Blazers call Dunleavy's flagrant foul on Lillard 'cheap', 'uncalled for'

It didn't take long for tensions to boil over in Portland on Friday.

With the Chicago Bulls in town - a team that notoriously hates visiting the Moda Center - and the Trail Blazers running up a big lead early in the third quarter, tempers began to flare. 

Bulls center Joakim Noah was fouled hard going for a rebound on a play that was mostly clean, and teammate Mike Dunleavy followed it up with his best Stan Hansen impression, flattening Blazers guard Damian Lillard with a lariat.

Dunleavy received a Flagrant Foul - Penalty 1 on the play, but that may not be the end of it. Portland visits the Bulls on Dec. 12, and it doesn't sound as if they'll be quick to forget the incident.

"I don't know what Mike was thinking," Blazers head coach Terry Stotts told reporters. "To take out a shooter like this in a defenseless position, I thought it was uncalled for."

Lillard was fine on the play, but he's lucky to have escaped unscathed, as neglecting to allow a shooter to land securely can be dangerous.

"Cheap," Lillard said of the shove. "It was cheap. I've had worse things happen, but that was the last thing I was expecting on a wide-open 3-point shot. It was a cheap play."

Dunleavy was apologetic after the game, though he probably didn't curry any favor by calling the 24-year-old Lillard a "nice kid." Dec. 12 should be a little more interesting, to say the least.