Atlanta Hawks announcer Steve Holman obliterates ‘dirty rotten’ Orlando Magic after cheap shot foul

While some veteran NBA announcers wish the league were as physical as it used to be, the modern game can still get too rough for Atlanta Hawks radio voice Steve Holman.

With the Hawks enjoying a 30-point lead over the Magic midway through the fourth quarter Wednesday night, Orlando center Goga Bitadze grabbed Atlanta’s Jock Landale as he went up for what should have been an easy dunk, recklessly pulling him to the floor. In the aftermath of the play, Landale rolled around the court while grabbing his ankle as his teammates immediately charged at Bitadze, ready to retaliate. But no one was more upset by the play than Holman, who destroyed Bitadze and the entire Orlando Magic team over the flagrant foul.

“A terrible, dirty play by the Orlando Magic!” Holman ranted on the radio broadcast. “This is what they do, they just knocked down Jock Landale and hurt him badly. Oh my goodness, somebody should get thrown out of this game! What a dirty, rotten team this Orlando Magic is! Oh my goodness gracious. Jock Landale got knocked down hard…pray to God that Jock Landale is not hurt badly, folks.

“That was a dirty, rotten play by Orlando! I don’t care what anybody says or replays on this one. This is a dirty, rotten team. They get down by 30 points, and this is what they do. They are dirty rotten players, every one of them on that team! They can’t take the losing. The Hawks are gonna be 4-0 against this team, they whine, and they complain on everything, and then they go to dirty rotten tactics!”

Holman then noted Landale was able to stand up after the hard foul and was later diagnosed with a right ankle sprain. But that did little to lessen Holman’s outrage, directed at Bitadze, calling for the 26-year-old to be banned from the NBA again.

“Bitadze has no business even being in the league! Goga Bitadze should be thrown out of the game, thrown out of the league for a play like that!” Holman continued. “He is a no-talent, dirty, rotten player.”

For those keeping count, that’s six “dirty rottens” from Holman. Hawks fans would have to inform us whether that’s a go-to phrase for Holman, or if it was just derived from his outrage in the moment. It was an inexcusable foul by Bitadze, one that probably did stem from being frustrated by the 30-point loss to Atlanta, but Holman’s response was unmatched.

This isn’t the first time Bitadze or the Magic have been accused of being dirty. Last year, the Boston Celtics complained about Orlando’s physical play during their first-round playoff series together, with Bitadze being at the center of those complaints after he split Kristaps Porzingis’ forehead open with his elbow. But even as his “dirty rotten” reputation might be growing, Bitadze still seems a ways away from being kicked out of the league.