Chris Paul Got Tossed Last Night For Telling An Official Not To Treat Him Like A Little Kid

Do we have a word in the English language that means necessary, but completely useless? Whatever that, potentially non-existent, word is it describes the NBA preseason perfectly. Yeah, the players need to play games that don't count so that the product isn't absolute trash once the games do count. The referees need to get used to officiating games that don't count so that the calls are consistent when they do count. If you need anymore evidence of that then look at the quality, or lack thereof, of football being played during the first month of the NFL season. Regardless, as important as it is to the NBA regular season, it's just as unimportant in and of itself. You see it when players with job security make plays they wouldn't think about making when a meaningful win is on the line, and you see it when referees toss out star players for seemingly harmless statements. 

Look at this exchange. A pretty clever retort from Chris Paul followed by a completely unnecessary ejection. Chris Paul treating said an ejection like a kid who was told he was getting out of school early. He may not be a "little kid" but he hurried off the floor like one that was rushing home to play his new video game system. If this was a regular season game Chris Paul would have ripped that refs heart out and fed it to his children, not calmly walked off the floor after proclaiming he wasn't a child. I don't even hate the official abusing his authority here. That's exactly what the preseason is for. Usually he has to wait for CP3 to "fuck" him up and down the floor before he can rationalize pointing him back to the locker room. In the preseason he can do it at the most minor of inconveniences. The preseason is just a necessary evil. The players don't really want to be there, and the officials don't really want to be there. This guy threw Chris Paul out because he wanted to make his night as peaceful as possible and Chris Paul left instantaneously because he wanted his night to be as short as possible. Really it was a win-win for both parties. Just don't treat CP3 like a kid when the games matter, or the resulting confrontation won't go nearly as smoothly.