In the NBA playoffs, all it takes are a few extra foul calls to determine the outcome of a game. When games are close and everything is on the line, players bristle when a bad call or bad decision by a referee potentially affects a contest.<\/p>\n
Phoenix Suns<\/a> star Devin Booker<\/a>, however, took things to a whole other level following the team\u2019s 120-107 loss<\/a> to the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> on Wednesday. Booker called out NBA official James Williams by name after the contest, saying the ref had a \u201cterrible\u201d performance that would lead to fans questioning the \u201cintegrity of the sport<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “It just feels disrespectful. 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.”<\/p>\n Booker went so far as to invoke WWE, where outcomes are predetermined before wrestlers take the ring, in his criticism. All of that should earn Booker quite the fine once the NBA reviews his comments. The league is unlikely to respond kindly to a player implying \u2014 even lightly \u2014 that game outcomes are predetermined.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Booker, in particular, took issue with receiving a technical foul in the third quarter of the contest. The foul occurred after Booker was bumped by Thunder defender Jaylin Williams<\/a> near the edge of the court. As Booker was going out of bounds, he flipped the ball behind him, trying to save it from leaving the court. The ball, however, hit Jaylin Williams, leading to referee J.B. DeRosa calling Booker for a technical foul.<\/p>\n In real time, it didn\u2019t look like a nefarious action by Booker.<\/p>\n Booker claimed he never received an explanation for that foul. He also claimed that Thunder guard Alex Caruso<\/a> told officials to call a technical foul on Booker, which was then granted. After the contest, Booker said, \u201cIt’s definitely something that has to be looked into.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Booker wasn\u2019t the only member of the Suns to call out the officiating following the loss. Team owner Mat Ishbia expressed support for Booker, saying he was \u201c100% behind<\/a>\u201d Booker in this instance.<\/p>\n Ishbia said the team didn\u2019t lose due to poor officiating, but said referees must be held accountable when they are \u201cmissing class and clearly disrespecting players, almost mocking them.\u201d He asked the league to take action against that kind of behavior, saying, \u201cThe league needs be far more aggressive about this kind of thing. All players and all fans deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Dillon Brooks<\/a> also called out the officials for not allowing the teams to engage in a physical game. He also criticized Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> for flopping to get calls<\/a>, a common complaint of Thunder opponents during the regular season.<\/p>\n \u201c[Gilgeous-Alexander is] a little frail, and that’s what the refs are going to call,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cI used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing or whoever else, when LeBron<\/a> was younger. This is physical basketball. I don\u2019t get why all of the dropping, the falling, the flopping and the flailing, all this stuff, is allowed when we get to the playoffs. For the fans, this is about who is the better team, who is the more winning team. Don\u2019t decide the games on no free throws.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilgeous-Alexander shrugged off those comments after the contest, saying he can\u2019t control what opponents say about games. He added that Brooks\u2019 role is to bring energy and \u201crile up the game.\u201d Gilgeous-Alexander said Brooks did exactly that Wednesday.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n