HomeMIAMI - The NBA has just released a short question-and-answer report with lead crew official Dan Crawford. He said that Paul Pierce was ejected from the Celtics-Heat playoff game in the fourth quarter after picking up his second technical via a "verbal taunt."
Pierce and The Heat's Dwyane Wade got tangled up in front of Miami's bench and exchanged words. Both were hit with technicals. Because it was Pierce's second, he was ejected.
"It's what we call a verbal taunt," Crawford said. "He directed profanity towards Wade and in the rulebook, that is a verbal taunt. And it just so happened to be Pierce's second technical foul."
Pierce earned his first technical 59 seconds earlier in the fourth quarter when he made contact with Miami's James Jones with his head.
"It was contact during a dead ball," said Crawford. "He approached Jones and got right in his face. There wasn't a head butt but he got right into his face after a hard foul."
