"Complaints from one side": The Suns explode against the refereeing in favor of OKC

The defeat of the Phoenix Suns against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second game of the Western Conference first-round series not only resulted in a worrying 0-2 in the elimination, but also deep discontent in the Phoenix locker room over the officiating. The subsequent statements reflect an unusual level of outrage in the postseason.

The most outspoken was Dillon Brooks, who was ejected for fouls after scoring 30 points. The forward did not hold back in front of the media and directly criticized: "The referees need to explain themselves because this is becoming ridiculous." Brooks went further, even suggesting a change in the usual dynamic: "You should be interviewing the referees. That should be something new in the NBA."

The Suns player also denounced the lack of control during the game: "Everything is heating up. There is no control out there. Now they are only calling it one way." In the midst of that context, Brooks made it clear that he makes no distinctions on the court, not even when facing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: "I’m on the court. I don't care who it is. It can be anyone; I’m going straight at you."

The words of Devin Booker were no less impactful. The shooting guard, a team leader with 11 years of NBA experience, showed an unusual frustration in him: "I know I haven't won a championship, but I've been in this league for 11 years, and to get to this point and be treated like this… for me to be speaking out loud, it's serious."

Booker even acknowledged the possible consequences of his words: "Whatever, fine me. Everyone can see the plays and understand where the frustration is coming from." The guard insisted that the images speak for themselves and demanded a more objective review of what happened.

Booker's offensive foul

One of the actions that most infuriated the player from Phoenix was an offensive foul called against him. Booker explained his version of the play, involving Alex Caruso: "Caruso is moving forward in that action. And if that is an unnatural shooting motion compared to what others do to draw fouls nowadays, you can put them side by side and judge for yourselves."

The guard was especially surprised by the context in which the decision was made: "Look at the replays, watch the play again. I am surprised that this is happening on national television, in playoff games."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Pitan para un solo lado": Los Suns estallan contra los arbitrajes a favor de OKC