It may be preseason, but that doesn't mean players haven't already adopted a regular-season mindest. That much was evident on Monday night when Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum tried to prevent a Gordon Hayward fastbreak layup in a tight game against the Utah Jazz.
Upon further review, McCollum was disciplined with a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter of the eventual 88-81 Portland win. McCollum, who has never had a reputation as a dirty player, addressed the situation with reporters in Salt Lake City after the victory.
"You have to respect the call the refs make," stated McCollum. "I didn’t think it was Flagrant 2-worthy. I looked at the replay and it looked like I might’ve got him by the shoulder a little bit, which is an automatic flagrant. I didn’t try to, I was just trying to prevent a layup. It’s unfortunate, I’m glad he wasn’t hurt. I’m just trying to move forward, continue to play.
"I was just trying to prevent him from going up. Things happen."
It's unclear whether the League Office will issue McCollum any further discipline via suspension or fine at this time. For what it's worth, McCollum was quick to apologize to Hayward on his way to the locker room following the ejection.