Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was not shy about his feelings towards the officiating in the team's playoff series with the Miami Heat. The two teams have played three very physical and at times very chippy games. With multiple technical fouls and ejections being thrown out each game, Thibodeau is less than thrilled with the way the refs have been dictating the games. After letting his feelings out in a post-game press conference after Game 3, Thibodeau was hit with a $35,000 fine for negative comments towards the refs.
The head coach was clearly angry after the refs ejected Nazr Mohammed for pushing LeBron James to the floor. He believes his team is not getting fair calls their way and that was just another example.
"From my angle, I saw a guy basically flop. I don't think it warranted an ejection. I understand a flagrant foul, I understand that, but ejection, no, nope," Thibodeau said.
The Mohammed foul was just one of many in this series, mostly committed by the Bulls. In Game 2 of the second-round series, the Bulls recorded six technical fouls and two ejections by Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Then in Game 3, Noah got the ball rolling, picking up a technical foul for shoving Chris Anderson after he fell on Nate Robinson. That foul came with 23.5 seconds left in the first quarter. Thibodeau does not understand why only his team is getting hit with technicals.
"I'm watching some of the other plays with Haslem and Anderson, and I don't get it. I don't get it. Watching how things are going. I see how things are going. I watch very closely. I watch very closely. What I'm seeing is, we''ll adjust accordingly," Thibodeau said.
It is clear the officials will not be letting up in Game 4. In a series that has been more physical than most, they will be watching players closely and will call something without hesitation. Bulls forward Jimmy Butler is aware of how the series has gone so far and does not expect anything to change in Game 4.
"I feel like that's what it's been from the very beginning. I don't expect it to change...the last game, it's over with. But we're coming in and we want to be the aggressor," Butler said.