Ty Jerome spoke after the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 133-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He was not a fan of the officiating tonight, calling out the referees for their poor performance. He specifically name-checked female referee Natalie Sago during his post-game comments.
“I thought the refs were really bad tonight. Especially Natalie, she was really bad.”
Jerome had a great game for the Cavaliers, putting up 25 points (8-17 FG), five rebounds, six assists, and an incredible six steals, as he came off the bench to provide the Cavaliers some much-needed scoring in what turned out to be an unexpected dog fight against the much weaker Trail Blazers.
But regardless of his performance, calling out the referees, and singling them out by name is a bad look. Especially an experienced referee like Sago, who has been a full-time referee in the NBA for seven years now. Furthermore, Sago is just the fifth female referee in NBA history, an honor historically reserved for some of the best officials in the game.
Expect Jerome to face some kind of fine, as the NBA doesn’t take kindly to players being so vocally brazen about the officiating. And considering that Jerome mentioned one referee by name, thus inadvertently putting a target on them for fans to be overly critical of them, they will be sanctioning the Cavaliers star.
It will put a damper on what was an excellent night for Jerome, who came off the bench to help deliver a big win for the Cavaliers. The franchise now moves to 50-10 this season, becoming the first time this season to win 50 games. Furthermore, they extend their winning streak to 10 games, this being their third 10+ game win-streak in 2024-25.
Cavaliers Look Like Genuine Contenders
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the entire NBA, as they continue what has been a banner year for them so far. For the first time since the days of LeBron James, the Cavaliers look like a championship team, with them having the roster depth and quality stars to compete for a title.
The hiring of Kenny Atkinson has proven to be a brilliant decision, as the veteran coach has transformed the Cavaliers into a well-oiled machine. Their starting lineup boasts four current and former All-Stars, with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley being named All-Stars this year, and Jarrett Allen being a former All-Star.
The Cavaliers have also made some moves to strengthen their team, most notably bringing in De’Andre Hunter near the trade deadline from the Hawks. The signing of Hunter was crucial, as it gives them a strong wing presence that can compete with some of the dangerous wings in the East like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Cleveland will be optimistic about their chances of making a deep run in the playoffs. They are currently projected to secure homecourt for the entire playoffs, with them needing to keep the Thunder and the Celtics, respectively, at bay for the remainder of the season.
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