Tim Buckley of the Deseret News reports:
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Ejected from Friday’s loss at Phoenix after making contact in the game’s final second with referee Michael Smith, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said he was merely trying to defend himself.
“I put my arm up to keep him from coming any farther,” said Sloan, whose forearm met Smith’s chest. “I’ve had trouble with him before. So that’s why I did that.”
Sloan first tried to approach the referees while they were reviewing a hard last-second Grant Hill foul that floored Jazz backup point Ronnie Price, who appeared to try for a meaningless dunk as the 110-100 loss came to a close.
Security stopped him because coaches and players aren’t allowed to be near the refs during video reviews, but the two met after the review had concluded.
