Chicago Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau was fined $35000 today by the NBA for criticizing the referees after game 3 against the Miami Heat.
The coach, as well as several players, criticized the refs for allowing the Miami Heat to get away with physical plays while penalizing the Chicago Bulls with technical fouls and ejections.
Thibodeau was upset about several calls during game 3. The biggest play came early in the game when Nazr Mohammed was ejected for pushing LeBron James. Thibs thought that James flopped on the play and criticized the refs for pampering the all-star player.
Thibs said : “From my angle, I just saw a guy flop.”
But that wasn’t the comment that earned Thibodeu the fine. The Bulls coach went on to say that he knew that the Bulls weren’t going to get the same calls that the Heat were going to get, hinting at a conspiracy that the NBA wants the Miami team to advance.
Thibs said : “I’m watching (Jimmy Butler) play defense, and I’m looking at some of the things being called on him … As I said, we’re well aware of what’s going on … I’m watching some of the other plays with (Udonis) Haslem and (Chris) Andersen, and I don’t get it. I don’t get it … I see how things are going. I watch very closely. I watch very closely … Things aren’t going to go our way. That’s the way it is. We’re not going to get calls. That’s reality. We still have to find a way to get it done, and we can.”
The NBA didn’t appreciate Thibs point of view and fined the Chicago Bulls coach $35000.
Do you think Coach Tom Thibodeau deserved the fine? Do you think the officiating has been fair during the Chicago Bulls – Miami Heat series?
