On Thursday night, the Bucks’ Grayson Allen committed the flagrant 2 heard around the world on Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
The play has spurred conversations and controversies across all platforms regarding its severity.
Allen’s History of Questionable Fouls
Back in his Duke days, Allen tripped multiple opposing players and gained a reputation as a dirty player. You can find a video compilation of those highlights here.
Throughout the first few years of his NBA career, the fourth-year guard has mostly steered clear of controversial fouls. But fast forward to last night – and many conversations surrounding Allen’s style of play – resurfaced, especially by the Bulls,
The Lead-Up to the Foul
Allen’s foul occurred on a fast break with 5:45 to go in the third quarter. He chased down Caruso before swatting at his arm during an attempted lay-up.
Caruso and Allen’s respective momentums were taking them in two different directions. Caruso’s was heading towards the rim, while Allen’s was going in a perpendicular direction. When Allen made contact with Caruso, he sent the Bulls’ guard twirling before he landed hard on his side.
Distinguishing Between a Flagrant 1 and Flagrant 2
While Caruso got up after grimacing in pain on the ground, the officials evaluated Allen’s foul for its severity. According to ESPN sportswriter Brian Windhorst, the following information defines flagrant 1 and 2 fouls:
- By rule, a flagrant 1 is “unnecessary” contact and a flagrant 2 is “unnecessary and excessive” contact and, therefore, can result in ejection and possible suspension.
The officials ruled Allen’s foul a flagrant 2 and ejected him from the game. Allen scored five points on 2-for-5 shooting in 20 minutes.
The Aftermath of Allen’s Foul on Caruso
After Caruso hit the deck, he actually finished out the rest of the game and played a total of 24 minutes. In his postgame interview, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Allen’s foul “could have ended [Caruso’s] career”.
This is where the I-94 rivalry trolling began. The next morning, the Bucks posted a video of Allen on Twitter with the caption saying, “Good morning.” The Bulls’ Twitter page commented “seriously???” and tagged the Bucks.
Later that day, the Bulls announced that Caruso has a wrist fracture and will be out for six to eight weeks.
A Bitter Rivalry Renewed?
While Caruso recovers from his wrist injury and the I-94 rivals go at it on Twitter, an interesting question arises: will this play renew some bad blood?
In a 2015 playoff game between the rivals, now 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo committed a flagrant 2 foul on Mike Dunleavy as he shot a three from the wing. With Allen’s foul, there’s an argument to be made that the extent is hyperbolized due to his “dirty” history.
Milwaukee beat Chicago 94-90. Both teams will meet again on March 4 at the United Center before finishing off their regular season series at Fiserv Forum on March 22.
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