28 February 2023 , 16:30
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Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was kicked out of their game against bitter rival New York Knicks on Monday night after he paid the referee a "compliment".
It was the first time that Tatum has been ejected from a game in his six-year career, a player who is not known to be boisterous on the court.
In the third quarter, Tatum was given his first technical foul after asking if he was fouled after a dunk, when he let the referee hear his thoughts in uncharacteristic fashion.
With less than four minutes to go in a close-game, Tatum was speaking to an official after a play in which he claimed Julius Randle fouled him on a 3-point attempt and continued that complaint on New York's next possession.
Eventually, the referee gave him a technical foul, his second of the game and seeing the Celtics having to play the last few minutes without their number one scorer.
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When asked about the technical fouls, Tatum said: "The first one, no call. If you look, it was clearly a foul. And those are the ones that's tough. You get a tech for something that you probably was right about.
"Second one, I just told him this was probably the best officiated game I’ve been a part of. Tried to give him a compliment, and didn't go over so well."
When asked if he was being sarcastic, he responded with a smile: "I said it was the best-officiated game I've been a part of. I meant it."
Tatum has been in sensational form this seasonThe ejection proved costly, as the Celtics went on to lose the game and in turn lost their number one seed to the Milwaukee Bucks - who now have the best record in the eastern conference.
The Bucks have been on a 14-game winning streak since January, with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo being as dominant as he has ever been in recent weeks.
The Celtics have looked like one of the best teams throughout the season, all while having multiple players injured up to this point.
But now with key role players Robert Williams, Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon all healthy, along with Tatum and fellow superstar Jaylen Brown, they look to be the favourites to win their first championship in 15 years.