Los Angeles Lakers update: Kobe Bryant’s 15th technical foul dissolved by NBA
With the regular season coming to an end and just two games left in the stack, the two time reigning champions Los Angeles Lakers – a team that has face five straight defeats – finally had
a breath of fresh air on Monday. The news that brought back life to the faltering Lakers was rescinding of Kobe Bryant’s 15th technical foul.
The 32-year-old was inflicted with double technical fouls in the second quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that took place on Sunday, 10th April. Bryant who plays
shooting guard for the Lakers was called for a double technical along with Oklahoma’s centre Kendrick Perkins after the duo had an altercation late in the first half. Perkins, who has seen much of Kobe during his stint with the Boston Celtics, was attempting
to block Kobe from driving down the lane when the two got entangled. Tempers flared and few words were exchanged before the players were immediately separated by team-mates and officials.
Despite the encounter, Bryant went on scoring seven of Lakers next nine points, which constituted a 20-11 run that gave Lakers a good push into the next half. The Lakers however lost the game
120-106. This was the fifth straight loss for the Lakers who have now slipped to third position in NBA’s Western Conference.
The Lakers next meet the San Antonio Spurs on 12th April, whereas the Sacramento Kings on 13th April. Bryant should be even more careful in the next two games. He must
be conscious enough to avoid being called for two more technical fouls. If he does pick them, he will sum up 16 T’s for the current season and will be subjected to a one game suspension as per NBA’s policy. Any two technicals ensuing that will again constitute
of a one game ban.
However, the technical fouls are not taken into the playoffs and they are reset once the playoffs start. However the technical (T) suspension procedure is a bit different in the post season
as compared to the regular season. If a player earns his seventh T in the post season, he has to undergo a one game suspension and another suspension follows two additional technical fouls.
Another event of the same nature happened recently to Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard who had to suffer a one game suspension after totalling his 16 T’s of the current season.
The abrogation of the technical has now virtually eliminated the risk of Kobe’s suspension in the season opener of season 2011-12. He still can miss that game though, if he gets two technical
in last two games of the season.
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