Adelman loses it, NBA strikes
The line’s thin. Too thin, sometimes, when the heat rises and the game frays at the edges. Saturday night in Houston, David Adelman crossed it. And the NBA didn’t waste time responding. The Nuggets’ coach was fined $35,000 after his ejection in the loss to the Rockets, the league said.
Official reason. Inappropriate language toward the officials and refusal to leave the floor within a reasonable time. Translation. Adelman was furious. And he made it obvious — a bit too loud.
A first — and not a quiet one
For David Adelman, it’s all still new. The job. The pressure. The responsibilities. And this ejection, the very first of his head-coaching career, will go down as a particularly turbulent baptism by fire.
The scene unfolded in the fourth quarter. A contentious play. His star going down without the whistle he wanted. Then Adelman blew up. He left his box, stepped onto the court, screamed, pointed at a referee, stared him down, called him out. Too long. Too hard.
The verdict came as no surprise. Off to the locker room.
Built-up frustration
After the game, Adelman tried to explain, not so much to excuse himself. He spoke about a feeling. About a buildup. About officiating he considered inconsistent.
“I felt it was a reaction to what happened earlier in the week,” he said. “With five minutes left in the second quarter, they had only one foul. I felt the game was extremely physical on both sides… Honestly, I was confused. I was just looking for answers.”
Calm words. Far from how he’d acted a few hours earlier.
A charged game to the final whistle
On the court, the tension was real. The Nuggets and Rockets finished the game with 20 personal fouls each. A figure that tells you it was stop-start, rough, fought on every possession. One of those nights where every call is picked apart, contested, blown up.
In that context, Adelman’s anger isn’t hard to understand. But it’s still punishable. The NBA, consistent as ever, reminds everyone passion doesn’t excuse everything. Even when intensity spills over.
A lesson going forward
This fine isn’t just a number. It’s a message. Being a head coach means accepting you’re on the front line, even when frustration rises. Even when an injustice looks obvious from the bench.
For Adelman, the episode marks a symbolic turning point. Learning sometimes comes through pain. The Nuggets will have to turn the page fast. But their coach now knows one thing. In the NBA, losing your cool costs. Big time.
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