Among the matches subject to controversy this week, there was this Lakers-Raptors won on the wire by the Californians (132-131), who had the gift of bringing out Darko Rajakokic of its hinges.
The Serbian coach did not pull any punches against the match referees during the press conference, speaking of a “scandal” and “shame” for the league.
“ It's scandalous. What happened this evening was complete nonsense. It's a shame for the referees, a shame for the league to allow this. 23 free throws for them and two for us in the fourth quarter… How do we play? I understand that we respect stars, but we also have stars “, the Raptors technician got carried away, to the point of suggesting that the NBA had favored the Lakers. “ How is it that Scottie Barnes, an All-Star caliber player in this league, going hard to the rim every time, trying to go for it without going overboard to get the whistles, only gets two free throws throughout the game? How is it possible ? How are you going to explain this to me? They were supposed to win tonight? If so, let us know so we don't show up to the game. Just give them the victory. »
Unsurprisingly, the NBA did not appreciate this release, and the league inflicted a fine of 25,000 dollars for “public criticism of the arbitration body”. This is the first time in his young NBA career that Darko Rajakovic has received such a sanction.
