Kevin Durant tripped over Richard Jefferson’s foot in the final possession of the Warriors’ 109-108 Christmas Day loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the NBA wrote in its Last Two Minutes report that the referees missed a foul call in the waning seconds.
Kevin Durant says ‘it’s bulls***’ the NBA throws refs under the bus’ with officiating report
The NBA said referees missed a foul call on the Warriors’ final possession in their 109-108 Christmas Day loss to Cleveland.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Two days later, Golden State’s star blasted the NBA for throwing the referees under the bus in an expletive-laden rant where he criticized the league for the report that, he implied, doesn’t matter.
“The refs didn’t lose us that game. We lost that game. We could have been better,” Durant said. “I think it’s bullshit that the NBA throws the refs under the bus like that. This happened to be in our favor — and not even in our favor, we don’t get the win — but to say that I got fouled and the tech and all that stuff, just move on, man.
“You don’t throw the refs under the bus like that ‘cause the next game, that group of refs, whoever it is, [they’re] gonna come out and be tense when they’re [refereeing] the game, and they’re gonna try to get every play right, try to be perfect without just going out there and relaxing and making the right call. You can’t fine us for when we go out there and criticize them, but throw them under the bus for a two-minute report. What about the first quarter? What about the second quarter [or] third quarter? I think it’s bullshit and they should get rid of it. Our refs don’t deserve that, and they’re trying their hardest to get the plays right. Then you look at a play in slow-mo and say it’s wrong. Like, I think it’s bullshit that they do that. it’s full of shit that they throw the ref under the bus like that after the game, like it matters. The game’s over, we’re moving on.”
The National Basketball Referees Association sided with Durant’s stance on Wednesday, tweeting “the [Last Two Minutes] report unfairly targets officials, and reform is needed.”
It doesn’t help that Durant feels he would have made the shot had he not tripped on the final play. Mark your calendars for the rematch on Jan. 16.
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