Marcus Smart fined for criticising refs' handling of James Harden
Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart was not impressed with how the referees dealt with James Harden and has been fined for his comments.
Marcus Smart has been fined $15,000 for his public criticism of the officiating in the Boston Celtics' loss to the Houston Rockets, the NBA announced on Tuesday.
The sanction seemingly relates to Boston point guard Smart's suggestion after the 123-120 defeat on Saturday that the referees gave calls to Rockets star James Harden.
Harden took 13 free-throws, making 11, and ended the match with 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.
"When you're playing a guy like that who gets those types of calls, it's pretty much like you're playing in foul trouble," Smart told the Boston Globe after the game.
"You've got to play really certain. You have to be really solid. You can't really play the defense that you want, because you know nine times out of 10, he's going to get those calls.
"It doesn't matter whether your hands are up or not. He still gets them. We saw that here tonight a few times, and we've seen that every other game.
"He has a way of using his hands, grabbing us, pulling us into him and drawing those fouls. He's been doing it for a long time. He gets the benefit of the doubt."