It’s right there on Page 58 of the NBA rule book.
Thou shalt not bumb a ref.
OK, those aren’t the exact words, but that is the gist of the rule that Rondo violated in the closing minute of Game 1 of the Hawks-Celtics first-round playof series, won by Atlanta 83-74 Sunday night.
Rondo drew a technical foul for arguing a call with 41 seconds left when he thought a jump ball should have been called, then clearly made intentional contact with referee Marc Davis by bumping him in the back. Davis immediately ejected Rondo.
From the rule book:
“PHYSICAL CONTACT—SUSPENSION: Any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game. A fine and/or longer period of suspension will result if circumstances so dictate.”The loss of their playmaker and key offensive cog could be devastating for a Celtics team that struggled to score Sunday night, in part because Ray Allen sat out because of a sore right ankle. Allen received a cortisone shot last week and said he was 50-50 for Game 1, but when tipoff came he was sitting in street clothes.
Rondo had 20 points, 11 assists and four steals in the Game 1 loss.
Here is the play that’ll get Rondo banned from Philips Arena in Tuesday night’s 7:30 tipoff.