Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine insists that he wasn't cursing at head coach Jim Boylen during the closing seconds of the team's loss to OKC on Tuesday night. Footage of the incident in question quickly spread throughout #NBATwitter, as it appeared as though LaVine was yelling at his own bench, "I have fucking 40 points" before pulling up and hitting a clutch three from the logo.
LaVine and Boylen have had their issues so it was reasonable to believe that LaVine's anger was directed at the head coach. However, the 24-year old guard claimshe was actually just talking shit to Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder.
"You get into the heat of the battle and between players when you guys are talking, you talk smack sometimes, right? And that's all it was," LaVine told ESPN.
"We were still down. [Oklahoma City's Dennis Schroder] was talking a little mess to me and I just let him know, 'Look, I've got 40, I don't know why you're talking to me,'" he added. "I don't know why they said they thought I was talking to Jim, but it was just people being competitive in the game talking."
Although the trash talk wasn't directed at his head coach, LaVine admitted that he has to do a better job of watching his actions on the court. Says LaVine, "The cameras have been following me lately, so people are going to make their own assumptions on what's going on between me and Jim or me and the team, but our relationship is fine. I'm a competitive and fiery guy on the court, so that's pretty much what happened."
The Bulls currently rank 11th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 20-39.
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Zach LaVine Loses It At Head Coach Amid 41-Point Game
Zach LaVine has been carrying the Chicago Bulls and doesn't have anything to show for it.
Zach LaVine has been one of the few bright spots on the Chicago Bulls this season although it hasn't exactly resulted in wins. The Bulls are tenth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 20-39. Unless they go on a huge winning streak, they don't have much of a chance to make it to the playoffs. LaVine has been vocal about his frustrations this season and last night, they boiled over even further.
During a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, LaVine was being yelled at from the bench by head coach Jim Boylen. In the video below, LaVine can be seen responding to Boylen by saying "I have 40 fu-king points." LaVine's tone was pretty strong and he seemed to be exasperated by Boylen's continuous criticism.
This clip shouldn't be a surprise if you've followed the Bulls this season. Boylen has been criticized at every turn for his bizarre lineups and rotations. For instance, rookie Coby White has scored 30 points in three consecutive games yet he's still a bench player. It's clear the players are starting to get fed up and LaVine is at the head of that charge.
When the season is over, it will be interesting to see if the Bulls make a change at head coach. It's been a long time since the Bulls have done anything significant so it certainly wouldn't be a shocking move.
