The NBA Refs are back in the headlines. This time it all went down in Boston during a Celtics vs. Suns showdown. In the first quarter, Celtics’ superstar Jaylen Brown received a technical foul. Fans were outraged after a photo emerged showing a clear foul on Brown that went uncalled, while his frustration over the missed call led to a technical foul.
Joe Camporeale of USA TODAY Sports with the perfectly-timed shot of the un-called foul on Jaylen pic.twitter.com/hbJifxO8UV
— John Karalis 🇬🇷🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) March 10, 2024
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Comments from fans ranged from, “The NBA will never do it because Adam silver cares about the refs more than the players but the ref should have to pay the fine for the tech if it’s clear that they blew the call let alone 2 in a row.” to “Emotional for being wrong so you give a tech. Sick.”
The NBA will never do it because Adam silver cares about the refs more than the players but the ref should have to pay the fine for the tech if it’s clear that they blew the call let alone 2 in a row
— Mason Urban (@masonurban) March 10, 2024
Said it before and I’ll say it again… the NBA refs are undoubtedly the worst officials in any major proffessional sports. Shockingly bad. Gobert on to something.
— New Future (@son_of_atreus) March 10, 2024
Emotional for being wrong so you give a tech. Sick
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) March 10, 2024
Disgusting behavior from these “professionals”
— Denote218 (@Denote218) March 10, 2024
While JB wasn’t given his foul, soon after, his teammate Horford was slapped with a foul on Suns’ superstar Kevin Durant and the fans are calling out the alleged double standards in officiating.
That’s a foul?? Wasn’t when it happened to Jaylen Brown, weird
— Matt ☘️ (@KarskiMD) March 10, 2024
Brown didn’t let the ref drama stop him from ballin’ out. Despite being seemingly frustrated with the ref, Jaylen Brown went on to make franchise history by becoming the 3rd Celtic ever to hit a whopping 1,000 career three-pointers!
The 3rd Celtic to hit 1,000 career triples 🔥
Congrats, JB 👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/6uyaW7fdWx
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 10, 2024
Boston’s JB is going off! With two rebounds to his name and a staggering 20 points before the third quarter even ended, he’s leading the Celtics to a dominant 84-76 lead over the Phoenix Suns by the third quarter. However, despite the impressive performance, Celtics fans are fuming about the officiating. Are the refs calling a tight game, or is something more amiss?
Jaylen Brown Is Not The Only One
Across the league, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert might be looking at a fine from the NBA. On Friday night, in the showdown against the Cavs, Gobert was called for his 6th foul with under 30 seconds remaining. The Timberwolves were holding on to a 97-96 lead, but things went south after that.
Upset about the call, Gobert argued with the officials and then made a controversial gesture with his hands, implying the refs were influenced by “money”. This resulted in a technical, ejecting him from the game and giving the Cavs a free throw to tie the score. The Cavaliers ultimately won the game in overtime, while Gobert was watching from the bench. Watch what happened here:
Rudy Gobert gets a technical foul for making the money sign at officials after fouling out. pic.twitter.com/AXdGSkowMU
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 9, 2024
This “money gesture” to express ref frustration isn’t exactly new. Last year in March, Mavs superstar Luka Doncic did the same thing after a questionable non-call against the Golden State Warriors. Similarly, Trae Young got frustrated with ref Tony Brothers call a month ago during a Hawks loss to the Bulls. In Young’s case, the NBA responded with a hefty $35,000 fine.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver better watch out as fans are sniffing out a fishy situation, and the NBA needs to make sure things are on the level. Share your thoughts below!
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