The Associated Press announced that Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers will be fined $25,000 for public criticism of the referees after the Clippers’ 111-107 Game 5 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It’s the second straight postseason that Rivers has been fined for the same reason and the same amounted fine.
Rivers started his post-game press conference by saying he thought his team got some “brutal calls” as they lost in Game 5 and fell 3-2 in their first round series against the Spurs.
“The travel on Blake [Griffin], the goaltend on Matt [Barnes], which wasn’t a goaltend,” Rivers said. “You think about the playoffs, and they’re single-possession games. Those possessions, those were crucial. J.J. [Redick] ‘s foul that got him out, J.J. didn’t touch anyone. It’s not why we lost, but those were big plays for us.
“I don’t know, it’s just — listen, the refs are trying hard, too, but God darn,” Rivers said. “Even [Chris Paul]’s tech, I still don’t have the explanation for that, and I want to find that out because when they make a shot, you have to throw it to the ref to get the ball back, and he got a tech for it. I’m just not sure of some things.”
To be fair to Rivers, every one of those calls were highly questionable and each detrimental as he explained, but he also knows his team has to play through circumstances.
Game 6 between the Clippers and Spurs is tonight.
