Robin Lopez lost the script on Thursday night as the Chicago Bulls visited the Miami Heat. Then he got ejected and lost it a bit more.
Lopez was ejected with 8:43 left in the fourth quarter on Thursday, and he made like Ryan Adams and went nuclear after he was called for technical fouls and asked to leave. The game was not particularly close, with the Heat leading 87-72, but Lopez was upset about officiating and demanded to be heard.
The TV broadcast describes Lopez as he “lost his mind” complaining about what were described as “obvious fouls.” Not in his mind, however, and he proceeded to melt down on the floor, forced to be restrained by staff and other teammates.
As the arena sound system played “Hit The Road Jack” Lopez refused to leave the bench area, screaming at officials for a good 30 seconds while the opposition crowd continued to cheer. It really was a pretty impressive display, though as some pointed out it may have had ulterior motives. Some on social media did make a pretty funny point: he actually high-fived someone in the middle of his rant.
Lopez might pay the price for this kind of outburst, whether it be financially or with time on the floor. It might be a bit extra expensive, too, given that it’s his second significant outburst in consecutive months, but he certainly got his money’s worth on Thursday night.
