Matthew J.D. Philips

Screenwriter / Writer
Supporter of our Future Overlords Willow and Jaden Smith
Survivor/Big Brother/The Challenge/NBA/Harry Potter Fanatic

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@camperry21 Not dribbling out the ball at the end was really bad. You gotta know to do that. Especially with OG being the one getting back with you

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

Hey man, can't give anything but props to the Knicks on that one. Some silly stuff by Spurs down the stretch, and Knicks took advantage. Can't believe Fox didn't dribble that steal out and force them to foul. Man's supposed to be the vet and made such a foolish blunder there

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@Jacobtheclipper @_ZKD_ It might've been a shit, but Mitch's presence made it look like a long in real time and even in slow motion on replay it looks like it might be a lob. Definitely not clear either way, but they called what they called and that's just how it goes sometimes 🤷🏾‍♂️

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@SamQuinnCBS IMO, if you're going to suspend or come close to suspending players for infractions in the NBA Finals, the offenses need to be pretty egregious

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@SamQuinnCBS I also think, if you wanted to go by the letter of the law in this instance, there are others that could be looked at that would have been far more punitive for The Knicks (bench players leaving the bench during an oncourt altercation).

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@getnickwright I don't think it rose to the level of violence required by the spirit of the rule. I believe had it been reviewed in real time, a tech would be assessed. There was no injury & if we're being honest, no risk of injury. It was a shove b/w locked up, groundbound players.

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@NateDuncanNBA @jrborman13 I would also suggest this is a build up situation given how the last game was refereed as well. Games in this series had been trending toward out control and kind of manifested in that moment.

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@KevinGraySports He makes me feel amused by having people crying about him constantly, tying themselves in knots to point out some league conspiracy to prop him & OKC up, and in general being upset that his/their play is a winning formula. Reminds me of Duncan discourse growing up 😂

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@JustEsBaraheni If he does all the same stuff, but dunked on some people every now and then, or any of the other fun to watch stuff I mentioned, nobody would care about the foul stuff honestly. Shai is essentially modern Duncan, in the sense that he has no desire to be on highlight reels

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@JustEsBaraheni I think what hurts him is that most of the other guys have spectacular highlights you can point to. Buzzer beaters. Dunks. High flying plays. Flashy passes. Electric long range shooting. When you think of Shai highlights, literally nothing particularly exhilarating comes to mind

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@Generationexp @BarryOnHere So the argument is that the league via the refs are looking to prop up Ajay Mitchell at the expense of...

*Checks Notes*

... LeBron James and The Los Angeles Lakers. Is that right?
May I ask, to what end?

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

Hot Take!
Most phantom fouls are not meant to fool refs. Players are conditioned to embellish contact or you won't get calls. Players are also most often just getting to spots & using moves they've used 10000x over. More often than not, they're anticipating contact & embellishing

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@FlaggMavs What about situations where there's flopping and also a foul? Or is it impossible to flop if a foul occurred, no matter how much you embellished it?

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

The NBA's plan is diabolical in it's simplicity:
Step 1: Disproportionately call fouls in favor of the revenue driving market Oklahoma City and their Canadian MVP/Star.

Step 2:

Step 3: Profit!

The inventive structure is clear and inexcusable!

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@SamQuinnCBS Unless you either want endless reviews, or to do away with touch fouling altogether. These calls are all based on what a referee sees and how they interpret it. You can't legislate that in any meaningful way

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@SamQuinnCBS I disagree with the framing generally. Many of these calls are indeed fouls. There aren't as many calls as people are imagining simply aren't fouls that are being called such. I think the complaint is inconsistency. And there's simply no way to legislate that out

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

@BarryOnHere He's right! It's obvious to anyone watching that the NBA & their officials are doing everything in their power to artificially prop up The Thunder! They are doing this blatant cheating to the detriment of LeBron James & LA, in favor of 🇨🇦 Shai & Oklahoma City clearly for profit

[Matthew J.D. Philips @MJDP_GSE]

I'm happy he's back in the league.... But man... He should still be in Toronto

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are hiring Masai Ujiri as the franchise's new Team President and Alternate Governor, sources tell me and @BannedMacMahon. Ujiri ran the Toronto Raptors from 2013 to 2025, serving as the architect of the 2019 NBA championship team.