Diminutive Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea was ejected from Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers after he knocked down the much larger Blake Griffin.
Barea — generously listed at 6 feet, 185 pounds — was ejected with 5:29 to play in the third quarter after pushing the 6-foot-10, 251-pound Griffin to the floor.
Crew chief Bill Spooner explained the call.
"The contact, in our judgment, was deemed unnecessary and excessive," he said. "The contact was to the shoulders and above to the throat. That is deemed as a flagrant penalty two."
Barea laughed at the ruling as he walked off the court to a standing ovation from the American Airlines Center crowd.
The Mavericks went on to beat the Clippers 97-95.
Copyright The Associated Press