The Golden State Warriors dominated the Portland Trail Blazers 112-128 in Oakland earlier this week. Despite the remarkable win, Andrew Bogut feels weighed down following the game. Watching the matchup, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard could be easily identified as the cause of Andre Iguodala's injury. While the refs and fans opted to simply shrug off the incident as a yet another case of competitiveness, the Golden State Warriors Australian star cannot let go of the issue.
Bogut, who has been named as one of the top five dirty players in the NBA today, calls out the "double standards" set when judging plays by international stars and those from the United States. Citing the incident where Lillard caused Iguodala's sprained left ankle, Bogut posed a question to the fans. He asked if the same reaction of nonchalance would have been adapted if Matthew Dellavedova committed the foul. Both Bogut and the Cleveland Cavaliers star are included in the list of "dirty" players in the NBA.
"It seems like certain guys - predominantly international - that are the dirty guys in the league," noted Bogut via San Jose Mercury News. He added, "That would have been a national outrage if it was somebody else. It goes back to I don't think Damian did it on purpose. I don't think he did it on purpose. I don't think he tried to hurt Andre. But the be-all-end-all, it's a reckless play. No matter how you look at it. I don't think he tried to hurt him, but at the same time, you dove for a loose ball through someone's legs. That's what happens, and that's just unfortunate, but like I said, they'd be calling for his head (if it was somebody else)."
In the list released by the Los Angeles Times, a poll that reached out to coaches, assistants and players in the NBA revealed the top five "dirty" stars in the league today. Leading the list is Cleveland Cavaliers' Dellavedova. In second place is Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bogut ranked third while Memphis Grizzlies' Matt Barnes placed fourth. Another member of the Kevin Durant team, Serge Ibaka, earned the fifth spot on the list.
"There's a huge double standard, a massive double standard. And I'm not saying Damian should get in trouble," Bogut said. He added, "Nothing like that. It's more like the perception afterwards of the double standard. Like if it's a big 7-foot international guy, all of a sudden, 'Oh yeah, he's not as skilled or talented.' An All-Star does it, 'You know, he was just hustling.' Which is a disappointing thing."
Despite the issues raised by Bogut, the Portland Trail Blazers remain solidly behind Lillard and his manner of gameplay. Ed Davis, one of his teammates, shared via Yahoo Sports that Lillard is "up there with Kobe Bryant." Apart from Davis, the Golden State Warriors also clarified that they admire the Portland Trail Blazers star.
"Dame is an amazing talent," Curry shared of Lillard. He added, "Obviously, there is a chip on his shoulder for a lot of different reasons. He feeds off of that. I'm sure he wants to create his own identity and who he is as a player and make noise that way."
