Like clockwork, add the Phoenix Suns to the growing list of NBA characters who've voiced their frustrations with the way the Oklahoma City Thunder is officiated. What ticked them off to finally go over the edge? Devin Booker's technical foul.
The Thunder came away with a 120-107 Game 2 win over the Suns. They were in firm control and led by as many as 26 points. Despite how lopsided the Round 1 series has been as the reigning NBA champions build up a 2-0 lead, we've heard a handful from Phoenix's side about the officiating.
After Game 1, Jalen Green wanted calls and non-calls to go both ways. A pretty tame critique — all things considered. After Game 2, though, the floodgates burst open. Booker called out NBA referee James Williams by name for a third-quarter technical foul.
Diving for a loose ball, Booker grabbed the possession and flung it over his back. Jaylin Williams was called for a foul as Phoenix's superstar fell into the sidelines. After some politicking, Alex Caruso pulled a Chris Paul and convinced the referees to call him for a technical foul as the ball smacked OKC's backup center.
Considering their online reputation, NBA fans ran home with the technical foul. There was enough material to go all the way into complaining about the Thunder. Since they've dominated the league, you've seen folks repeat the same talking points about OKC's whistle.
The Thunder get away with a lot of physicality on defense. And on offense, you can't lay a finger on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Disingenuous short clips go viral on social media. Everybody gets on their soapbox to say how the league is ruined. Yada. Yada. Rinse and repeat after every OKC playoff game.
Asked about the technical foul, Booker went all out on a rant. One that will likely cost him a pretty penny. But worth it if it means they can get a few favorable calls to go their way as the Round 1 series shifts over to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4.
"It's definitely something that has to be looked into. I heard Caruso tell them to call the tech and he ended up doing it," Booker said. "In my 11 years, I haven't called a ref out by name, but James was terrible tonight, through and through."
Going a step further, Booker even insinuated that the NBA has rigged the playoff games for the Thunder. He compared it to WWE's scripted results in their wrestling matches. Now, that's a bridge a little too far for me, in my opinion.
"It's bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport," Booker said. "People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they're not held responsible."
Now, should Booker have been called for a technical foul? Probably not. It was a little silly. Not like he intended to hit Williams with the ball as he fell out of bounds. But it was obvious this referee crew had little patience for any feistiness. Look back at Dillon Brooks' and Lu Dort's double technical fouls for getting face-to-face.
You gotta let these teams play out the intensity. That's the whole point of the NBA playoffs. That said, it's important to note that the Thunder and Suns had pretty even fouls called and free-throw attempts. OKC committed 21 fouls and took 25 free throws; Phoenix committed 25 fouls and took 22 free throws.
While Booker had a point about the isolated technical foul, he took it a step too far with the conspiracy theories. But if you're the Suns, you gotta create any advantage you can. The Thunder are two wins away from another low-stress Round 1 series victory. Let's see if Phoenix can play better in Game 3 — which is the game OKC historically struggles with.
“I know I haven’t won a championship in this league, but I have been in it for 11 years now,” Booker said. “To get to this point, to be treated like that, for me to even be saying something out loud, it’s bad. Whatever I get fined for, everybody can pull the clips and see where the frustration comes from.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Devin Booker calls out NBA referee after Thunder's Game 2 win over Suns