Jayson Tatum trolls NBA referees after Steve Nash’s ejection
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum recently took a dig at NBA referees for calling technicals for what he believes are a lot of soft fouls this season.
On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson was benched after he had a verbal spat with the Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker.
Later, Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash was ejected after an incident with the referees in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
This led Tatum to call out the referees in a tweet:
They giving out techs left and right these days lol
"They giving out techs left and right these days lol, he tweeted.
Tatum's Celtics teammate Grant Williams had previously been suspended for a game without pay for making contact with an official during Tuesday's 120-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The NBA's official announcement stated that Williams was suspended for "recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official."
The frustration regarding foul calls in the league has been high for a while now.
NBA referees have handed out more than 50 technical fouls this season already
The current NBA season has seen referees hand out technicals for various reasons, including soft-fouls, minor shoving and heckling. Many star players and head coaches have been subject to it this season. At a crucial juncture of the game, a petty technical foul can lead to a free-throw which could end up changing the momentum of the game.
There is no particular benchmark in the NBA about what classifies a technical foul. This results in a lot of ambiguity, especially in the regular season when referees call fouls for even the smallest amount of contact or sledging.
Players and fans will certainly hope that the referees tighten up the system as the season progresses. Fewer foul calls result in a better flow of the game.
Boston Celtics have made a good start and will look to build a winning streak
The Boston Celtics are looking to add a record 18th championship banner this season. They have made a 3-1 start and will aim to go one step further than last season, where they lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
With interim head coach Joe Mazzulla looking to integrate his own system into an already successful style, the Celtics will hope to adapt quickly as the season moves on.
The young All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have made a great start to the new campaign. With center Robert Williams III out for the forseable future and Al Horford managing his minutes in the regular season, the duo will be tasked with carrying the team during the regular season.