Paul George has become very vocal when it comes to how the Thunder have been officiated this season. Well, it finally caught up to him last week when the NBA fined him.
The tipping point for George came after the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Thunder on March 8. The Clippers held a 46-26 advantage in free throws during that game, setting George off afterward.
It’s bad officiating. I’m sorry. Just bad officiating. We don’t get a fair whistle. We haven’t gotten a fair whistle all year. It is what it is. Somebody has to look into this. It’s getting out of hand where we somehow just walk teams to the line.
George was fined $25,000 for those comments and was careful with his words on Thursday when asked about the officiating. The Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers following the game becoming a bit physical toward the end.
But George wasn’t taking the bait:
I learned my lesson on talking about the officiating. I have an understanding that they are going to call what they want to call and every night it’s not going to be perfect but it is what it is. The fact of the matter is we put ourselves in a position to give them an opportunity to win the game and they won the game.
The Thunder appeared to be heading toward a victory after leading by as many as 19 points but failed to hold off the Pacers, as Indiana outscored OKC 58-43 in the second half.
George led the Thunder with 36 points in his second game back in Indiana since being traded to Oklahoma City nearly two years ago. Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis scored 26 to lead the Pacers.
As George has been heavily critical of the officiating this season, we may not hear the veteran offer any new criticism toward the referees anytime soon.
