The Rockets’ Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green each got two-game suspensions handed down on Wednesday for their roles in the now almost-mythic “secret passageway” confrontation in which they allegedly tried to storm the Clippers’ locker room after a loss. The team, however, is reportedly “shocked and disappointed,” that no one on the Clippers—specficially Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers—received any kind of punishment. From ESPN:
The Rockets are upset that Griffin and Rivers weren’t disciplined for their roles in the events that led to Ariza’s anger escalating to the point that he stormed into the Clippers’ locker room to confront them.
What did Griffin and Rivers do that was so dang inflammatory? According to the report, the Rockets are “adamant” that Griffin made contact and cursed at coach Mike D’Antoni, during their confrontation that led to a very clear “fuck you” from D’Antoni. And Rivers, who sat out the game and wore a suit and a protective boot due to an ankle injury, was reportedly talking trash to Ariza both during and after the game.
Per the report, Rivers first prompted the confrontation between Ariza and Griffin that got both ejected, then upset Ariza in the locker room area by yelling loud insults, including—get this—“calling Ariza out by name.” That apparently got Ariza so mad that he had to crash his opponents’ locker room.
It’s really too bad that the Clippers made the Rockets do all those things.