"Fire the ref" - NBA fans are fuming after Kawhi Leonard and Terance Mann receive three techs in a matter of seconds
NBA referees have come under a ton of scrutiny this season. Many fans have asserted that refs have been doing too much to try and leave their imprints on games.
This seemed to be the case during Tuesday night’s matchup between the LA Clippers and OKC Thunder as an official called three technical fouls on a single play.
The first tech went to Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard for complaining to a ref. This came after no call was made on his driving layup with 4:27 remaining in the second quarter.
Clippers guard Terance Mann then immediately picked up two quick techs for arguing with the same official. As a result, Mann was automatically ejected from the game.
Kawhi gets a tech and Terance Mann is ejected after words with ref 😳 https://t.co/6Bkt9Ukg38
Naturally, NBA fans had some strong reactions to the questionable officiating on Twitter, with many calling for the ref to be investigated and possibly fired. One fan simply wrote:
"Fire the ref"
Here are some of the top fan reactions to the moment:
@BleacherReport Fire the ref
@BleacherReport you know you missed a call when kawhi shows any type of emotion or reaction
@BleacherReport I feel like I’ve seen that ref throw out to many players. Soft.
@BleacherReport How NBA refs be taking over games https://t.co/E9JmwYi4i1
@BleacherReport https://t.co/jIb34iQ2wo
@BleacherReport These refs think they the main character
@BleacherReport Fine the refs dawg
@BleacherReport Refs just put himself in the history books tonight, 3 techs in 10 seconds 1st team all emotional
@BleacherReport i want to be sympathetic towards the refs because the game is so fast and hard to call but it rly does feel like the officiating has been exceptionally bad this year
@BleacherReport 3 techs handed out in 5 seconds without going to replay or the monitor gotta be a new world record
@BleacherReport Live look at the referee https://t.co/i3xgptY5mc
@BleacherReport Kawhi don’t talk for NOTHING, so if he’s complaining it’s for a reason!
@BleacherReport you're automatically wrong if you give Kawhi a tech
@BleacherReport Fine the refs. Launch a whole investigation. This is the new norm and it’s wild
Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers come up short against OKC Thunder
Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers ended up falling 101-100 to the OKC Thunder on Tuesday. Leonard couldn’t get a game-winning shot attempt off before the buzzer sounded.
OKC was led by star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 48.0% shooting. Meanwhile, Leonard led LA with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals on 43.8% shooting.
On top of the close loss, the Clippers sustained an even worse blow late in the fourth quarter. Star wing Paul George suffered an apparent right leg injury after bumping knees with Thunder shooting guard Luguentz Dort. George had to be helped off the court with 4:38 remaining in the game.
It remains to be seen how serious George’s injury is. However, if "PG13" has to miss extended time, it could serve as a fatal blow to the Clippers’ chances of contending.
Following the defeat, LA (38-35) is currently just fifth in the Western Conference with nine games remaining. OKC (36-36), meanwhile, is now seventh in the West with 10 games remaining.
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