Paul George Fined $25K for Ripping Refs After Thunder's Loss vs. Clippers

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George is the latest voice in what has been a chorus of criticism directed at NBA referees this season.

George was hit with a $25,000 fine for his public criticism of officials following the Thunder's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. The 28-year-old All-Star was frustrated because he fouled out of the game.

In a video from Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, George is seen saying, "It's just bad officiating. We haven't got a fair whistle all year. ... Somebody gotta look into this. It's getting out of hand." Watch George's full response below (warning: NSFW language):

George's sixth foul came 3:49 remaining in the game. The Thunder were only trailing 100-99 and had possession. George bumped Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley off the ball, and the whistle blew. Beverley celebrated forcing George out of the game as if the Clippers had just won the game.

Beverley took to Twitter on Saturday to disparage George placing blame on the refs: "Men lie, numbers don't. He tried to blame the refs. Naw bra bra!!!" Not surprisingly, George didn't take kindly to Beverley's opinion:

Along with George, point guard Russell Westbrook and center Steven Adams fouled out for the Thunder.

George included a defense of Westbrook in his rant, saying, "There's nobody getting more contact than Russ going to the basket, and it's just crazy. ... It's a piece of s--t being on that floor."

The NBA's Last Two Minute Report confirmed that Westbrook's sixth foul was correctly called. George's was not under review because it came before the two-minute mark. Of the 19 fouls called in the game's final two minutes, the report only identifies two as being incorrect.

On the season, George leads the Thunder with 28.4 points per game. He has been a crucial part in Oklahoma City's surge to 40-26. Ahead of Monday's clash with the Utah Jazz, the Thunder sit in fourth place in the Western Conference.