On January 1st, in the 25th round of the CBA regular season, Xinjiang tasted their first home defeat of the season, ending their 14-game winning streak with a 107:111 loss to Shandong Express. However, the disappointment of the home defeat was not the only regret, as Zhao Rui's irrational behavior on the court may lead to more severe punishment. He was disqualified and sent off the court after only three minutes of play, paying the price for his impulsive actions. Did he regret it after the game? It seems not! From a sentence on his social media, we can understand his current mentality. Rather than saying he regrets it, he is still resentful of the referee's actions.
After the game, Zhao Rui left a comment under a video about him: "I get scolded when I win, and I get scolded when I lose. I might as well retire!" The incident occurred with over five minutes left in the first quarter when Zhao Rui attempted a layup. Yu Dehao's defense appeared to involve a foul, and during the physical contact, Zhao Rui almost collided with the basket stanchion. Zhao Rui believed it should have been a two-plus-one play, but the referee did not acknowledge it. Filled with anger, Zhao Rui confronted the referee, who responded with a technical foul warning. This only intensified Zhao Rui's anger, and he rushed forward, using his chest to push the referee. The referee, caught off guard by Zhao Rui's aggression, retreated several meters before regaining his footing. As expected, Zhao Rui immediately received another unsportsmanlike foul and was disqualified from the game.
From Zhao Rui's comments, it is clear that his dissatisfaction with the referees has not dissipated even after the game. Retirement was just a joke, but the referees ruined Zhao Rui's night. He only played for those three and a half minutes, scoring the two points that led to his ejection. Zhao Rui's performance was already poor, with two turnovers in his brief time on the court, and then the referees added fuel to the fire, pouring cold water on the already furious Zhao Rui.
Not only is Zhao Rui dissatisfied with the refereeing decisions, but head coach Liu Wei is also indignant. However, what he referred to after the game was not just Zhao Rui's single conflict point. In his press conference, he said: "There is now an undesirable phenomenon called falling to the ground and covering one's face. Even if they are touched on the leg, they cover their face to gain the referee's sympathy."
Liu Wei is right. In the previous match against Beikong, the opponent also had a series of dramatic falls, with Shen Zijie playing the role of the "shadow emperor." The key is that the referees always seem to cooperate by making "misjudgments," and it is not the first time Xinjiang has suffered such a fate. No wonder both the players and the head coach are so angry!
