Bill Simmons Slams NBA Referees Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Free Throw Calls
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a strong statement in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 1 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals on Tuesday, scoring 31 points and hitting 14 free throws. For comparison, the Timberwolves’ top scorers, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, combined for just 13 free throw attempts.
The game’s officiating didn’t do SGA any favors in shaking off his “free throw merchant” reputation, and now, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is speaking out, arguing that SGA is getting preferential treatment from the referees, specifically with “whistles that nobody else in the playoffs is getting.”
Simmons commented, “I feel like Shai is getting this whistle that nobody else in the playoffs is getting. There are these little touch fouls or bumps where it’s unclear who even initiated the contact, and he’s just getting the call. If you’re Minnesota, the main takeaway from the game is that you’ve got to get a better whistle on these SGA calls. They were terrible.”
ESPN’s Zach Lowe noted that the Timberwolves were already frustrated before the game, expecting certain calls, and added, “some clips will be sent to the league office between games one and two.”
In the postseason, SGA is averaging 9.2 free throws per game, slightly up from his regular-season average of 8.8. However, Luka Dončić also averaged 9.2 free throws during the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round series, while Donovan Mitchell averaged 9.9 free throws in the Cavaliers’ postseason run. Giannis Antetokounmpo even posted a remarkable 12.6 free throw attempts per game in Milwaukee’s first-round loss to Indiana.
However, with those other stars already eliminated, Simmons wasn’t the only one critical of the officiating. On social media, many users echoed similar sentiments about the calls, with several variations of this sentiment gaining significant attention:
“It will indeed be a long series for the haters.”
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