'Take that for data!' is already the NBA Playoffs' championship meme
His Memphis Grizzlies lost the game, but coach David Fizdale definitely won the internet.
So, uh, take that for data!
Fizdale's Grizzlies faced the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in the opening game of their first-round NBA Playoffs series. Memphis mounted a furious comeback after getting blown out early but ultimately fell to the Spurs, 96-82.
In his post-game press conference, Fizdale went off on the game's referees. He recited a litany of stats from the podium, mostly focused on San Antonio getting way more foul calls than Memphis, as he worked himself into more fervor with every word.
"I'm not a numbers guy, but that doesn't seem to add up," he said of free-throw discrepancy between the two teams.
Then Fizdale delivered his money line, the kicker that immediately entered the pantheon of coaching rants, the final thought that instantly sent the internet into hysterics:
"Take that for data!"
Then he smacked the table with his right hand, stood up, and walked off.
Legendary.
*fire emoji*
*air horns blaring*
Here — it's even better in video form.
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In an unsurprising twist, the internet completely ate Fizdale's rant up. You can reasonably expect to hear "Take that for data!" declared in everyday situations for the next several weeks. For example ...
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By Tuesday morning, it was even on an official Grizzlies shirt.
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And so it was that David Fizdale joined Allen Iverson, Mike Gundy, and so many more in the Sports Rant Hall of Fame.
So take that for data, folks.
Wait — we already said that. But that's how you know a new meme is gold — it gets better with each repetition. (That's not a scientific rule, by the way, but you can take it for data anyway if you like.)
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.