DeMarcus Cousins “expected the ejection” Monday night in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 114-107 win against the OKC Thunder.
Cousins was booted out after his elbow hit Russell Westbrook in the head, and says he was punished for using rebounding fundementals taught to all bigs from an early age.
DeMarcus Cousins says he was ejected for using big-man fundamentals @brettmartel https://t.co/6odpzDtMQ8 pic.twitter.com/099Qsrz4y3
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) November 21, 2017
Boogie sarcastically noted that Russ had absorbed coaching on how to draw flagrant fouls.
Per the AP:
“It’s crazy. When you start playing the game of basketball as a big man, they tell you, ‘When you get a rebound, keep your elbows high and out,’ you know, to protect the ball from guards coming in stripping,” Cousins said. “All I did was use my fundamentals and I got punished for it.”
“I’m DeMarcus. I expected the ejection. I knew,” said Cousins, who was assessed a league-high 18 technical fouls last season.
Cousins, meanwhile, said he was aware of how his ejection following contact with Westbrook fit into the Thunder’s own recent history with disputed flagrant fouls.
“It shows that Russ is coachable,” Cousins said. “He listens and they got what they’ve been working on.”
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