This probably wasn’t how Tiago Splitter envisioned his first win as an NBA head coach, but there he was walking into the Trail Blazers’ locker room after beating the Warriors on Friday and being showered with water bottles by his players.
Splitter, 40 and a seven-year NBA veteran, took over as Portland’s interim head coach after Chauncey Billups was arrested Thursday for his alleged role in an illegal poker scheme — the same day that Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones were also arrested for their alleged roles in separate poker and illegal sports gambling rings.
The mood at the facility Thursday was “not great,” Splitter told reporters pregamebut when the Trail Blazers needed to get back to basketball and escape the chaos of the situation for at least one night, Splitter led them to a 139-119 win.
“We didn’t want to do it right when he came in,” Portland guard Jrue Holiday told reporters about the water party. according to Blazer’s Edge. “He was too close to the door and maybe he could have run out or something, so I think it was the best plan to get him in the middle of the circle, and it was executed well.”
Splitter, when speaking about the moment, said he was “happy to see a smile on my players’ faces,” according to the outlet.
Follow The Post’s latest on the gambling scandal rocking the NBA:
He spent five seasons with the Spurs, one with the Hawks and one with the 76ers during his NBA career. Two years after his retirement, he moved into coaching in the league.
He initially spent four seasons as an assistant on the Nets’ staff before the Rockets hired him as an assistant under Ime Udoka.
Then, after a year as head coach of Paris Basketball, he returned to the NBA as an assistant on Billups’ staff.
The FBI has arrested 31 people involved in a rigged poker gaming ring backed by New York City’s organized crime families.
- Ernest Aiello – reputed Bonanno gangster
- Nelson “Spanish G” Alvarez
- Louis “Lou Ap” Apicella
- Ammar “Flapper Poker” Awawdeh
- Saul Becher – professional poker player
- Chauncey Billups – Portland Trail Blazers coach, NBA Hall of Famer and 2004 NBA Champion
- Matthew “The Wrestler” Daddino
- Eric ‘Spooky’ Serious
- Lee Fama – professional poker player
- Johannes Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo – reputed Lucchese gangster charged in 2013 for beating a porn star girlfriend
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony ‘Black Tony’ Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane “Sugar” Hair
- Osman “Albanian Bruce” Hoti
- Horatio Hu
- Zhen “Scruli” Hu
- Damon “Dee Jones” Jones – NBA player from 1998 to 2009
- Joseph Lanni
- John “John South” Mazzola
- Curtis Meeks
- Nicholas Minucci
- Michael Renzulli
- Anthony Ruggero Jr.
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Robert ‘Black Rob’ Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
- Julius Ziliani
But Billups’ future as coach of the Trail Blazers remains unclear after he allegedly served as a “face card” in the illegal poker scheme that used counterfeit shuffling machines, x-ray tables and special glasses to alter the games.
His attorney described Billups as a “man of integrity” in a statement to ESPN after his arrest and said his client planned to fight the charges in court.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government accuses him of is to believe that he would risk his legacy, his reputation and his freedom,” attorney Chris Heywood told the newspaper in part. “He wouldn’t jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.”
After opening the season with a pair of home games, the Trail Blazers now travel to face the Clippers, Lakers and Jazz along the way.
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