'Now this is just dirty': Charles Barkley weighs in on Bennedict Mathurin ejection vs Cavs
Inside the NBA weighed in on Bennedict Mathurin's ejection in Game 4 of the Indiana Pacers against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 11.
Mathurin hit De'Andre Hunter in the sternum during the first quarter with a closed fist. Hunter pushed Mathurin with two hands, knocking him over. Myles Turner hurried over to shove Hunter. Mathurin was ejected after being assessed a Flagrant 2 foul. Hunter was given a technical foul.
During halftime, Charles Barkley and Jalen Rose weighed in on the play.
"Now this is just dirty," Barley said. "There's no place for that."
More on ejection: Should Bennedict Mathurin have been ejected in Game 4 of Pacers vs Cavaliers?
Rose didn't believe Mathurin should have been ejected.
"Normally, the second guy gets punished," Rose said. "In this case, the first guy actually did. I felt like since it wasn't a punch below the belt, I felt like Mathurin should have gotten a technical and still been allowed to stay in the game."
Barkley said Mathurin got "lucky."
"It was dirty, unnecessary, uncalled for," Barkley said. "The thing that really pissed me off ... if it had changed the momentum of the game. It would have been really bad. (Mathurin) is lucky they were blowing them out. Sometimes when you poke the bear, something happens and a team goes on runs. He got very lucky."
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