There are many officiating members in the NBA who are blasted at full length by players, fans, and analysts on calls they don’t think are appropriate enough. More and more people are calling the officiating out on their ways and means. One such officiating member is Tony Brothers. The veteran NBA referee has been a responsible figure for more than 1700 games just in the regular season. He has also officiated 186 playoff games and multiple Finals. Brothers know what he’s doing but then he still has that reputation for not calling the plays out a few times.

This is something that fans noticed on Sunday during Game 3 of the Timberwolves and Mavericks. Brothers was kind of replicating the same thing in Game 3, that he had already done in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals between Mavericks and Thunder. This time, he called out a technical foul on Kyle Anderson allowing people to shower all the hatred on him with their hearts full, with the way he took over the game.

Even TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy couldn’t help but comment on the issue, saying, “Both ways, it looks like Tony Brothers wants a battle here tonight. And referees can never be like that. They’re supposed to de-escalate situations”. While Stan Van Gundy responded in a mellow manner, Kendrick Perkins did not mince his words. He was rather straightforward with everything. He took to X, to post, “Man get Tony Brothers outta here man. This ain’t about YOU.” Well, to be honest, why wouldn’t Perkins be infuriated? Firstly, Karl-Anthony Towns had a series of fouls against Derrick Lively II. An accidental knee on the game even forced Derrick Lively II out of action. Yet, KAT remained in the game.

Along with Perkins and Stan Van Gundy, fans also did not hold back. They used X as their medium to lash out at Tony Brothers.

Fans feel Tony Brothers isn’t doing his job well

Everything started with Kyle Anderson getting a technical foul right after he got an offensive foul. The frustration was looming large, with fans getting passionate with their question – why exactly is Mavericks getting the brunt of it all? Why are they being sent to the line earlier?

One such fan wrote: “How tf do you keep a straight face with Tony Brothers. He is a stain on what y’all do”. 

With a not so pleasing reputation built over the years, Tony Brothers is someone people are just not happy to see. Apart from some calling him a stain on the NBA officiating, which has been raised as a major issue time and again, another fan was just furious looking at his face. NBA writer Keith Smith posted, “Tony Brothers, everyone! Exactly who we all tuned in to see tonight!”. 

The reaction is strong coming from someone, who probably saw it all coming. He knew that this game was possibly starting at the wrong foot since the Dallas fans have had problems with Brothers before too. They’ve lashed out at him before as well, especially during their previous game against the Thunder. Brothers at the time missed several foul calls when Doncic was basically harassed by Lu Dort’s uncontrolled physicality.

Another user on X expressed his frustrations point toward the stark free throw disparity in the third quarter. The Wolves were only awarded 3 trips to the line against the home side’s 17.

“Just need Tony Brothers to stay out of the way”, a Dallas fan wrote when the game grew towards a tantalizing climax in the fourth. Despite the critical officiating, the Mavericks ended on the right end of the stick.

But the reaction was a direct reflect of Quarter 3, where the stark realities were rubbed right in people’s faces, when the Timberwolves were only awarded 3 trips to the line against the home side’s 17. Of course, people would want him out of the way so that the match could continue with a miracle.

Despite the officiating issues, fans continued to cheer on the Mavericks. The echoes shook the American Airlines Center, since they knew they could rely on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to bail them out of trouble. The duo did step up, combining for 66 points in the 116-107 win against the Wolves. KAI wore his cape when the Mavericks most needed it. Just when it seemed the momentum was shifting, Irving’s dexterity and shot-making absorbed it all. Luka Doncic matched his output of 33 points. Just like the last game, the Slovenian magician knocked down clutch daggers right before assisting Daniel Gafford for the game-sealing slam.

Just one game left between the Finals and the Mavericks. Irving and Doncic have fostered into a formidable duo, shining throughout the postseason. Five more games and they can land another NBA title to the Mavericks’ silverware for the first time since Drik Nowitzki’s 2011 heroics.

Stay tuned for more updates on Mavericks vs Timberwolves Conference Finals. And to know more on what will be the future of Inside the NBA on TNT, don’t forget to watch this video.