'NOTHING THERE'
‘Are you kidding me?’, rages P.J. Carlesimo live on ESPN after ‘joke and disgraceful’ call during NBA Summer League
Carlesimo didn't hold back when discussing the officials' decision
LONGTIME NBA and college basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo has been left furious after a questionable call during a Summer League game.
Carlesimo, 75, covered the Los Angeles Clippers' 112-97 win on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks for ESPN.
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During the second period, and with the Clippers ahead 47-38 with just under three minutes to go, LA guard Amari Bailey was called for a foul on forward Chris Livingston.
Contact by Bailey was deemed by officials to have knocked Livingston to the ground - who then went flying.
The "phantom foul," as play-by-play announcer Drew Carter labeled it, was then sent to review, promoting Carlesimo's initial frustration.
"I always wasn't thrilled when the officials look at the replay and then they gotta stand and talk about it here for a while," he explained.
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"'We just looked at the replay…let's have a meeting and we'll discuss it.' I don't like the discussions."
After a review, officials opted to stand by the official call, a decision Carlesimo called "disgraceful."
"There was nothing. There was nothing there," he subsequently added.
But he wasn't done there, noting that he didn't "know how he's even standing after all that contact.
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"Are you kidding me? That's a joke."
Carlesimo even went on to joke that he believed Bailey may have "coughed on" Livingston.
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His comments went down a storm with Carter, who labeled his colleague, "Cantankerous Carlesimo."
Bailey may have been called for the questionable foul, but he still left the Pavillion in Las Vegas with a win.
He wound up finishing the game with six points, three assists, and one block in almost 13 minutes on the court.
Livingston played a game-high 34 minutes, racking up 13 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.
The Bailey/Livingston incident will soon be forgotten, however, with Bronny James the talk of the 2024 Summer League.
Bronny fears
Bronny James has had a rough go of things during the Summer League - and fans began to worry for the rookie.
A social media clip of Bronny during a 88-74 loss to the Celtics went viral as the 2024 second-round pick also air-balled a three-point shot as the clock expired.
The 19-year-old didn't fare well in the contest, scoring just two points on 1-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, two turnovers, and three fouls.
"I genuinely feel sorry for Bronny. this is BAD," one commented.
"He's gotta be nervous," another wrote.
"It'll get better from here," a third stated.
The son of NBA icon LeBron, Bronny was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers to play alongside his dad.
In two appearances for the Lakers, Bronny has averaged five points, four rebounds, and 0.5 assists.
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His next chance to impress could come on Wednesday night when the Lakers take on the Atlanta Hawks.
Los Angeles will be hoping to rack up their first win of the summer.
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