Some postgame complaining about questionable calls showed expensive for Marcus Smart.
The Boston Celtics guard was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for remarks about the officiating in Fridays video game against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to The Athletics Shams Charania.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo had a big night on Friday. Some Celtics werent pleased with the calls he got. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) More.
The call in concern began with Antetokounmpo driving to the basket from the top of the border. After steering around Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis, Antetokounmpo leapt through the paint for a lay-up. At that point, Smart stepped up to protect Antetokounmpo in the only way he truly could: choosing the charge call.
Smart initially got the charge call he was trying to find, however the authorities identified Smart had devoted an obstructing foul after an evaluation.
There didnt appear to be much of a concern over whether Smart had remained in position in time. Rather, it was his positioning around the restricted location that might have triggered the officials to call a foul on Smart. Smarts left foot plainly started in the limited location, then got pulled up as Antetokounmpo made contact.
That wasnt enough to persuade the Celtics and their fans that Antetokounmpo got away with a charge. The MVP candidate eventually finished the video game with 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting, 15 rebounds and 7 assists.
Smart wasnt even the only Celtic to imply the refs had actually favored Antetokounmpo after the video game.
Marcus Smart on the charge being reversed: “The reason was I was late on the charge.– Jay King (@ByJayKing) August 1, 2020
The Bucks and Celtics had been tied at the time of the call. The charge/block turnaround created an and-1 for Antetokounmpo, which gave the Bucks a lead they never gave up on their method to a 119-112 win.
Heres why Marcus Smart seethed
There didnt appear to be much of a question over whether Smart had been in position in time. Instead, it was his placement around the limited area that might have triggered the authorities to call a foul on Smart. Smarts left foot clearly began in the limited area, then got pulled up as Antetokounmpo made contact.
Marcus Smart on the charge being reversed: “The excuse was I was late on the charge. At that point, Smart stepped up to defend Antetokounmpo in the only way he really could: going for the charge call.
Fine of the NBA reboot: Bostons Marcus Smart has actually been fined $15,000 by the NBA for remarks about officiating Friday night, sources inform @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2020
The remarks worried Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in specific, who took advantage of some questionable employ the games final minutes. One charge call that got turned into an obstructing foul on Smart prompted the guard to speculate the officials were safeguarding Antetokounmpo, who had 5 fouls at the time, from fouling out.
