Fred VanVleet isn’t any stranger to blowing up at NBA officers, however his tiff with the referees within the closing seconds of the Houston Rockets’ 104-98 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday evening was excessive even by his requirements — which is why it in the end resulted in a $50,000 advantageous that the league introduced on Monday, Nov. 25.
It’s nonetheless not clear particularly what VanVleet was so upset about, as he demurred to dig a deeper gap when requested about officiating after the sport. However, eagle-eyed lip-readers on-line appeared to catch him calling every ref “a b—-” — and practically poking one within the eye! — whereas getting ejected with 4.1 seconds left within the sport on Saturday evening:
VanVleet will (seemingly) solely keep away from suspension as a result of an alternate angle made it clear he simply narrowly prevented making contact with crew umpire John Conley, which might have seemingly seen him sidelined for some time:
Fred VanVleet 100% simply copped a suspension on the finish of this sport…
Told the ref “you’re a b*tch and pointed his finger right in his face” pic.twitter.com/iNjLJ3EFeg
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) November 24, 2024
This is definitely probably the most expletive-filled eruption I can recall cameras catching between a participant and referees since Kelly Oubre insulted a complete officiating crews’ bloodlines final March.
But the NBA could have made VanVleet suppose such a conduct can get him good outcomes. In 2023, VanVleet was fined $30,000 for calling referee Ben Taylor “f—ing terrible.” That could not sound good on its face… till you notice the NBA unofficially demoted Taylor by not giving him crew chief assignments following VanVleet’s detonation.
So whereas VanVleet undoubtedly earned his advantageous right here, if it ends in Conley dealing with related penalties to his outdated enemy Taylor… the Rockets guard could also be pleased with the trade-off.