NBA Fans Slam Lu Dort After Elbowing Tyrese Haliburton: “The Canadian Draymond Green”

Lu Dort had TJ McConnell contesting a shot closely, and he responded by extending his elbow into the back of McConnell's head.

NBA Fans Slam Lu Dort After Elbowing Tyrese Haliburton: “The Canadian Draymond Green”

Lu Dort (FS Image)

The OKC Thunder find themselves in the unenviable position of being down 2-1 in the NBA Finals. They lost Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse 116-107 as most of their players failed to log double digit scores. It was an extension of a syndrome that many had observed during their series against the Denver Nuggets. Another trend in the Finals that will rile up NBA fans who are neutral is how Lu Dort continues to play dirty.

Lu Dort has built himself a reputation as a physical and pesky defender. The Canadian swingman has been instrumental in the OKC Thunder building one of the most active and engaged defenses of all time. But it has come at a cost to him and to other players. Dort has often been called one of the dirtiest players in the NBA. He showed why there’s a good reason for this in the Thunder’s Game 3 loss to Indiana.

While faking a 3-point shot from the left wing, Dort was contested by Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. There is an argument to be made that Haliburton invaded Dort’s landing space, although he was a bit late to do this. However, Dort made a non-basketball play in response to this that has riled NBA fans up. He threw his right elbow out intentionally to hit Tyrese Haliburton in the face with a hard swing.

It seems that the tide is turning on the Thunder and the positive storytelling around them this season. Their physicality has often been deemed to be fouls going uncalled by referees by many neutral fans. This Lu Dort incident has reinforced this notion within fans, who went gaga in their response to Dort’s elbow on Haliburton.

In spite of his theatrics, Dort couldn’t help OKC garner a win in Game 3.

Lu Dort and Alex Caruso vs Tyrese Haliburton will decide the NBA Finals

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a subpar outing in Game 3, the MVP is likely to get back to form in the next game. SGA is the most consistent and effective scorer in the Finals and will get his mojo back sooner rather than later.

However, the Finals will be decided by how well the Pacers are able to conduct their offense through Tyrese Haliburton. The 25-year-old has had two mediocre games before coming to life with a near-triple-double in Game 3.

OKC will be hard-pressed to win the series if they are unable to curb his playmaking. Haliburton is being guarded, at various points, by Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins and Dort. The foursome need to be more enterprising on that end and stifle his creativity better than they were able to in Game 3. SGA has shown that he’s not a defender at these players’ level in Game 3.

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