Hey, Coach — you started it?
Following the Boston Celtics’ win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of their first-round NBA Playoffs series, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg complained that Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas constantly picks up his dribble and should be called for traveling. Hoiberg was surely legitimately frustrated with how difficult it is to defend Thomas (who scored 33 points in the game), but likely also wanted to plant an idea in referees’ minds. Regardless, he called attention to the way Thomas plays.
So after Boston won Wednesday’s Game 5, 108-97, behind Thomas’ 24 points, Hoiberg was asked if he saw Thomas carry the ball during the game. The Bulls coach responded with a one-word answer and walked off the podium.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg quickly bails from podium when asked whether Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas carried the ball during Game 5… pic.twitter.com/M1IYVrVRkK
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 27, 2017
In baseball, that would be called a walkoff, folks.
The post-game press conference was winding down, so it’s not like Hoiberg cut the presser short after one question and stormed off. But he clearly didn’t like the question, especially when it seemed like a bit of a taunt from Josue Pavon of WEEI.com. Even if Hoiberg made that topic fair game by making an issue of it after Game 4, it came off like a smart-ass question. Exactly what sort of answer did the reporter expect to get from the coach? Hoiberg had already made his point on Sunday.
Very professional question asked by a Boston “reporter” to Fred Hoiberg about Isaiah Thomas’ dribbling. Just seemed to be baiting. Bad form
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) April 27, 2017
Reaction was mixed over the question being posed in the first place. Obviously, plenty of people were amused by Hoiberg abruptly leaving, providing another memorable post-game presser that joins David Fizdale’s “Take that for data!” and Russell Westbrook cutting off a question asked to one of his teammates in a different sort of 2017 NBA Playoffs highlight reel. Yet other reporters probably didn’t like a showboat question that wasted time during a press conference with deadlines looming either. Especially when the response it generated provided no information.
But Hoiberg’s walkoff made for some memorable video. And maybe the coach regrets bringing up Thomas’ ball-handling in the first place.
[Correction: Pavon’s name was added to this article after being pointed out by a reader.]
