This likely wasn’t how Tiago Splitter envisioned getting his first win as an NBA head coach, but there he was, walking into the Trail Blazers’ locker room after defeating the Warriors on Friday and getting doused 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 over 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 was “not great” on Thursday, Splitter told reporters pregame, but when the Trail Blazers needed to return to basketball and escape the chaos of the situation for at least one night, Splitter guided them to a 139-119 victory.
“We didn’t wanna do it right when he walked in,” Portland guard Jrue Holiday told reporters about the water celebration, according to Blazer’s Edge. “He was too close to the door and maybe he could’ve ran out or something, so I think being able to get him in the middle of the circle was the best plan, and it was executed well.”
Splitter, when talking about the moment, just 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:
- NBAers Chauncey Billups, ‘Scary Terry’ Rozier arrested in major gambling bust involving 4 Mafia families, LA Lakers and LeBron James
- Who is Damon Jones? The other NBA player and LeBron James friend in middle of FBI betting, poker arrests
- Lakers, Raptors, Hornets, Trail Blazers involved in NBA gambling scandal: DOJ
- Reputed mobster busted in NBA scandal admitted trying to violently take over NYC garbage business
- ‘Scammer’ known as ‘Pookie’ in NBA poker scandal trashed NYC home — and left behind nude self-portrait: landlord
He spent five seasons with the Spurs, one with the Hawks and one with the 76ers during his NBA career. Two years after retiring, he shifted into coaching in the league.
At first, he spent four seasons as an assistant on the Nets’ staff before the Rockets hired him to be an assistant under Ime Udoka.
Then, after one year as the 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 game ring backed by the New York City organized crime families.
- Ernest Aiello — reputed Bonanno mobster
- 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” Earnest
- Lee Fama — professional poker player
- John Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo — reputed Lucchese mobster charged in 2013 for beating porn star girlfriend
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony “Black Tony” Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane “Sugar” Henne
- 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 Ruggiero Jr.
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Robert “Black Rob” Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
- Julius Ziliani
But Billups’ future as the Trail Blazers’ coach remains unclear after he allegedly served as the “face card” in the illegal poker scheme that used rigged shuffling machines, X-ray tables and special glasses to alter the games.
His lawyer, in a statement to ESPN following his arrest, described Billups as a “man of integrity” and said his client planned to fight the accusations in court.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom,” attorney Chris Heywood told the outlet, in part. “He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.”
After opening the season with a pair of home games, the Trail Blazers will now travel to face the Clippers, Lakers and Jazz on the road.
