Dallas Mavericks had an awful start to their conference semi-finals. They faced the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Arena and lost with a scoreline of 117-95. Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks point guard, seemed unhappy after the match. The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the game, but Kyrie Irving’s post-game comments are what make headlines.

Irving, one of the most important players for the Mavericks, expressed his frustration with the officiating throughout the contest. In his post-game interview, he talked about how refereeing decisions calling out multiple fouls affected the physical aspect of the game. Irving said, “It felt like the game was being called like a regular season game tonight.”

Later Irving compared the physicality during the Round 1 series against the Clippers and tried to downplay his comments. Irving said, “That’s just my perspective… because we came off a very physical series against the LA Clippers, and then we have some of these fouls that are called, and some of them may be fouls, right, the majority of them, but I think when you’re out there as a competitor, and you just want the flow of the game to feel like the playoffs and the physicality is up there, you know it just feels a lot better.”

Irving acknowledged a few calls made by the referee but also criticized the officiating crew to maintain a standard of refereeing in playoffs. His comments could land him in the mud because of the NBA’s strict policy & history of fining players for publicly criticizing referees.

Will Irving pay the price for speaking out?

The NBA protects referees, and they want to maintain control over the narrative while not rejecting player’s opinions. Considering Irving’s history with the NBA, the situation doesn’t seem favorable for the point guard.

In 2018, Irving paid a penalty of $25000 for throwing the ball into the stands, following the team’s loss against the Nuggets. A year later, Irving had criticized an official after the Celtics’ loss against the Bucks. Though the instance speculated a fine, the point guard had managed to avoid one, possibly after stating, “The refs have a difficult job…  I’m not going to put all the emphasis on the refereeing.” Apart from these, Irving has been fined by NBA well over 15 times for violating codes but majorly none for criticizing officiating.

While a decision remains uncertain, Irving’s current offense however might cost him a fine of around $40000. Previously, Warriors’ HC Steve Kerr was fined $25,000 for criticizing officiating, and then Paul George $35,000 in November 2023. Further, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert also find themselves on the list, placing Irving in a meek position.

Irving has been phenomenal in the postseason. He averages 25.6 points per game, 1.9 steals, and 5.0 rebounds. Away from the consequences, the Mavericks will look to have their point guard focused and geared up to take on the Thunders Thursday night.

What do you think? Should Kyrie Irving be fined for his comments? Let us know in the comment box.