In the second quarter, Collins was called for a foul that was immediately addressed. Kings center Domantas Sabonis pinned Collins deep in the paint, and to be fair, it looked like Sabonis was initiating much of the contact.
But trouble arose after Collins was ejected from the game, when he said some magic words to the referee as he headed to the bench. That got him a tech, prompting Collins to turn around to say some more. Which led to the second technology and expulsion. Which, in turn, brought out the bird. We can’t say for sure which particular referee Collins was directing his frustration toward, but 31-year-old veteran Michael Smith was the one who sent him off.
Recently, Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was fined 50 thousand dollars for a “profane” outburst and for pointing the finger at an official after his expulsion.
A week ago, Russell Westbrook of the Nuggets was fined $35,000 for “make an obscene gesture” towards the opposing team’s bench. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was also fined $35,000 for mocking fans during an NBA Cup game. The difference between those two is that the bird was not flying towards the officials. Collins was going towards the referees and that, perhaps, could justify a more severe punishment.
We’ll see how much this little tantrum ends up costing Collins, but it seems likely to fall somewhere between the $35k Edwards and Westbrook lost and the $50k VanVleet had to shell out. We also cannot rule out suspension, although it seems less likely.
