(video via Beyond the Buzzer)
Serge Ibaka appeared to deliberately hit Blake Griffin in the groin as they battled for position late in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 108-104 Sunday win over the Clippers. Although Ibaka’s eyes were looking at the ball as Matt Barnes drained a three-pointer, the hit was pretty clear-cut, and should have been an easy Flagrant Two call. But it was simply ruled a Flagrant One, which allowed Ibaka to stay in the game, and he made a couple of big plays down the stretch that sealed the win for the Thunder.
Whether the NBA decides to do anything about Ibaka’s hit remains to be seen. The fourth-year big man doesn’t have a reputation as a dirty player—if Reggie Evans, Stephen Jackson, or even Ibaka’s teammate Kendrick Perkins had been the culprit, the punishment would have likely been much more severe. But the playoff implications of this game, and the fact that Griffin is one of the NBA’s most high-profile stars, should drive the league to do something. Plus, you know, he hit him in the privates and clearly wasn’t going for the ball or Griffin’s hands. One thing is certain: there will be no love lost between these two teams if they meet in May or June.