After losing a second consecutive game in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Suns guard Devin Booker and forward Dillon Brooks aired their displeasure with the game’s officials during their respective post-game media sessions, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Doug Haller of The Athletic.
Asked about a technical foul he received during the third quarter, Booker said he never received an explanation for the call. The Suns guard was bumped by Thunder big man Jaylin Williams and threw the ball behind him as he was falling out of bounds, attempting to save it and throwing it off Williams in the process (Twitter video link). Although Williams was called for a personal foul on the play, Booker was also hit with a tech after some lobbying from Thunder guard Alex Caruso.
“It’s definitely something that has to be looked into,” Booker said. “I heard Caruso tell him to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as a WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
Booker was also called for a pair of offensive fouls while being defending by Caruso, including one where the two guards got tangled up running down the court (video link) and another where Caruso was defending him in the post (video link). Addressing the latter call, Booker said he was told he made an “unnatural shooting motion,” a ruling he strongly disagreed with.
“It just feels disrespectful,” Booker said of the officiating. “I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now. So to get to this point to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad. … This is my first time (criticizing the officiating) in 11 years, but it’s needed. Whatever I get fined for it, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration is from.”
Brooks, meanwhile, was asked during his post-game presser about a fourth quarter play where he was called for his fifth foul while defending Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (video link).
“You all should be interviewing the officials,” Brooks said, according to Haller. “That should be a new thing in the NBA. Officials got to explain themselves. It’s getting ridiculous, and you can see it starts getting fiery. And there’s no control out there. And now they’re just whistling on one side.”
Brooks also referred to Gilgeous-Alexander as a “little frail,” adding that he needs to “be smarter” when he’s guarding his Team Canada teammate, based on what the referees are willing to call.
” I used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing or whoever else, when LeBron (James) was younger,” Brooks said, per MacMahon. “This is physical basketball. I don’t get why all the dropping and the falling and the flopping and the flailing and all this stuff is allowed when we get to the playoffs. Leave that for the (regular) season for the fans. This is about who’s the better team, who’s a more with-it team. Don’t decide the games on no free throws.”
The defending champion Thunder have outscored the Suns by a total of 48 points through the first two games of the series, though star forward Jalen Williams‘ availability is uncertain as the series heads to Phoenix for Game 3.
“People are going to start viewing this as a WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
hahaha. its no secret nba refs are the most incompetent (and sometimes corrupt) officials in all of sports
its called home court advantage. Next game suns will get the calls go their way.
Shai gets home court advantage wherever he goes though. It’s trash.
I already do view it that way. It’s a soap opera more than a sport at this point. Dillon shouldn’t have said the better team line b/c…we all know who the better team is. But his point remains, OKC plays to game the rules not the sport of basketball. They’re hardly alone but SGA is the most egregious example in the league. He’ll literally foul bait, a non basketball play, instead of trying to score when the chips are down. I don’t know how anyone can take a sport seriously that rewards avoiding playing the actual sport.
the rules need to change. You should not get credited when you run into a player defending. One of the reasons i do not feel Lebron is teh greatest ever. He takes his shoulder and hits the defender in the chest pushing the defender under the basket. that is not a basket move pushing people out of teh way like how SGA pushes off on defenders all the time.
LBJ using his shoulder is nothing more than what Shaq used to do. Shai pushing off with his arm is an actual offensive foul.
Sorrynotsorry, I’m going to disagree with you on using Shaq as an example here.
I believe Shaq was beat up a lot more than he dished it out.
Plus, I don’t think Shaq needed to push off or take advantage of things like that offensively. He was so strong that He just went up without the need of creating room first.
Just my two cents.
Fair point but LBJ is very strong compared to 95% of the league as well. Both bulldozers.
Right arc, the fouling rules are illogical and have nothing to do with basketball as a sport.
How can a defender make a natural process of defense with his body.., and be called for a foul, when the offensive player with the ball lunges SIDEWAYS AWAY FROM THE RIM and into the defender.., as he “supposedly” shoots the ball and “tries” to score?
How can that possibly be a foul on the defensive player?
That’s the most ridiculous stupid horrendous interpretation of a “foul” in the history of sports.
Who makes contact is how the foul is called. If a player is allowed to throw their shoulder into a player and not called a foul then the defensive player should not be called for any body bump.
It’s been like this ever since Lebron entered the league btw
It makes zero sense why Steph Curry does not get the whistle SGA gets
Because Steph was raised and coached to play through contact and actually try to make the basket which is how everyone should be expected to play. This new generation is being taught to put defenders in positions where they can attempt a shot with less probability of actually going in but forces contact. With the rules how they are and how the NBA wants games to be more offensive based the refs are taught to reward that garbage.
aka “The Harden/Russ winning MVPs by using cheat codes” effect on the future. We should have given those 2 MVPs to KD and Steph!
Salem, What’s the difference between the NBA and the WWE? There is none !!
It’s the entertainment business and it’s about the money. It really doesn’t matter who wins who loses and the players are paid accordingly. It’s a great job if you can get it.
Even if they didn’t get all of those calls against them they still would’ve lost. He’s mad about 3 plays when they lost by 13. Even if those 3 plays were all 3 point fouls with made FTs, the suns still would’ve lost.
Ah, acting like NBA basketball is linear 1-for-1 when each play is different and momentum does not exist.
You are either a coping Thunder fan, or you just got into hoops like less than 5 years ago. The Thunder are the ref’s team, period. It’s been like this for 3 years now. It has to stop. Give SGA the whistle they dont give Steph Curry, the game will be better overall.
One of the most insane one team homer type of fans giving me crap is hilarious. The Thunder won that game, would’ve won without the technical fouls, and will sweep the Suns even if they didn’t get any refs help. Your Warriors are in a full rebuild and the Thunder are better. 4 more fouls and 4 more FTs doesn’t mean a 13 point lead wouldn’t have held.
Two things can be correct here though. The thunder would have won the game without it and the calls were bogus especially the Tech that was called on Booker. Anyone that watches with an unbiased eyes sees that the Thunder are officiated differently than every other teams. Part of that is understanding the rules and SGA has clearly found a way to position himself within the rules better than other players. However the fans want to see which team and players are the best in the playoffs not which teams have the best ability to exploit how the rules and officials are calling the game.
Would a homer despise his fave teams head coach as much as I do?
Thunder are a great team who gets infinite ref calls in their favor almost every game.
Warriors are never in “full rebuild” lmao they had an injury plagued year. You try removing SGA, Chet, Wallace, Williams all gone and see where OKC would be.
I am a Warriors fan, but I also know ball. More than you do. My team won 4 rings with the refs only ever gunning against them and never calling fouls on Steph, and the league suspended Draymond for a Finals game when they had the option not to do that, and could have pushed the suspension into the opening game of the following season. Your team can’t say the same. Your team gets calls that don’t exist. SGA doesn’t even get touched half the time he gets 2 free throws. Take a seat.
You have to bring them up in every article. This one’s a prime example where the warriors aren’t brought up at all. I don’t like the fouls SGA gets but they weren’t the difference in this game is my point. The fouls were bad calls, but complaining about them in a game you would’ve lost anyways is funny to me.
Ke smoke: It’s insanity. Davey is case for lockup. Just make sure he hasn’t fouled his diapers.
I am a neutral observer who doesn’t really care for either team, but this was probably the worst officiated game I have ever seen in my life, and I agree with Phoenix 100%.
The only worse thing than people defending the referee bias, are people who want the same refereeing mistakes just in favor of their team.
The way the game is called is the problem.
NBA will never have replacement refs or the threat of them because so much dirty laundry hangs in the balance if these refs don’t get what they want.
Just keep pretending that a small
market team like the Thunder controls anything in the NBA. Everybody hates them for learning to work the rules shoved down their throats. Including the league.
It’s like a bunch of ugly high school girls hating on the smart, pretty ones for being smart and pretty.
As they say, 8 vs 5. Felt like the refs were trying to bait Booker into a T but couldn’t wait.
Whatever the motivations, it’s a dynasty-reinforcing thing where the best teams get the calls because they’re the best team, they must’ve been fouled.
Dominant teams are generally better for business than parity, but not when your aesthetic is foulmaxxing.
SGA is the original free throw merchant, make no mistake about it!