Full video of Devin Booker criticizing the officiating following Game 2 (Two minutes)
“It’s definitely something that has to be looked at. I heard (Alex) Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James (Williams) was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport. People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they’re not held responsible.”
100% well said and worth the 50k fine coming his way
Yeah for real lol calling a ref out by name, questioning the integrity of the refs, and comparing the league to WWE is a wild thing to say in a single press conference answer lol… as a fan it’s honestly kind of refreshing to hear a pro athlete say that much in this day and age of sports/sportsbook partnerships and advertisement. That shit was gross when it began and it’s only getting more gross.
The sportsbetting stuff, and I don’t sportsbet, but it’s so bad for the sport. Good for booker for calling it out and I wish more would
The worst thing to happen to the NBA in my lifetime.
No contest. Full stop.
They don’t even have to bet on any of the betting apps. A ref can easily have a friend or family member open up a Kalshi or Polymarket and make a fortune. Some of the calls last night were very suspicious. I don’t think they allow betting on over/under of foul calls, but they do have moneylines.
Only a matter of time before the NBA changes their name to NBE like WWF did
well that was because of the world wildlife fund
He’s taken the worms poison and now sees the golden path to save the NBA from ref ball.
Everyone but thunder fan’s been complaining. I’m glad to see more coaches and even players coming out against this bullshit.
Yup, but OKC fans will try to gaslight you even though 29 other teams also agree that they play by a different set of rules.
Don’t speak for anyone lmfao I think it’s completely fair for Booker to be upset especially about how he was officiated specifically.
you’re in an echo chamber. you don’t communicate with anyone in the real world. that’s why your perception of reality is warped. you idiotic howlers don’t represent everyone. not even close.
Go on any other social media and people are saying the same thing. It’s not just reddit
like clockwork LMAO
Unmoved
that’s because you’re an imbecile. that’s okay. r/nba is choc full of other imbeciles who squawk the same inane horse shit. you’re part of a community! it’s a profoundly pathetic community, but a community nonetheless.
I know you are, but what am i?
in what world do you live in where the refs do a good job lol look at the damn kd out of bounds play the lebron vs celtics foul pretty much anything lol
where did i say they do a good job? do you even know how to read?
fair enough, though i just came from a thread with a thunder flair saying something so dumb i didnt even bother responding
You are all over this thread. There’s a reason why two coach who RARELY ever argue with the refs got techs last night in the blazers/spurs game, there’s a reason minnesota’s coach talks about it, there’s a reason Fox has talked about it, and there is a reason that Devin Booker is doing it now.
Youre getting the absolute benefit of the whistle so you are doing everything you can gaslight people. You gotta take off the rose tinted glasses
Bot brain only exists here to make the mads.
So the 29 other teams in the league are in an echo chamber but you and your team who are disagreeing with everyone else aren’t in an echo chamber?🤣🤣
I’m going to assume you are from Oklahoma and surrounded by OKC fans. I’m not saying your team gets another set of rules, but you are making a stupid point while being in a bubble yourself. And this talk is across all social media platforms.
Ironic
The irony of an OKC fan telling EVERYONE else they are in the echo chamber. OKC fanbase is just a cult at this point lol.
Thank you for making his point.
0 objectivity
You got a humiliation kink?
In the real world, every single person I know that follows sports has completely stopped watching the NBA. Anyone that I knew I could talk basketball to scoffs when the NBA is brought up. I don’t give a shit what false viewership numbers the NBA puts out, or what botted social media engagement they get, no one gives a single fuck about the NBA anymore. I literally don’t know a single person that pays attention to the league anymore.
Like Booker said, it’s the WWE. The players are real, but the storyline has already been decided and the outcome rigged by the referees.
Bitches bitching, no surprises
To everyone else, the bitch is you
How is it being any less of a bitch by sucking a team off so hard you gotta try to gaslight people into thinking OKC doesn’t get the whistle the Lakers used to get?
It’s one thing to talk shit because your team is genuinely great but to act like you don’t understand why no one likes you guys? Idiotic.
Why is it worth it? The refs are going to get revenge
We ain’t winning this series. Lost the battle, but fighting for the war.
The refs are playing favourite, He knows they’re losing this so might as well take them down with him.
Genuinely never seen Book go off like this
He’s usually a ‘say the right thing no matter what’ guy
It was egregious. I mean they are already underdogs coming into the series but to have terrible calls is backbreaking. I have no skin in this series but Book got my respect after playing his role well last Olympics.
OKC games are unwatchable. I never watch them as a neutral only if my team is playing them.
They’re not the only one that gets a whistle but their entire offensive gameplan is about getting a whistle. There was a 5-7 min stretch in the 4th where no fouls were called and the Suns dropped it from a 23 pt deficit to 10.. then right on queue the whistle comes back for the end of the game
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
The whistle was from a flop by SGA too lol, it was pretty unwatchable.
Yeah this is a lot for him
That’s how much Shai bitchass Alexander is bringing everyone else together
This is the right thing in this situation
Deserved. He’s been having a rough whistle for a while too imo. No idea why the refs have hated him for so long
there’s a pattern of complaining about officiating yielding advantages. he’s just playing the game, and refs are part of the game. but he’s gonna get fined because this is not how the nba wants teams to play the refs. this is cheating.
Instead they want Caruso flopping and telling the ref to T up the opposing player
“THIS IS CHEATING” LMFAO. I’m a warriors fan who understands and recognizes that we got away with a lot of moving screens. Have some awareness. OKC has a rep for a reason and it aint solely “people hate the champs.”
This is what you have to do when one team has an inexplicable whistle compared to the rest of the NBA.
You have to make a stink about it. Contrary to what OKC fans think, everyone else doesn’t have to just sit there and take it. Good on Book for calling it straight up.
It’s not just OKC having an inexplicable whistle but books whole career he hasn’t gotten the whistle. He’s probably just fed up with not getting those same calls when they’re hacking him all game in the mid range.
that’s just stupid. what inexplicable whistle? the stupid tech? he committed a real life technical foul. how is that inexplicable?
Do you find it interesting that every fanbase and every team complains when they play you guys?
Man everyone is just out to get y’all that’s so unfair.
They have a victim complex the size of their shithole state. It’s just who they are in Oklahoma
When Mississippi is lapping you in education, well let’s just say they miss the department of education about as much as an apendix
Says the whiny bitch OKC fan
The juxtaposition of Booker going all in on a cutting critique against abject referee incompetence, while also being completely level-headed and devastatingly articulate in his delivery, while also looking like a third grader who dressed himself and chose a shirt two sizes too large, is magnificent.
Lol great way to start my morning reading this.
hahahah
The cherry on top is the occasional body language agreement by Jalen Green right next to him lol
Rent-a-swag is really a baller place.
Always wondered why Alex Caruso got away with so much on defending Jokic last year, feels like he has a special talent befriending the refs
It’s always funny when there’s a bunch of people who play the white card with Luka/Jokic and then ignore Caruso lol
Cause he’s a 32 year role player that comes off the bench.
Edit: you guys really think Caruso belongs in the same conversation as Luka and Jokic??? 2 top 5 players? Absolute fucking homers.
Homers? you’re replying to a Nuggets and Canadian flair
Why would a Canadian like Alex Caruso. Denver obviously hates the bald guy that dog walked Jokic in game 7.
Yeah that was some impressive “defense”. He only got away with roughly 50 fouls.
He took 9 shots in an elimination game. guarded by a guy 100 lbs lighter than him. Cry.
SGA is the current best Canadian NBA player and he plays for OKC. If anything him being Canadian makes the chances of him being an OKC, and therefore an Alex Caruso fan, even higher.
That was an unfortunate consequence of the dumbass officiating for “small on big” defense, amplified by Caruso’s skill at taking advantage of the officiating. It’s not actual defense, it’s just elbows, hugs, grabs, pushes, and of course, accentuating the tiniest of contact to draw offensive fouls. Just do your best care bear impression!
Out of all the terrible officiating standards in the league, this is the one that pisses me off the most. Holiday on Wemby is a joke. Caruso on Jokic is a joke. The small can grab, push, pull, whatever, but heaven forbid the big do what bigs do and bang against the small, who will then draw an offensive foul by flopping.
I actually think there’s some broad psychological thing with the big vs small officiating, because it persists across sports - in say college football, sometimes the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world will go a shockingly long time where opposing offensive lines just won’t get called for holding, because those schools have big defensive lineman.
That’s not to say the NBA should get let off the hook though, because they should have staff specifically responsible for identifying ref biases so they can manage them.
It would be pretty fun if somebody created a RAPM-like lineup-adjusted system for relative whistling. We could probably do a pretty good job using nothing but multiple years of foul data to determine the relative “size” of NBA players.
It’s not actual defense, it’s just elbows, hugs, grabs, pushes, and of course, accentuating the tiniest of contact to draw offensive fouls
saw exactly that in game 2 with Jrue’s defense against Wemby across multiple possessions (all before the play where he got hurt). Jrue was free to plant himself directly beneath Wemby’s chest and hold/bump him while Wemby couldn’t really do anything.
the moment Wemby decides to return the physicality and attempt to drive, Jrue flops and Wemby gets called for the offensive foul. makes no sense. Wemby is basically forced to pass out since he can’t attempt to either pump fake or pull up for a jumpshot because he’ll probably hit Jrue in the head, and he can’t initiate a drive because it’s a one way trip to the other guy drawing a charge (and if he tries to anticipate it, the other guy will suddenly decide to pull the chair, as we ended up seeing).
Yeah, that was the most recent example in my mind and you described it perfectly, literally no options other than to pass out because Holiday is a very cerebral defender who knows how to game the officiating. Maybe Wemby could start taking advantage of that garbage rule where you suddenly change directions on your drive and then shoot free throws when the defender changes directions to block your path, the Avdija special.
Probably because he looks like a ref
What being a lifetime Sun does to a motherfucker.
Arizona sports is torture
At least you guys have ‘01.
01 is literally the only championship the city’s ever had and they had to beat a Yankees team the year 9⁄11 happened to do it. Someone placed a curse on that city a long time ago
9 Yanks couldn’t beat our Johnson!
/r/ArizonaSportsHell
Just curious, what is really the reason for that tech?
Booker was fouled. While falling out of bounds, he threw the ball behind him after the whistle had blown, so the ball tapped J-Will when the play was technically over. Players are in motion, they aren’t robots that deactivate the second a whistle blows, and Book was clearly trying to keep the ball alive.
But to the refs (and Caruso) he basically threw the ball at J-Will.
The ball hitting another player wouldn’t matter anyways. I do not need to explain this because I’m sure 90% of this sub is well-aware, but it’s incredibly common and well-known that people will save a ball going out of bounds by turning around and deliberately throwing at a player from the other team to get it to bounce off of them out of bounds. That shit flys all the way down to Jr high ball and this is even more tame than that.
Thanks mate, at least that makes a bit more sense now. Very difficult to imagine just because Caruso said call a foul then he did, although that might also not be impossible.
It was odd. It happened right in front of the OKC bench, no one batted an eye. Even J-Will didn’t register it, he was probably thinking what everyone normal was thinking, that it was an attempt at a save. And the refs didn’t call it until Caruso started yapping, which isn’t a closed case but it don’t look too good lol
A player telling a ref to call a tech and a ref just follows it is wild. These refs don’t have an ounce of a backbone.
Im so proud of our boys getting the MJ treatment. We’ve truly made it. “Okay Michael if you say so i believe you” proceeds to overturn OOB call in real time.
I think even JWill is caught by surprise at tech lol
Definitely was. The announcers couldn’t believe it either
JWill thought they called it on him first and he was equally as confused
I mean it appeared to be heavily influenced by Caruso in real time
J-Will
J-Will the player, not J-Will the ref.
Honestly, doesn’t make a difference.
technically correct (the best sort of correct) technical foul
Reddit on!
Sounds like something that people would praise him for doing on another team as a ‘veteran move’.
Refs calling soft shit because Booker trying to just keep the ball in play ended up hitting Jwill
And the dort tech the other guy is talking about was the same shit, soft whistle based on Dillon’s and Dort’s reps
refs are just shite
It is crazy. Because OKC doesn’t need ref help to win, but they are still gonna give it…
Lu Dort got called a double tech with Dillon Brooks together, this is not oh Im sorry I gave you a tech wrong so I will give one back kind of thing.
Or is it?
I think Dillon did some mild shit while really close to Dort and the refs just went “oh shit oh shit” and got them both lol
Threw the ball after the play was blown dead.
Which is dumb as fuck because there’s a precedence for playing a little past the whistle in terms of imminent possession of the basketball.
Hypothetically, if the foul had been challenged and overturned wouldnt it be in Booker’s best interest to ensure it would still be his team’s ball if the whistle hadn’t been blown?
Disregarding the fact that it had happened a split-second before he’d thrown the ball anyway, and the players aren’t complete robots that can just shut off their instincts of an entire life spent trying to save the basketball from going out of bounds the exact instant they hear a whistle (or don’t because it’s a loud as fuck playoff environment)
Whistle already blown
Shai got the same exact tech earlier this year throwing the ball at Jokic while he was going out
I’m still wondering why Dort got a random tech
Shut up dumbass
That’s what I’m saying, Booker crying like he’s the only one that got a bs tech all game
Brooks got an equally pointless tech at the same time though? So even in that okc has a 2-1 advantage
The point is that the refs were trigger happy overall and made a dumb call it’s not some massive OKC favoritism conspiracy
Okay give them their 1 point back! Oh no they still lost!
Imagine think any Dort tech has ever been random
Bro he was just standing there😂
It’s crazy almost every team that plays against OKC complains about the whisfle.
Genuinely. Coaches, players, announcers, media guys. Just need some FO comments to clear everything
Come on bro act like you been here. Every team that plays every team complains about the whistle. OKC just under the microscope because they’re the defending champs and it’s trendy to hate on SGA. The refs suck, and have to much power. This shit is nothing new.
Edit: Bring on the downvotes limp dicks
You’re delusional. Nobody talked about curry and the GSW dynasty this way for example.
Nah real ones remember how people bitched about GSW and their moving screens lol
IMO ppl will always find a reason to cry about whatever reigning champ there is. Remember that shit about Giannis taking 10 seconds for his free throws? Or Tatum literally just being ‘corny’ or whatever? So manufactured
Ok man, if you say so. But mass social media hysteria/homogenization/vitriol wasn’t nearly as bad then as it is now. The point is that people will find something to complain about.
Yea it was people still bitched about them but it was not because of foul baiting or referee bias.
I’m sorry but how is it that people complaining during era of moving screens and egregious Draymond antics not about a perceived officiating bias?
Can’t fight the mass hysteria with logic bro
Lmao how many people complained about the warriors baiting fouls when they were dominating the league for 5 years? Or any lebron team? Or the spurs dynasty?
receipts
He asked how many “complained about the warriors baiting fouls” not just “complained” in general. Get Shais cock out of your mouth they don’t know you
They can’t tell the difference between foul baiting and getting away with moving screens. OKC education on full display lmao
I appreciate the concern dude, but I know how to read. The point is that people will always complain. My bad, I should have known not to assume yall could pick up context clues.
😂😂😂 calling people limpdicks, god your such a beast
Yeah, that was unnecessary on my part. My bad, Its just frustrating how miserable everyone is on the sub. And on the thunder sub, and on every sports sub. Bad vibes 24⁄7. I don’t know what the fuck I’m even doing here. Have great day.
Your team is obnoxious and unlikable. It won’t stop until they do. Nobody except your fans enjoys this shit.
Nah all good shits hilarious how passionate people get. Me included sometimes. Just a buncha shit talk about millionaires none of us know 😂😂
Big facts.
So these are the kinds of shit okc fans believe
Its crazy as a Laker fan, growing up kings fan always used to say to me, you only one cuz you guys cheated and that used to hurt honestly. Tim Donaghy was literally betting on games and he was changing the outcomes, specifically with game 6 WCF 02.
Fast fwd 24 years (crazy) we are seeing the league in bed with the gambling companies publicly and we still have zero transparency on officiating and what they call and why they call it. The same league who wants integrity from its players, it does not require it from its officials which is what is hurting the league the most. Thank you D Book for speaking out. I got $1 on the fine.
Also Tim’s bestie is still a ref in the league lol
Devin “Chris Finch” Booker.
Imagine being as bad at your job the NBA refs are and not facing any consequences.
Modern NBA refs are the equivalent of an 8 year old in a crowded playground with zero supervision or bigger kid to put them in their place.
They literally do whatever the fuck they want, they openly dictate games, they openly call nonsense when everyone sees the opposite, and most of all they consistently want the spotlight on themselves, so rules don’t fucking matter.
Buncha wannabe fucking cops.
And they have a union just like the cops tbh. Authority figures should not have a union and be untouchable
Cops don’t have a union, they have a fraternal order. They hate unions.
The FOP is the world’s largest police union…
Ellipses are a sign of bootlicking
Tell ‘em Book 📕
They hated him because he told them the truth.
[deleted]
They’re referencing a meme
Most literate OKC fan
gambling ruined the sport
Rightfully so
This will be one spicy fine
And imo totally worth it. Book spoke out for all of us, players coaches and fans.
He’s not fucking wrong. The okc whistle is beyond a joke. This soft ass whistle needs to stop.
Holy shit. He cooks 😆
Damn first time book done this
This and the Tony Brothers “foot to knee contact” call from the Wolves-Nuggets game one are two of the worst calls I’ve ever seen.
He’s not wrong
It’s kind of crazy how much the MLB has attempted to improve the product and integrity of it over the last few years. The NBA feels like it’s moving in the opposite direction. With the refs obviously having their thumbs on the scale I would not bet on it.
Fucking abhorrent. I can’t wait for the Thunder to lose this year. I’m rooting for the Spurs to do it but if not them, anyone else.
Someone with a platform finally calling this bullshit out. The whistle has been way tighter in the playoffs compared to regular season for every series I’ve turned on which is absolutely disgusting
Yet in the Spurs/Blazers game they were practically throwing hands and no whistles. Both teams.
Hell yeah
I didn’t watch the game but the tech and offensive foul call on Book are two of the worst calls I have seen.
I had already been losing interest in the NBA because I think the product is getting really bad but I think this is the nail in the coffin for me. I’m tapping out on the NBA until changes are made.
Fwiw I am a Booker hater but this shit is just silly.
Baahgaaawd James from the top rope
Booker T
The NBA doesn’t care. You will all still continue to watch and feed their revenue.
I saw some comments saying that the tech will likely be rescinded. But that’s not the point, make the refs accountable for their bullshit calls.
Book, are you telling me you never once heard Chris Paul call a ref by name and tell him he’s gotta call a foul based off a rule?
I had CP3 for one year and I think I heard that on the mic like once a week
Luka has been complaining the whole season but i guess it wasnt trendy yet at that time.
You know your wrong when fans from every other team in the NBA are on Devin Bookers side
What was I wrong about? I agreed the officiating was terrible. But this isn’t a Thunder problem it’s an officiating problem. The spread was like 18 points it was still under. And at the same time half those calls could have been reversed and they still would have lost.
Im talking specifically about calling it weak for Booker to call out the refs. The offensive foul was such a joke and the tech was insane as the ref was like taking orders from Caruso. The league should definitely look at this and the ref behavior
Everything else you said was fine
gonna get downvoted, but Shai literally go T’d up for a similar thing against Denver earlier on in the season, both were soft techs imo
Can you link the clip? Someone posted one but it isn’t similar to this at all
That’s the MO. False equivalencies.
book you trash man they should have never given you a signature shoe you ant never won anything in the league. Best season you had was on CP3’s back
This cholo is really scary said 2022 Luka
Is that back when Luka played for the Mavs?
lol it’s always an excuse to why teams lose by double digits to okc
Did he (or anyone from the Suns) say it would have changed the result? Everyone knows which team has the most talent, and they don’t need any extra help from the refs
lol so why not just say hey we lost today and the last game by 30, maybe we should get better? All this pussy ass complaining man I’m tired of these dudes not take accountability
Those were horrible calls. As much as I want to shit on the suns give me a break. That offensive foul called where book was just shooting was atrocious. How could he not be mad about it? The fact that they reviewed it and still fucked it up is indefensible. They have every right to talk about it without chumps like you calling it “pussy ass complaining”.
He complained about the refs 1 time in 11 years and this is your take? Don’t you think constantly dealing with the shitty officiating in this league would be frustrating for a player? This isn’t a one game or one series problem.
If the game was called 50⁄50 and the scores were the same then there would be zero complaining. Problem is that it wasn’t called 50⁄50 - and there are fans from other teams not just the Suns saying that. There’s a problem with the refs and it’s not just Book saying it
Never seen a team get under the skins of their opponents like the thunder seem to do to everyone. Its honestly wild. Have completely broken the suns mental along with every person watching the nba. 😂
If Booker can start taking jumpers without looking for the whistle, then he will have more credibility, cause his foulbaiting this post season has been insane. He has the craziest jumping motions.
TF are u talking about lmao Booker doesn’t get the whistle as much as he should. Watch some suns games.
colin gillespie foul on chet😭😭. the level of physicality can’t be matched because suns get called for it.
Thunder fan here. Officiating was terrible tonight. On balance it favored the Thunder, but there were also all sorts of weird calls that went against OKC too. I don’t think it was a league agenda, I think it was just incompetence. The first half of the fourth in particular was egregious.
Officiating always favors the thunder and that fraudulent MVP let’s keep it a buck.
Admitting your using a fake flair is diabolical
I’m born and raised in Tacoma. I’m one of the few fans that couldn’t quit the team when they moved.
Rooting for the thunder is not very Grit City of you. Giving Tacoma a bad name