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N.B.A. Cracks Down on Whining About Foul Calls

In a recent preseason game against the Nets, Boston’s Paul Pierce punched the air in frustration after being whistled for a foul. He then looked around in curiosity after hearing the whistle again. In a circumstance that could repeat itself all season, the official, Steve Javie, had assessed Pierce with a technical foul for his demonstrativeness.

“He was like, ‘Sorry, but that’s the new rule,’ ” Pierce said Javie told him.

The new rule that Javie referred to is an attempt by the N.B.A. to cut down on the whining and muttering, the arm-waving and air-punching, the drawn-out contentiousness that is often generated by foul calls players disagree with. If players cannot keep a lid on the complaining, they will receive a technical.

On Wednesday night, in a preseason game between the Celtics and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, that new policy was on full display. Officials called four technicals in a span of 16 seconds, with Boston’s Jermaine O’Neal igniting the second-quarter whistlefest. Kevin Garnett received two technicals as he seemed to come to O’Neal’s defense, drawing an ejection before O’Neal even realized what occurred.