The New Orleans Pelicans‘ Herbert Jones was retroactively assessed a flagrant foul for contact against Chris Paul after Game 4 of the series against the Phoenix Suns.
Might the Suns’ Chris Paul be retroactively assessed a flagrant foul after Game 5?
A video of a play in the game Tuesday night shows the Suns’ point guard appearing to kick the Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado in the groin during Phoenix’s 112-97 win that gave the Suns a 3-2 advantage in the series.
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Some basketball writers were not fans of the move by Paul and they weren’t afraid to share their thoughts about it.
SB Nation called the incident “yet another dirty play by Chris Paul.”
J.D. King wrote: “The point is, he’s clearly done some pretty nasty things from time to time, yet still gets feted as an all-time great, an ambassador of the game, an elder statesman. Whatever you want to call him, he’s far worse than (Grayson) Allen. And he’s not done yet.”
Noted NBA defender Draymond Green had a more succinct response to the incident, simply tweeting that he’d “been ejected for less.”
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Been ejected for less
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) April 27, 2022
SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell called the move “classic Chris Paul.”
He wrote: “Chris Paul has been smallest player on the court in almost every game he’s played in during his incredible 17-year NBA career. It’s impossible to have that type of longevity at Paul’s size without knowing every little way to gain an advantage on the opposition. Paul has a particularly special way of blurring the line between being dirty and opportunistic, especially when he’s in the NBA Playoffs. … While it’s a similar play, CP3 got away with it. That is a classic Chris Paul in every way.”
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The Spun wrote that Paul went too far with the kick.
Matt Hladik wrote: “Over the years, Chris Paul has developed a reputation for pushing the envelope in terms of being physical and pesky on the court. Last night, Paul appeared to go a bit too far late in the second quarter of the Suns’ 112-97 Game 5 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. With 4:36 to go before halftime, Paul pulled up for a jump shot at the foul line while guarded by Jose Alvarado, the Pelicans’ equally feisty reserve guard. As he released the ball, Paul’s right foot connected with Alvarado’s groin. It certainly looked like he extended his leg to initiate the contact.”
The Big Lead wrote that the play was not a good look for Paul.
Ryan Phillips wrote: “It appears Paul pulled up, his leg hung there for a second, then he kicked it out. It definitely didn’t look like a natural motion and incidental contact. I don’t want to get into judging motives here or anything, but that didn’t look good. Sort of like this action from Draymond Green back in 2016: Same deal, not a great look for the guy doing the kicking.”
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Do you think Paul should receive a flagrant foul for the play?
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns’ Chris Paul slammed for kicking Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado in groin