The era of NBA referees not taking any grief whatsoever officially went up to the next level on Friday night, when Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau received a technical foul for yelling at his own player, Karl-Anthony Towns.
As seen in this video, the 60-year-old bench boss was seen directing his anger at his starting third-year center but was quick to receive the ire from the refs, leaving him bamboozled with the call.
They really gave Thibs a tech for cursing out KAT 😂 pic.twitter.com/wvOI9uLWCw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2018
Thibodeau had all the reason to be upset with Towns, as he was often late in defensive rotations and let this game come too close for comfort against a young Chicago Bulls team, which ultimately cost him the win.
The referee calls in this season have been outlandish, but some like this phantom call on Kevin Durant during a Russell Westbrook blatant slip and this misdirected technical foul on a coach holding a player accountable are appalling and tough to excuse.
The refs have been quick with the whistle this season, whether it is with players or coaches, but this is one call that they'll review and hope they can take back — even if it doesn't appear in the league's last two-minute report.
Ironically enough, the Bulls managed to edge the Timberwolves by a score of 118-117, making that one technical foul free throw — which forward Denzel Valentine soon converted — a potentially pivotal one in the game.
This makes yet another facepalm for the league and its referees, who are trying to rebound from a massive wave of new faces in a game where experience and seniority have been the meal ticket for many years.
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