Hawks coach Quin Snyder ejected from Friday’s loss vs. Raptors

‘Aggressive’ interaction with official given as reason for two quick technical fouls, second-quarter ejection
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder (shown here during the team's game against the Bulls Feb. 12) was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in Friday's home loss to the Raptors.

Credit: AJC file photo/Jason Getz

Credit: AJC file photo/Jason Getz

Hawks head coach Quin Snyder (shown here during the team's game against the Bulls Feb. 12) was ejected after picking up two technical fouls in Friday's home loss to the Raptors.

The Hawks played the second half of Friday’s home game against the Raptors without head coach Quin Snyder, who was ejected in the second quarter of the 123-121 loss.

With 4:25 to play before halftime, Snyder marched up to official Eric Dalen while getting into his face after referees did not call Raptors center Jakob Poetl for a moving screen. Poetl’s screen sent Hawks guard Trae Young to the ground with what appeared to be an injured hip.

Young’s apparent injury sparked Snyder’s ire with the night’s officiating and the coach unloaded on Dalen. After Snyder pointed his finger toward Dalen and pointed his finger at Young laying on the sideline, the official issued two technical fouls to the Hawks coach and ejected him from the game.

Snyder continued to shout his irritation at officials and could be seen on the television broadcast mouthing “call the foul.” Team security needed to escort the coach off the floor as he continued to let his frustration loose.

Following the game, crew chief Karl Lane said Snyder was given the first technical for ‘for charging toward an official aggressively and using profane language’ and was hit with the second one as ‘he continued to charge toward the official and continued to use profane language.’

“With respect to the play I (thought) it was a foul. And, he turned his body. That’s a quick, that’s an automatic foul,” Snyder said after the game. “That’s the call and obviously my reaction, you don’t react like that, typically to any foul. In that case, I saw Trae take a shot to his quad. And I was concerned about his knee, frankly.

“And then he was on the ground, and I was worried that he was hurt. So, probably deserved the technical, although that was the rationale. I don’t know why the second one came as quickly as it did. Typically you get one like that, there’s some level of understanding -- my players on the ground, and could be hurt.”

“So, like I said, my reaction was certainly an emotional one. And that was the reason why. But you see it on the film, it’s clearly contact. So feet are wide, which is an illegal screen to begin with, and then body turns. And get a guy that takes a shot and his quad and it looked to me initially, like it was his knee. So that was why I reacted.”

Here’s a breakdown of the Snyder ejection in question and answer form as the AJC conducted a pool report interview with Lane:

QUESTION: Why was Jakob Poeltl not assessed an offensive foul for the screen he set on Trae Young in the second quarter?

LANE: During the time on the court we felt that Jakob Poeltl got to a legal guarding position, but when we looked at it at halftime, we did notice that it was illegal leg-to-leg contact and there should have been a foul called.

QUESTION: Why was Quin Snyder assessed his first technical foul?

LANE: For charging toward an official aggressively and using profane language.

QUESTION: Why was Snyder assessed a second one?

LANE: He continued to charge toward the official and continued to use profane language.

QUESTION: In situations where you review a missed call at halftime, what would the appropriate action be for your guys? Would you add the foul on later or would you just move along?

LANE: No, you can’t add the foul on later, but Quin has to be responsible for his actions also.

QUESTION: At the end of the game was that out of bounds call on Dejounte Murray with 15.5 seconds to go, when you look at the jumbotron and the playback of the game, it looked like his foot was in bounds still. But what did you guys see?

LANE: The official on the court, he saw that his left foot actually stepped out of bounds. And then postgame, we reviewed it and we saw that it was correct. His left foot was out of bounds. It touched the line.

QUESTION: What is the time limit in which the Hawks would have needed to indicate they wanted to challenge the out of bounds play?

LANE: During that instance, he had until I gave the ball to the thrower-in, and then he would have lost the window.