The man once known for his comical commentary next to Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen in the booth now also has some intriguing things to say as an NBA playoff coach. After the Golden State Warriors lost a closeout game to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their first-round series, Jackson accused Denver of playing dirty and trying to hurt Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Golden State’s young star definitely took some shots and acknowledged the fact he caught some “elbows to the chest” even when he didn’t have the ball.
Now Jackson isn’t a guy to call out dirty play unless it’s really dirty because he’s always said he admires tough play. So if he says the Nuggets took shots below the belt, dude is probably on to something. Here’s what he told ESPN:
“There were some dirty plays early. It’s playoff basketball. It’s all right. Make no mistake, we were up 3-1 playing hard, clean physical basketball, not trying to hurt anybody.”
Jackson specifically called out Nugets forward Kenneth Faried for setting “illegal screens,” but Faried took offense to that, saying he believed the accusations should be reversed because the Warriors were the ones who played dirty.
So what do you think? Did Denver play dirty while keeping the series alive? Comment below and let us know!
