Giannis Antetokounmpo called for ridiculous ‘taunting’ foul

Needlessly tight officiating struck again during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

Early in the third quarter of Game 4, Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down a statement dunk on Boston’s Al Horford. Antetokounmpo briefly stopped and stared down Horford as if to make a point. That brief staredown got Antetokounmpo a technical foul for taunting courtesy of referee Tony Brothers.

This is as ridiculous a call as you are likely to see. Antetokounmpo barely even stops and stares, and he only stops a second time in disbelief after being hit with the taunting call. The situation clearly was not escalating, and the only gesture made was Horford nodding in acknowledgement.

Critics of NBA officiating being soft will seize on this as evidence to back their point. They would have reason to given how silly this call was.