The Golden State Warriors may have won three of the last four NBA championships, but that doesn't mean the league offices have made them exempt from being fined for speaking out against officiating crews. In one fell swoop Tuesday, Draymond Green was fined $35,000 for his tweets about the officiating, Stephen Curry was fined $25,000 for “actions and public statements” and Kevin Durant was fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing officials:
The NBA has announced #Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $35,000 for his tweets about the refs. Guard Stephen Curry has been fined $25,000 for his 'actions and public statements.' Forward Kevin Durant has been fined $15,000 for public criticism of the officials.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 2, 2019
The league was not holding back on the Western Conference's current No. 1 seed, attempting to clamp down on the increasing fervor that has grown around the officials following Golden State's controversial overtime loss Friday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For all the talk of how the regular season is nothing more than a warmup for the playoffs for the Warriors, the team seems to care a whole lot more than traditional chatter would let on. While they have claimed that winning the top seed in the Western Conference is far from a necessity in their title aspirations, they just racked up $75,000 in fine money in one day for how they believe games have been incorrectly officiated.
The Warriors play a pivotal game Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets, with the two teams jockeying for the top spot in the West and the playoffs just over a week away from beginning. The focus on the officiating is not likely to subside once the postseason begins, with both increased scrutiny and attention being paid to calls that players have been frustrated with over the course of the regular season.
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