The emotion was evident when David Griffin talked to reporters on Friday.
The Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations spoke at length about the fractured left ring finger that will sideline Zion Williamson indefinitely and, in all likelihood, eliminate his team’s chances of reaching the play-in tournament.
Some of Griffin’s frustrations likely stem from knowing any hopes of grabbing the 10th seed were snatched away with less than two weeks left in the season. Some of it may have been an accumulation of all the disappointment from a failure to live up to expectations this year.
But once he expressed it, just about all the anger was pointed in one direction: the NBA and its officials.
“I’m really frustrated because this was avoidable,” Griffin lamented.