Wrong sport: Bulls' Gibson ejected after kicking Dellavedova

Published May. 12, 2015 9:15 p.m. ET

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Connor Kiesel

Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson was ejected from Game 5 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Bulls as tensions flared up again in what's been a heated series.

As Bulls guard Aaron Brooks made a floater, Gibson and Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova became tied up on the other side of the hoop. Dellavedova appeared to lock legs with Gibson, who broke loose, then threw a kick.

Cavs fans' chants of "get him out" during the officials' review were answered with an ejection of Gibson.

After the game, Gibson disputed what seemed to be a clear action on his part.

"I didn't kick him at all," Gibson said. "I tried to put my leg back and it looked like I kicked him from the force I was pulling my leg out."

Neither Dellavedova or Gibson was looking for a fight, as teammates swarmed the area in the aftermath.

"We're a really tight-knit team. I appreciate them having my back and just being smart and making sure nothing escalated," Dellavedova said."

Nothing did but Gibson was still confused in the moment.  

"I gave him [Dellavedova] a look like what are you doing? This is basketball, this isn't wrestling," Gibson said.

Gibson's teammate Mike Dunleavy said of the play: “You get locked up like that, as far as I’m concerned, all bets are off."

Cavs head coach David Blatt would not go so far as to call it a "melee," as one reported coined the incident in a postgame question, and did not comment any further on it.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau called the incident "bizarre" and said, "Losing Taj was a big hit for us," despite his team's fourth-quarter run which closed the deficit all the way down to only a couple of points in the game's final minute.

Gibson wasn't the only member of the Bulls to be reprimanded. In the third quarter, Joakim Noah, who has been booed profusely by the crowd in Cleveland, was given a technical following a foul on LeBron James.

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