Mark Cuban is officially taking it up with the manager.
The Dallas Mavericks owner revealed to reporters on Monday that the team previously called the NBA to complain about Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lengthy free-throw routine. The two teams met on Nov. 27 (a 124-115 victory for the Bucks), after which the Mavericks brought up the issue to the league office. Cuban says the NBA replied that they would start enforcing the 10-second count on Antetokounmpo. However, the two sides played again last Friday (this time a narrower 116-115 win for Milwaukee), and Cuban says that Antetokounmpo was taking up to 12 seconds to shoot.
“I have no idea why they didn’t [call] that in a one-point game,” Cuban said on Monday, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
Of course, the bigger issue for the Mavs actually came from the other free-throw line. Dallas missed six (yes, six) straight foul shots to end Friday’s contest, any one make of which would have dramatically changed the trajectory of the game.
But it is true that Antetokounmpo is as famous (or perhaps infamous) for his interminable free-throw routine as Michael Jordan is for sticking his tongue out on dunks. You could brew yourself a cup of coffee, watch the entire “Godfather” movie trilogy, and then have a refreshing afternoon siesta, all in the time it takes Antetokounmpo to shoot one foul shot.
Antetokounmpo’s charity-stripe rituals have even become a major storyline during postseasons past. But you can add Cuban and the Mavericks to the list of opponents who have had just about enough of the entire spectacle.
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