Following Cleveland’s 133-129 overtime win over Portland on Sunday, Ty Jerome said some things in an interview that he probably regrets. The league decided to fine the guard with $25,000 after he publicly criticised the referee’s decisions, using words as “horrendous.”
The 27-year-old wasn’t too happy after both teams were called for a combined 53 fouls and 70 free throws during the match, which was well balanced with 35 each. To use as an example, the average of fouls called during an NBA contest are fewer than 40.
“I thought the refs were really bad tonight, especially Natalie (Sago), she was really bad,” Jerome said. “Stuff like that happens. They kind of lose control of the game, and you just got to keep your head. I thought that first half was ridiculous. Third quarter was horrendous. You just got to keep your head and keep playing.”
By the end of the game, Ty had finished with 25 points, six assists and a career-high six steals. However, he did pick up a technical foul for arguing with the referees. His coach Kenny Atkinson also agreed that the constant whistles affected the flow of the matchup against the Trail Blazers.
“The game was so choppy,” he expressed postgame. “I’ll have to go back and look at the film. We have great referees in this league. I just thought it wasn’t a great spectacle for the fans or for the media, or for us as coaches. It would just seem like it was constant stoppage. I’ll just leave it at that.”
After the win, the Cavaliers tactician assured that they’re not waiting to start the preparation for the playoffs. According to Atkinson, their concentration and work for the postseason has already begun.
“I think we’re safeguarding against that. I’ve been part of a team, you know, that Hawks team I was with, we had a huge lead. I think more than we have now. We didn’t take our foot off the gas, but we started resting guys a lot. We really tried to almost over-strategize it,” the Cavs coach explained.
