded 58 free throws.
After the game, reporters asked Leonard about his thoughts on technical fouls. To be sure, Kawhii Leonard hopes this technical foul can be revoked and believes it will eventually be revoked.
"I didn't think about it at that time," Kawhi Leonard told reporters after the game. "I just focused on the penalty and what I felt should have been awarded at that point. I'll probably get this technical foul back because I didn't swear at the referee. I just said 'come on'. ”
Everyone saw what Leonard said, this honest man on the basketball court just said come on, and the referee gave a technical foul, which can be said to be nerve-wracking.
Did the referee think that Leonard was really a robot, and that the game should be played in a set mute mode?
Leonard has only had five technical fouls in his career, including two with the Toronto Raptors in 2018-19 and one each in 2019-20 and last year in 2022-23. As most people remember, Leonard's teammate Trans Mann was also quickly sent off shortly after a technical foul last season.
The NBA will review all technical fouls and make the final decision on whether to revoke the technical foul — and the fines that come with it — or keep it on the record.
Kawhi Leonard probably doesn't care about the result because he's been focused on playing the most efficient basketball of his career.
This season, Leonard is shooting a career-high 52.3 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from three-point range, averaging 24.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Over the past 13 games, Leonard has been nothing short of incredible, averaging 28.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 61 percent from the field, 53.1 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the free throw line.
Look at these data, it really behaves as stable as a robot, but the referee doesn't really treat Leonard as a robot, he also has his own emotions, and occasionally say a word, which is also in line with basic human language Xi.
The technical foul may have been a momentary draw, but it drew the attention of fans to the superstar and his every move on the court.
It's just a tiny wave of ups and downs along the way in his career, and Leonard will continue to sail the ocean of basketball and write legends in his own way.
Bottom line: The referee gave Leonard a technical foul this time, which can be said to be bullying honest people, and I hope that the NBA official will revoke this technical foul.