Paul George fined $25k for blaming 'bad officiating' on three Thunder starters fouling out
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has long had a problem with NBA referees, and Friday’s 118-110 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers proved no different.
With George and fellow starters Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams all fouling out in the final four minutes, the six-time All-Star pilloried the state of officiating in the league.
Paul George blasts officials after frustrating loss
"It's just bad officiating," George said after the game. "I'm sorry, just bad officiating. We don't get a fair whistle. We haven't gotten a fair whistle all year. It is what it is. Somebody's got to look into this. It's getting out of hand, where we somehow just walk teams to the line. And there's nobody that gets more contact. If I don't speak for myself, I speak for Russ. There's nobody that gets more contact than Russ going to the basket.
The circumstances were certainly rare, as this is only the second time in 10 seasons that a team had three starters foul out in regulation, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Furthermore, it was only the third time in the last two decades that a team had two All-Stars foul out in regulation, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It's just crazy,” George said. “I don't understand it. It's a piece of s--- being on that floor. We giving everything we got. We're playing hard. We're getting grabbed. We're getting scratched, clawed, held, shoved. And there's nothing for it. The officials just get to walk out, and there's nothing that penalizes them for not officiating the game the right way."
Not only did three Thunder players foul out — compared to just one Clipper with five fouls — but they were called for eight more fouls, while LA received 20 extra free throws.
However, this has largely not been in line with the rest of the season. While the Thunder have been called for the fourth-most fouls per game (22.8), they’ve drawn just as many fouls (22.8, 3rd most) thanks to their extremely fast pace.
Paul George fined $25k for comments
Not shockingly, those “piece of s—-” comments and others were not well received by the NBA league office, which dropped a heft fine on George a day later.
Everybody (including Paul George) knew this was coming. pic.twitter.com/bi9ywgQkQ2
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) March 9, 2019
This is far from his first time George has been fined for publicly criticizing referees. He has drawn well over $100,000 in fines for his various outbursts and tirades.
“I’ve been officiated like this my whole career,” George said, via the Washington Post. “I’ve been fighting this battle for a long time. ... I wish it was just called right. I’m not the only one who has said something about what’s going on. It’s just got to be called right. When I step on that floor, I’ve got to feel like we’ve got a fair chance, a fair shot every night.
“I’m going to lose money on this. We speak up, we lose money. There’s nothing I can do to change that. It is what it is. There’s got to be a change but there’s nothing I can do."
The timing of George’s complaint is ironic
George certainly had a claim that his team got the short end of the stick on the road on Friday, but his claim that “we haven't gotten a fair whistle all year” falls exceedingly flat considering the Thunder’s game just one day before.
The Thunder edged the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime on Thursday in part thanks to a missed foul call on George. While driving to the rim, George elbowed Jusuf Nurkic in the chin but drew no whistle. Minutes later, Nurkic drew a second technical for getting in George’s face, in part because he was still mad about the original contact.
The play was so egregious that Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s chief of referees, admitted that there should have been a foul called. George may feel that his team has been victimized by referees, but the numbers — and recent history — paint a different picture.
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