Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves getting a big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Anthony Edwards was not pleased with the officiating. After the game, Edwards had some harsh words in an on-court, postgame interview.
“Imma take the fine, because the refs did not give us no calls tonight.”
“Cheatin’ ass refs.”
Edward continued to express his displeasure even when he was off the court.
“I haven’t earned [referees’ respect] yet, so it’s okay,” Edwards said. “But I think tonight was bad from the refs. It was terrible. We didn’t get no calls as a team. I got fouled multiple times, and I’m walking up to the ref telling him, “Hey, can you watch this?” They just shaking their head. Yeah. And then soon somebody come down from their team and get bumped, it’s a foul.
“So, I just feel like it wasn’t a fair game tonight from the jump. And so, that’s why I’m super happy we won the game.”
It is not the first time Edwards has been frustrated with the officials this year. In another matchup with the Thunder a few weeks ago, Edwards was frustrated with the way Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was being officiated. He is not the first player or coach this year to express discontent with NBA officials.
Anthony Edwards Expresses Frustration With Officiating
Inconsistent Officiating Should be a Concern for the League
The NBA referees seem to be more of a point of contention this year than in recent years. Sacramento Kings head coach, Mike Brown, was ejected after arguing a call a few weeks ago. The reigning champion, Denver Nuggets, have also had their fair share of frustrations. Nikola Jokic and coach, Michael Malone, have both been ejected this season. Toronto Raptors head coach, Darko Rajakovic, was furious after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and pointed out the free-throw disparity. Even Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, was livid after a Christmas Day loss to the Denver Nuggets where Nikola Jokic attempted 18 free-throws. These are just a few examples of the NBA officiating coming under fire this season. As a result, the league may want to start holding their referees just as accountable as the coaches and players.
Anthony Edwards’ Season So Far
Edwards is having another terrific campaign. He will most likely make another All-Star Game and has solidified as part of Minnesota’s foundation for the future. This season, Anthony Edwards is averaging 25.9 points, 5.2 total rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while shooting an effective field goal percentage of 52.8 percent. The former Georgia Bulldog is also tallying a career-best player efficiency rating of 19.2 to go along with a true shooting percentage of 58.4 percent and a box plus/minus rating of +3.0. Anthony Edwards has already solidified himself as one of the up-and-coming superstars in the NBA. Many NBA franchises would love to have a player with his kind of talent and potential. It makes sense why the star guard would be frustrated with much of the officiating this season.
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