Alex Caruso breaks his silence on technical foul after blocking attempt with his shoe originally appeared on The Sporting News Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso is one of the best defenders in the league, and he gets that praise often. He’s earned a solid reputation for himself as one of the best defenders in the league. However, he is also considered a player who can escape physical contact.
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Sometimes, when he gets too physical with an offensive player, the referee doesn’t blow the whistle. On Tuesday, however, there was an entirely unique moment that resulted in Caruso being assessed a technical foul.
Caruso gets honest about the technology of his shoe blocks
Caruso is one of the most respected defenders in the league. He’s always been in defensive discussions because of how many times he’s shut down games over the years.
Lately, he has become one of the most physical defenders around as he pushes the limits of what referees allow. He and Lu Dort formed a defensive lineup that was feared by almost every perimeter player in the league.
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Unfortunately for Caruso, he made headlines Tuesday night for unfortunate reasons. He became famous for blocking a shot with the shoe he had taken off his foot. This naturally resulted in a technical foul, which was to be expected.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this before. And, I don’t know, it came to me. I just thought I was going to block it, and honestly, I didn’t know what I thought the call was going to be. I didn’t know it was going to be a goalie and a skill,” Caruso said after the Thunder’s latest win.
“As soon as I had the shoe in my hand, the idea of using it came into my mind. Not maliciously, but ‘let me try to stop the ball.'” It was just one of those weird plays in the NBA that probably wouldn’t happen for another decade. “
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Going forward, that’s a lesson Caruso learned. That’s not something the referee appreciates. They’ve given him plenty of leeway defensively, but that could frustrate officials and make them more wary of his defensive performance.
