Mitchell, Gobert fined for Public Criticism of Officiating

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were fined for their post-game criticism of NBA Referees.

The National Basketball Association has handed down fines to both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert following their postgame criticism of NBA Referees. Mitchell received a fine of $25,000 while Gobert was issued a fine of $20,000.

After an overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Mitchell and Gobert didn't mince words when they sounded off against the awful refereeing that occurred throughout the night.

"We won this game in my personal opinion. ... It's getting f---ing ridiculous."

Donovan Mitchell after getting ejected vs. the 76ers: pic.twitter.com/sSTquZuu2n

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 4, 2021

Mitchell was ejected during overtime for the first time in his career. The team was visibly angered after a foul call on Rudy Gobert when he received his first technical foul by referee Sean Corbin. The next time down the floor was when Mitchell was tossed by referee Brandon Adair after complaining about a non-call.

After the game, Mitchell, Gobert, and others including members of the national media spoke about how awful the officiating was during the game. There were multiple plays that were talked about as reference to bad calls. 

One of the most talked about was an offensive foul called on Donovan Mitchell that clearly shows Ben Simmons hooking Mitchell's arm, impeding Mitchell's route to the basket. Of course, the NBA's official stance on the play is that "Mitchell wraps his arm around Simmon's leg during the drive and the contact restricts his movement." I'll let you take a look at the play and see if you see the same thing. 

So this was called an offensive foul on Donovan Mitchell and I give up, folks pic.twitter.com/byF2aT1kYc

— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) March 4, 2021

This game is definitely not the first time that players have been upset at officials. Maybe it's time for the NBA to look into punishing underachieving officials instead of punishing its players for speaking out against them.

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