Nate McMillan fined $35K by the NBA for his public outburst against officiating
On Monday, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan was fined $35,000 by the NBA for his public comments about the officiating, two days after his team lost the
first game of NBA playoffs Round 1 to the Dallas Mavericks, 89-81. The 46-year-old coach was critical of the fact that the Mavericks were allowed a 19-2 free throw advantage in the final quarter, that became the main reason of his team’s loss.
The coach openly asked during postgame press conference as to why the Mavs were given such a huge advantage in the clutch moments of the game. His team was given
just two free throws in the final quarter, out of which they could only hit one, whereas the Mavericks were allowed 19 free throws in the same frame.
Extremely frustrated, the fiery coach said “The free throws, I just don’t get that. It’s hard for our guys to know how to play out there when it’s called a little
different—19-2 in the fourth quarter. And I felt like we were attacking, and guys really didn’t know how to play with the fouls that were being called. A lot of touch fouls. I thought that took the momentum and pretty much gave them control of the game in
the fourth quarter.”
The Blazers has a total of 13 free throws in the game, whereas the Mavericks enjoyed a whopping 29 trips to the foul line. This difference eventually proved to be
the difference on the night as Dallas powered their way to an eight point win. Mavs power forward Dirk Nowitzki clinched 13-of-13 free throws in the final quarter, which was equal to the total amount of free throws that the losing team was allotted.
After making the public comments, the former Seattle Supersonics coach said that he was not expecting to get fined. He added that the players had to continue playing
aggressively and keep their heads calm. The non-calls played a significant role in ruffling up the Portland players down the stretch. The frustration led to their loss of concentration and allowed the Mavs to make a late surge. However he said that he was
not being critical of the referees and understood they had a tough job.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has tough rules and when it comes to publically scrutinizing the officials, the rules get even tougher. Following their
zero tolerance policy in this regard, NBA slammed an immediate fine on the expressive coach.
Although McMillan might have been fined but his gesture has definitely earned him more respect from his team. Portland’s forward Gerald Wallace later said that he
appreciated that the coach protected his team and was taking the heat for them.
The Blazers next meet the Mavericks Tuesday night in game 2 of Round 1 and they are preparing to be more aggressive than before.
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