TORONTO – The NBA on Sunday fined Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey $25,000 for “public criticism of officiating” one day after his comments about the calls and non-calls in Toronto’s 99-84 victory over Cleveland in Game 3 on Saturday.
Casey invoked the officiating several times in his postgame news conference – even when the question didn’t directly reference the officiating.
“How you can miss fouls like that and calls like that? I can’t see it,” Casey said. “I’ve been in this league a long time, in college basketball a long time, but again, there’s got to be consistency. The same foul on one end has got to be the same foul on the other.”
He also said, “We shot zero free throws in the fourth quarter. Zero.”
Unhappy with the foul discrepancy in the series, Casey pointed out the Raptors have been called for 73 fouls and the Cavaliers 46. Cleveland has outshot Toronto, 86-51, at the foul line. He also made a comment about the officiating after DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did not attempt a free throw in Game 1.
NBA officials had a discussion with Casey on Sunday and announced the fine later in the day.
“It's over with,” Casey said before the fine. “I said what I had to say last night. I'm not trying to send a message. It was a comment about the game last night, and it's over with.”
