Paul George, Nate McMillan Fined for Comments Toward Officials
The NBA fined Indiana Pacers forward Paul George and coach Nate McMillan $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, Wednesday for their criticism of officiating after the team's Dec. 26 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
George issued a strident rebuke of the NBA's officiating, telling reporters Pacers players don't get calls because they are the "little brother" of the NBA:
"I’ve been vocal to the point where the league issues [a statement], ‘Hey, we missed a call. Hey, we missed that.’ Officials do it during games [saying], ‘I missed that call, I missed this call. We’re sorry. We’re sorry.’ It’s getting repetitive. They see it, they know what’s going on. They know what’s a foul. They know what’s not a foul. It comes down from somewhere else how these games are going, I believe...
"
Since I’ve been in this jersey we’ve always fought this battle. Ever since I’ve been playing, ever since I’ve been in this jersey we’ve fought this battle. Maybe the league has teams they like so they can give them the benefit of the doubt. We’re the little brother of the league. We’re definitely the little brother of the league.
McMillan was less conspiratorial but was equally upset about the lack of respect for his team's star player:
"(The referees have) got to give us more respect… No fouls. We only shot 10 free throws. Paul shot one free throw the entire game. He played 39 minutes. This is the second game where he’s getting a lot of grabbing, a lot of holding. (Jimmy) Butler shoots 12 free throws tonight. I mean, they’re getting away with a lot of grabbing on Paul and they’ve got to call the game both ways.
"
The Pacers shot 10 free throws compared to 28 for the Bulls, who earned a 90-85 win despite shooting 38.6 percent from the floor. George was limited to 14 points, his third straight game under the 20-point mark, as Indiana lost its third straight game.
George has seen his free-throw rate take a massive dip in 2016-17, as he went from averaging 6.5 per game last season to just 4.3 through his first 25 games. He has had seven games where he has attempted two or fewer shots from the line.
If the season ended today, George's .251 free-throw rate would be the second-worst full-season number of his career.
Part of this trend is due to George's changing game. He has become more perimeter-oriented since returning from the leg injury that cost him nearly the entire 2014-15 season. More than 61 percent of his shots now come from 16 feet or beyond. He's shooting just 15.8 percent of his shots from inside three feet, the lowest rate of his career.
That said, George might have a legitimate gripe. His shot profile is not all that different from last season, during which he set a career-high (.364) free-throw rate. The Pacers rank 22nd among all NBA teams in free-throw rate and haven't finished any higher than 13th since the 2012-13 season.
There are mitigating circumstances here. Roy Hibbert and David West, the two Pacers bigs during most of George's career, were not known to draw free throws at a high rate. Hibbert's a stationary figure, while West did a lot of his work in the mid-ranges.
The Pacers have also adopted a slightly more uptempo and three-oriented attack over the last two seasons, which can depress free-throw numbers. The Golden State Warriors, for instance, rank 15th in free-throw rate.
But after a career's worth of George seeing other teams get more calls, it's easy to see where he can perceive things a little differently. Still, it's more likely than not this is a stylistic thing than any grand conspiracy.
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All stats via basketball-reference.com
