Missing their All-Star floor general Tyrese Haliburton and losing T.J. McConnell mid-game, the Pacers couldn’t complete the comeback on Saturday. They erased a 20-point deficit and even grabbed the lead, but the Hawks held firm down the stretch. With the loss, Indiana dropped to 35-27, now sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. If you thought that was all, then you’re mistaken. The bad news continues for the Pacers and Pascal Siakam.

Siakam wasn’t holding back when it came to the refs. The Pacers forward, who scored 23 points, showed his frustration with several calls throughout the game. With Indiana trailing by three in the final seconds, he drove to the rim and threw down a dunk with 1.3 seconds left.

The problem? The Pacers didn’t have enough time left to foul and secure another shot to tie the game. Pascal Siakam’s frustration boiled over after the game, and the league took notice. Siakam wasn’t happy after the game and went straight to the officials to let them know. Looking back, he didn’t try to defend the decision, straight-up calling it a “stupid play.”. On Sunday, NBA Executive VP Joe Dumars announced a $25,000 fine for Siakam, citing “confronting and directing profane language toward game officials.”.

After the league announced Siakam’s 5-figure fine, fans were quick to call out what they saw as an overreaction. Many felt the punishment didn’t fit the crime, especially in a league where emotions run high.

Fans openly express their frustration with referees and back Pascal Siakam

One fan summed it up perfectly: “The NBA be protecting these refs like the president lmao they can take a few swear words they’re grown men.”. Referees seem untouchable, while players get hit with fines for even the slightest outburst. It’s no secret that officiating has been under scrutiny this season, with players repeatedly calling out inconsistencies.

From Draymond Green to Luka Doncic, star players have been fined or even suspended for venting their frustrations. Yet, when refs make game-altering mistakes, the most fans get is a brief Last Two Minute Report admitting an error. No fines, no suspensions—just a “whoops, our bad.”

“NBA is the softest league in the history of professional sport. Imagine these Charmin officials in the NHL lol they would cry themselves to sleep every night” tweeted another fan. Compared to other major sports, like the NHL or even the NFL, where players and coaches regularly get into heated exchanges with refs, the NBA takes a much stricter approach.

In hockey, officials deal with players dropping gloves and going at each other mid-game. Trash talk, rough hits, and physical confrontations are just part of the culture. If NHL referees reacted like their NBA counterparts, the penalty box would be overflowing with unsportsmanlike conduct calls every night.

Another netizen chimed in with, “@NBA continues to just punish player without addressing the root of the issue…which is @OfficialNBARefs🤦🏼‍♂️”. Fans have seen it time and time again: questionable officiating impacts games, emotions boil over, and the league responds by punishing the players while the referees walk away untouched.

Instead of addressing whether the officiating was inconsistent or if players have valid concerns, the NBA’s response was to hit Siakam with a $25,000 penalty. It’s a pattern—punish the reaction, not the problem.

“Bro these are grown a– men😭🤦🏽‍♂️” wrote one user. At the end of the day, these are professional athletes and referees—grown men competing at the highest level in an intense, high-stakes environment. Emotions inevitably flare up.

Trash talk, frustration, and heated exchanges have always been part of sports. Players aren’t robots; they react when they believe questionable calls influence the game. And let’s be real—referees aren’t fragile. They deal with high-pressure situations every night and should be able to handle a few choice words without the league stepping in with fines.

This one fan hit the nail on it’s head. “Why are these refs so protected ?? Like they’re easily the most protected m– in the sport. I watch soccer, NFL and NBA yet out of the 3 sports nba refs are by far the worst and face no consequences. Refs get suspended in soccer, licenses revoked, kicked out of top leagues..” they wrote.

NBA referees face little to no accountability for their mistakes. In soccer, leagues demote officials who consistently make poor decisions to lower divisions, suspend them, or ban them from officiating top-tier matches. The NFL uses a grading system for referees and removes those with poor performance records from playoff games or fires them entirely.

Take the 2023 NBA Playoffs, for example. The officiating crew in Game 6 of the Lakers-Warriors series made multiple errors, which the league later admitted. Yet, those same referees continued working high-stakes games. In contrast, the Premier League actively removes referees from matches following subpar performances. The difference is stark.

What do you think? Should the NBA hold it’s referees to the same standards it holds its players to?