Clippers' Paul George Fined $35K by NBA for Criticism of Refs After Loss to Nuggets
The NBA announced Thursday that Los Angeles Clippers' star Paul George was fined $35,000 for being critical of the officials during his team's 111-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, and in part for "George's history of public criticism of the officiating."
"I thought we played great," George told reporters after that game. "It's tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three [officials]. I thought they were awful. But, [against the] defending champs, we got to play better. There's a lot to be positive about. I'm not one for moral victories, but I thought we showed more of a sign of a team tonight that's close to getting it over the hump."
George in particular was unhappy he and his teammates didn't get the benefit of more calls in their favor.
"It was bad," he said. "Five free throws is very disrespectful on this night. So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers, it was constant. Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. I mean, it was poor, a poor job. But, again, we got to be able to beat these guys on their floor and not rely on that. Again, they [are] calling something on one end, they got to call it on the other."
Granted, frustrations within the Clippers likely run deeper than the officiating. The team is just 3-7 on the season and 0-5 since acquiring James Harden as it attempts to make a core group of George, Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook learn how to share one ball.
It's an odd fit, to say the least. All four are players who operate best with the ball in their hands, with Harden and Westbrook traditionally serving as high-usage point guards. Leonard and George are a bit less reliant on being ball-dominant, but each is an elite isolation scorer.
Harden hasn't played as an off-ball, spot-up shooter since his OKC days. Westbrook can't effectively play that role at all as a mediocre perimeter shooter. From a team-building perspective, this group of players doesn't make much sense on the floor together.
"This is my toughest challenge as a head coach, but I'm up for the task for sure," head coach Tyronn Lue told TNT and B/R's Chris Haynes. "The biggest thing is getting these guys to sacrifice for guys, whether that's starting the game, finishing the game, shots, touches, who's running pick-and-rolls, and things like that. Getting these guys to sacrifice will be the biggest challenge all season."
