Maybe Rasheed Wallace had things to do. Or maybe he just has a temper. Either way, it took the Knicks’ hotheaded backup big man just 1:25 to get ejected from yesterday’s 106-99 matinee win over the Suns.
He apologized to his teammates afterward, but they insisted the referees never should have called the second technical foul, and did so just because of Wallace’s salty reputation.
Wallace was whistled for fouling Luis Scola with 1:14 left in the first quarter, and was assessed a technical for doing so with enough force to ensure Scola did not complete the basket for a potential three-point play.
Wallace yelled his catchphrase “Ball don’t lie!” — an expression of basketball karma — after Goran Dragic missed the technical free throw and then continued to (profanely) argue his case. He was slapped with another technical and tossed — unfairly, the Knicks claimed.
“I think so. I think so. He’s the only guy in the league that gets a technical for saying ‘Ball don’t lie,’ ’’ said Carmelo Anthony. “Scola kept playing after the play, and in this league there’s something called continuation. He stopped him and they gave him a tech. It is what it is. ’Sheed came and apologized to us, and we move on.
“He came in. It was the right thing to do. He came in and he apologized to us for getting kicked out, and you move on.’’
Anthony, who scored a game-high 34 points, even mimicked Wallace’s celebration of putting three fingers to his head after hitting a 3-pointer in a show of solidarity.
“I’m just representing my man Rasheed Wallace, three to the dome,’’ said Anthony, although coach Mike Woodson declined comment.
Wallace’s 30 ejections and 317 technical fouls are believed to be the most since the NBA starting keeping track of such transgressions in 1991-92.
“I hate to say that, but in Rasheed’s case I think the reputation is it,’’ Kurt Thomas said. “I was definitely surprised. The first one I don’t even think should’ve been called. He’s going for it trying to block the shot so the guy doesn’t get an and-one, and they called a tech. Then just emotions took over.’’
With big men Amar’e Stoudemire and Marcus Camby sidelined, Wallace’s ejection was ill-timed. Rookie Chris Copeland was forced into 9:38 of first-half action.
“I’m sure [reputation factored into the foul calls] a little bit,’’ Tyson Chandler said. “I honestly thought, ‘Continuation play.’ The defensive player is allowed — if the offensive player continues to go — to stop him, and that’s what Rasheed was trying to do.
“Scola continued on, and he continued to play as well. …[Ball don’t lie], that’s his thing. He started that. He says that when the guy’s shooting the free throw to kind of mess with the guy at the line. And he got a tech for it.’’