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Celtics' Grant Williams on Finals Officiating: 'All We Want to See Is Consistency'
June 7, 2022
The Boston Celtics are hoping the officiating in the 2022 NBA Finals is more consistent for the remainder the series against the Golden State Warriors.
There was plenty of controversy in Game 2 of the Finals when Draymond Green wasn't given his second technical foul of the contest and ejected from the game following an altercation with Jaylen Brown.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Celtics forward Grant Williams noted that he hopes the officials will be as graceful if he or any of his teammates end up being considered for a second technical foul and possible ejection moving forward.
"By the rules, a tech is a tech regardless of the situation. But as players, all we want to see is consistency," Williams said. "When the refs decided not to give Dray a second tech, we expected it and we moved on. We didn’t harp on it. We just hope that grace is extended for everyone."
Williams added:
“If the refs are taking into consideration that a player — a key player — already has a technical and then they decide for whatever reason that a similar incident doesn’t warrant a second technical, that’s fine as long as there is consistency. The problem is there is no consistency. As players, we just want to know how the game is going to be officiated and then we’ll adjust. I personally believe you have to understand the magnitude of the game and how an ejection can impact the game. No one wants to see the game impacted by an ejection. But either all techs are the same or you consider the situation when [contemplating] a second tech. We just want the rules to be enforced straight forward and consistently.”
Green was a force to be reckoned with from the get-go in Game 2 on Sunday.
First, the 32-year-old forced Al Horford into a jump ball on the opening possession of the game. He then baited Williams into a foul, though he also earned a technical foul on the play, before getting into an altercation with Jaylen Brown.
Green was considered for a second technical foul for his altercation with Brown, but nothing came of the incident.
Green wanted to make sure he was matching Boston's intensity, and he certainly went above and beyond, earning the admiration of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
"No, just let him be him," Kerr told reporters. "He's at his best when he's passionate and emotional. I thought he played a great game the other night. He got the early tech, but he left the officials alone all night.
"The play is always going to be physical in the playoffs. Being physical is part of it. So the main thing is you have to leave the officials alone, and Draymond did a good job of that."
This series will be one in which the Celtics and Warriors continue to exchange jabs. The officials set the tone for the series in both Game 1 and Game 2, so it's hard to imagine a player getting ejected for anything similar to what happened with Green on Sunday.
That said, Boston guard Marcus Smart added that the Celtics plan to fight "fire with fire," so neither of these teams will let up in fear of potentially being ejected.
Game 3 between the Celtics and Warriors is set for Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston.