Just when you thought they couldn't do any worst, NBA officials find the way to prove you wrong. It seems like night after night, the referees find the way to make it all about themselves and have a clear and direct influence on the outcome of a game.
A couple of nights ago, they ejected Devin Booker with two quick technical fouls for complaining about a call. Last night, they threw Donovan Mitchell out in a key game between the best teams in the NBA, once again for a complaint.
Mitchell went at the referees after they called Rudy Gobert for a questionable foul on Joel Embiid. The Jazz went on to lose that game vs. the Sixers in overtime and Mitchell threw a massive tantrum on his way to the locker room.
Donovan Mitchell Rants On The NBA's Terrible Officiating
The four-year professional was livid after the game and didn't mind how much money the league would take out of his pocket. He - rightfully - thrashed the referees and urged the NBA to do something about it:
“I'm never ever one to blame the refereeing, but this is getting out of hand. (...) We continually get screwed. We won this game in my opinion. (...) It's getting f*cking ridiculous. I'm sick of it. (...) It eats at me. It's really getting out of hand." It’s tough to go out there and see how we fight and compete and to have a game like that taken from us. It’s getting f**king ridiculous that this is what’s happening. I’m sick of it, we all are. It’s really getting out of hand. The league has to do something about this," Mitchell said.
Truth be told, this is getting out of hand. The referees are so bad that they admit the blatant mistakes they make in the last-two-minute reports. We just don't want that transparency, we want some actual action. The league needs to hold them accountable, fine them, and suspend them the same way it does with players.
