Paul George was not happy with the Clippers’ loss to the Nuggets last night, remarking that the Clippers were playing the game 8 vs. 5, implying that the referees were aligned with the Nuggets. The league has responded with a $35,000 fine for the Clippers star as he broke the rules on criticizing officials.
“LA Clippers forward Paul George has been fined $35,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations. The fine amount is based in part on George’s history of public criticism of the officiating. George made his comments to the media following the Clippers’ 111-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 14 at Ball Arena.”
Clippers star Paul George has been fined $35,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officials in the team’s loss vs the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/U6ksEXu7jX
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 17, 2023
George has been arguably the best Clippers player so far this season, carrying the team offensively with his averages of 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He almost single-handedly led the Clippers to a win over the Nuggets, but the fourth quarter saw Denver storm back into the game and leave with the 108-111 win.
The Clippers are 0-5 in games where James Harden has been playing and 0-6 when you look at their overall losing streak over the last two weeks.
Paul George Went In On The Referees After Loss To Denver
Paul George has never shied away from letting the fans and media know exactly how he feels. In the statement the NBA realized alongside the fine, the league implies George’s past criticisms were also kept in mind while deciding his punishment.
Did George make comments inflammatory enough to necessitate such a fine? You can judge that for yourself, as George had this to say after the Nuggets game.
“I thought we played great. It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three (officials). I thought they were awful. But, (against the) defending champs, we got to play better. There’s a lot to be positive about. I’m not one for moral victories, but I thought we showed more of a sign of a team tonight that’s close to getting it over the hump… Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. I mean, it was poor, a poor job. But, again, we got to be able to beat these guys on their floor and not rely on that. Again, they (are) calling something on one end, they got to call it on the other.”
The criticism is quite obvious and not layered behind any clever comments, which shows the level of frustration George was feeling. All players know that they’re liable to get fined if they even mention poor officiating, so George likely knew what he was doing and anticipated the penalty anyway.
If the Clippers feel wronged about officiating in Denver, maybe they can send the NBA a clip compilation of missed calls like the Lakers did to put future pressure on referees. The Lakers have seen an uptick on calls in their favor since, so maybe the Clippers also have that route to go through if needed.
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