The NBA announced on Monday that it has fined Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome $25,000 for publicly criticizing officials following Cleveland’s 133-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
After the game, in which officials called 53 personal fouls — 27 of them on Cleveland — Jerome offered some candid criticism of the officiating crew and called out referee Natalie Sago by name.
“I thought the refs were really bad tonight, especially Natalie, she was really bad,” Jerome told reporters, per the Associated Press. “Stuff like that happens. They kind of lose control of the game, and you just got to keep your head. I thought that first half was ridiculous. Third quarter was horrendous.”
Jerome tallied 25 points, six rebounds and six assists off the bench in the win in which the Cavaliers rallied from an 18-point deficit to force overtime. Jerome drew a technical foul from Sago for something that he said to her.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson joined Jerome in criticizing officials for the multitude of fouls that bogged down the game. But he took a more diplomatic approach that did not draw a fine from the NBA.
“The game was so choppy,” Atkinson. “I’ll have to go back and look at the film. We have great referees in this league. I just thought it wasn’t a great spectacle for the fans or for the media, or for us as coaches. It would just seem like it was constant stoppage. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Jerome is averaging 12 points, 3.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season while shooting 44.9% from 3-point distance as Cleveland’s top reserve. The Cavaliers improved on their NBA-best record to 50-10 with Sunday’s win. Jerome is playing on the second of a two-year, $5 million contract and has $15.9 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
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