Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic fined $25,000 for criticizing referees

Darko Rajakovic (YouTube)

According to the Associated Press on Thursday, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic of Cacak, Serbia has been fined $25,000 for his outburst in the post game press conference following the Raptors’s narrow 132-131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Rajakovic was very frustrated that the Raptors had only two free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, while the Lakers had 23.

Here are the comments Rajakovic made that got himself into trouble:

“It’s outrageous. What happened tonight, this is completely B.S. This is shame. Shame for the referees. Shame for the league to allow this. Twenty-three free throws for them, and we get two free throws in the fourth quarter? Like, how to play the game? I understand respect for All-Stars and all that, but we have star players on our team as well.”

“How (is it) possible that Scottie Barnes, who is All-Star-caliber player in this league, he goes every single time to the rim with force and trying to get to the rim without flopping and not trying to get foul calls, he gets two free throws for a whole game? How is that possible? How are you going to explain that to me?”

“They (meaning the Lakers) had to win tonight? If that’s the case, just let us know, so we don’t show up for the game. Just give them a win. But that was not fair tonight. And this is not happening first time for us. Scottie Barnes is gonna be (an) All-Star. He’s gonna be the face of this league, and what’s happening over here during whole season it’s complete crap.”

What do you think? Should Rajakovic had been fined? In the referees’s defense, there were several times in the game that the Raptors tried to foul. That is what happens late in games when one team is trailing by a handful of points.

However, as one who watched the game, Rajakovic has every reason to be frustrated. At first glance it seemed that there were multiple occasions where a Laker foul was not called, and the referees were too hard on the Raptors. It just so happens that the Lakers have star talent in LeBron James (the NBA’s all-time leading scorer), and Anthony Davis. More often than not, they get the benefit of many close calls.

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