Potential Reasons That Joey Crawford Has It in for Tim Duncan

Posted Apr 16, 2007 4:59PM By mjd (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Spurs

No creature on earth -- teddy bears included -- seems as docile and agreeable as Tim Duncan. He's always seemed like a very calm, placid, friendly man. Which is why it's so bizarre that Joey Crawford ejected him yesterday.

So I've spent the day trying to figure out exactly what it was that set Crawford off. Here are my best five guesses.

• Duncan once propositioned and scored with Violet Palmer, on whom Crawford has always had an intense crush that he never acted on. Not only did it break Crawford's heart, but it also violated the "no sexual contact between players and officials" rule that he's always upheld.

• Crawford, while vacationing in the Virgin Islands, was in a car accident because he couldn't adjust to driving on the left side of the road. On the same vacation, he threw up for days at the tail end of a month-long rum binge, and was later beaten and mugged by a native. He holds Duncan responsible for each.

• Duncan read this interview with Crawford, and made some inappropriate jokes about Crawford's sleeping next to his grandson, both in their tighty whiteys.

• Because dammit, Timmy, THE ROSES ARE OUT OF BOUNDS, not the daisies, you got that? Screw Tim Duncan AND his garden gnomes.

• Duncan brought up the charges filed against Crawford in 1998 for filing false income tax returns. Crawford called the foul on Duncan, Duncan said, "I didn't foul him," Crawford said, "Yes you did," and Duncan replied, "At least my taxes are in order." Joey Crawford is very sensitive every year on April 15th.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-16-2007 @ 8:11PM

chaz said...

Crawford is senile and forgot where he was, and mistook TD for Sheed.

4-16-2007 @ 10:08PM

david said...

Crawford should be suspended. No ref should publicly criticize a player the way Crawford did.

4-16-2007 @ 10:22PM

Jack said...

Thats what I thought he left his glasses home and thought Sheed was in the game.The hole league waits for him to get to town

4-16-2007 @ 10:35PM

Moe said...

Unbelievable!!! Ref's can freak out just like players. But what recourse is there for a passive aggressive ref? When the best player on a team is sitting on the bench and is finding poor officiating humorous, and without aggressive and or offensive expressions other than laughing, out of amusement why would a so called professional ref. behave in such an immature and hyper self sensitive way? The game did have potential consequence for the playoff picture, You have to scratch your head. Refs have way to much power and influence over the outcome of a game....any motive theories....? Unbelievable. It would be great if there was a voting system in place by the owners and players to rate Refs. and their performance. There should a consequence for Refs when their behavior is inappropriate.

4-16-2007 @ 10:46PM

matt said...

tim duncan never is an any trouble, i think this ref was trippin out.the ref needs to take his chill pills and cool it.

4-16-2007 @ 10:49PM

Steve said...

It appears you/anyone who doesn't see Tim Duncan whine and/or cry "I was fouled" EVERYTIME he touches the ball or is near it must be blind. Duncan whines more than Kobe or Gary Peyton and that says a TON! Refs get tired of hearing that whining bullshit. SHUT UP AND PLAY BALL!!

4-16-2007 @ 10:54PM

donald marshall said...

Just watching on tv it appeared Duncan was laughing along with others. Ref was being over sensitive or he has some kind of complex. Duncan should not have been ejected.

4-16-2007 @ 11:35PM

oppsie said...

totally called that on march 22.

http://www.keef.net/oppsie/index.php/oppsie/violet_youre_turning_violet_violet/

4-17-2007 @ 9:46PM

auggie said...

THATS GOOD FOR CRAWFORD, ONE OF THE BIG BULLIES WHO REF IN THE N.B.A.
JESS KERSEY IS NEXT.

4-17-2007 @ 9:50PM

GOOD FOR CRAWFORD, ONE OF THE BIG BULLIES WHO REF IN THE N.B.A.

JESS KERSEY IS NEXT.

4-18-2007 @ 7:33AM

Crawford has always been an arrogant, overofficious, fake bully. He has gotten away with this for years and the NBA is to blame. He should have been fired long ago. He takes no responsibility for his actions in this (or any other) incident. He is even telling David Stern that he is being persecuted and cannot work under these conditions. Hopefully, he will not be asked.I have no dog in this particular fight (Duncan vs. Crawford). I would however,like to see some credibility in basketball officiating. It is time for David Stern to review his officiating troops.

4-18-2007 @ 2:11AM

emsnt3 said...

Bravo" mr.David Stern for suspending (the bully)crawford.Its about time this egocentric idiot learn That the NBA its not his kingdom, he is not the mighty ruler of the games and that he should not take his personal dislikes of players to the game.All the fans around the word aplaude you for putting this bully in his place. we all relief that he will not have any chance of jeopardyce the purity of the game with his egocentrics,stupid, senseles and selfish calls. Please dont ever let him referee any more games in the NBA . The true fans around the word will appreciated. Thank you again.

Rafael Santiago, Valencia, California

4-18-2007 @ 6:08AM

you shut up said...

STEVE COMMENT #6 ,you shut-up and open your eyes! Duncan is a good guy,and i'm tired of hearing your bullshit! You obviously back some sorry losing team, that's why you dislike DUNCAN and the winning SPURS. If you can't beat em' join em' !

4-18-2007 @ 6:28PM

Curt said...

I love these comments... as if anybody knows the whole story. It is hilarious how so many side with Tim Duncan. It is not cool to side with a Ref, it is right below Mom driving you to High School. Why is it that a Ref has to be professional about all aspects of the game, while one of NBA's Super Stars cannot laugh at a man while he is doing his job? Is Duncan getting Super Star treatment? Absolutely!! Was Crawford wrong in his verbal attack on Duncan? Absolutely, but to even think that this event took place in a vacuum, you would have to be certifiably nuts! Suspend both of them...

4-20-2007 @ 3:30PM

betsy duncan said...

As i've said elsewhere, it took a good guy like Timmy to show us all the true colors of a meglomaniac like Crawford. I even feel for someone like Rasheed "Ball Don't Lie" Wallace, when certain refs are working games. But i thank the basketball gods, too, that Timmy doesn't have to be defended like some of those other 'superstars', either!

4-22-2007 @ 10:51AM

Dennis said...

O.K., Joey lost his cool..but for the sake of basketball please don't permanently get rid of one of the few Ref's that usually calls the game with more integrity than most. I have watched Referees in general, either by incompetence or animosity determine the outcome of games in the NBA on a regular basis. The general climate should be addressed.....but don't pick on one of the few good ones. I don't know what prompted the incident, but I suspect TD played his part in it. What Joey did was out of line, he's human and some of it showed. The suspension is appropriate and I hope to see him back next season.