Rockets star James Harden has been hit with a $25K fine for comments he made about the officiating after Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, the NBA announced on Twitter.
After fouling out of the game, Harden told reporters that referee Scott Foster has a “personal” issue with the Rockets and suggested that he shouldn’t be allowed to work any more of the team’s games. The calls against Harden included four offensive fouls.
“Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant,” Harden said in comments relayed by Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean, you aren’t able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it’s like, how do you build that relationship with officials? And it’s not even that call [on the sixth foul]. It’s just who he is on that floor.
“It’s pretty frustrating. And I’m probably going to get hit [with a fine], but honestly, I don’t really say anything. I’m a pretty quiet guy, to myself, but it’s one of those things where you can’t voice your opinion. You can’t have a conversation with someone that’s officiating the game. You’re getting a tech. It’s pretty sad.”
MacMahon notes that Houston’s Chris Paul had a similar incident last January after a game in which Foster gave him a technical foul, calling Foster “who they pay to see.” Paul also received a technical and fouled out of Thursday’s game with the Lakers.
Bitting the hand that feeds you
fantastic comment
I’m glad he did it people need to know that Scott Foster is LITERALLY against the Rockets!! It’s so obvious too
Considering how he gets more calls than anyone in the league I don’t think he should complain.
Exactly. Is he complaining because he’s not calling his usual blatant foul making scams? Harden wouldn’t be much without the free throw line.
Well you’re ignorant lol
The free throw line is a part of basketball, don’t be mad harden
is essentially creating a new way to score. Everybody’s reaching he just found out how to convert all of the hand checks into points. That takes massive skill. You can’t be mad at that
Getting to the line is a skill. Not how he does it
Scott Foster is terrible.
Foster regularly works Finals games. Figure that one out, especially after looking at the officials’ ratings. It’s not just a Rockets thing. It’s not just a Floppy Harden thing. Foster is simply a weak official.
It is actually refreshing when bozo officials get called out. Ian Kinsler called out Angel Hernandez a number of years ago to like a 110% approval (okay, my figure may be off…). If someone is not doing the job they’re being paid to do, they should not have that job.
I’m amazed Foster still gets so many high profile games. He’s regarded as one of the worst officials in the game by the players so its not just the Rockets who feel this way. At the very least, he probably shouldn’t be in charge of calling a Rockets game any time soon. Considering two big name players from the same team have made comments about him I can’t imagine him going into any Rockets game completely neutral/unbiased.
I think the sometimes the refs need to be fined when they are obviously one sided with calls. It is league wide. Should be able to review the games and say yes this ref did a poor job he gets a fine.
I brought this up to my friends the other week. It shouldn’t be a big fine. $2-300 maybe. There should be a little fire under their ass if they make high-school caliber calls. Lack of punishment for bad officiating creates no motivation to get the calls right. Something needs to change
Does he make bad calls, or does he just not try to be friends with the players? Because I don’t think that’s the ref’s job or should be any kind of expectation. That seemed to be what Harden kept coming back to.
“It’s just who he is on the floor.”
Aww poor Harden.
I prefer they stay removed from pressure from players & coaches.
Less talk & a little more action.
He has the audacity to criticize officiating?? Roflmao incredibe
He probably gets more favorable calls than anyone else in the league.
*He gets more favorable calls than anyone in the history of sports/fixed
You sound mad. Let the dude hoop and continue to dominate.