Missing their All-Star floor general Tyrese Haliburton and losing T.J. McConnell mid-game, the Pacers couldn’t complete the comeback on Saturday. They erased a 20-point deficit and even grabbed the lead, but the Hawks held firm down the stretch. With the loss, Indiana dropped to 35-27, now sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. If you thought that was all, then you’re mistaken. The bad news continues for the Pacers and Pascal Siakam.
Siakam wasn’t holding back when it came to the refs. The Pacers forward, who put up 23 points, was visibly frustrated with several calls throughout the game. With Indiana trailing by three in the final seconds, he drove to the rim and threw down a dunk with 1.3 seconds left.
The problem? There wasn’t enough time left for the Pacers to foul and get another shot at tying it up. His frustration boiled over after the game, and the league took notice. On Sunday, NBA Executive VP Joe Dumars announced a $25,000 fine for Siakam, citing “confronting and directing profane language toward game officials.”.
After the league announced Siakam’s 5-figure fine, fans were quick to call out what they saw as an overreaction. Many felt the punishment didn’t fit the crime, especially in a league where emotions run high.
Fans are frustrated with the refs, defend Pascal Siakam
One fan summed it up perfectly: “The NBA be protecting these refs like the president lmao they can take a few swear words they’re grown men.”. Referees seem untouchable, while players get hit with fines for even the slightest outburst. It’s no secret that officiating has been under scrutiny this season, with players repeatedly calling out inconsistencies.
From Draymond Green to Luka Doncic, star players have been fined or even suspended for venting their frustrations. Yet, when refs make game-altering mistakes, the most fans get is a brief Last Two Minute Report admitting an error. No fines, no suspensions—just a “whoops, our bad.”
“NBA is the softest league in the history of professional sport. Imagine these Charmin officials in the NHL lol they would cry themselves to sleep every night” tweeted another fan. Compared to other major sports, like the NHL or even the NFL, where players and coaches regularly get into heated exchanges with refs, the NBA takes a much stricter approach.
In hockey, officials deal with players dropping gloves and going at each other mid-game. Trash talk, rough hits, and physical confrontations are just part of the culture. If NHL referees reacted like their NBA counterparts, the penalty box would be overflowing with unsportsmanlike conduct calls every night.
Another netizen chimed in with, “@NBA continues to just punish player without addressing the root of the issue…which is @OfficialNBARefs”. Fans have seen it time and time again: questionable officiating impacts games, emotions boil over, and the league responds by punishing the players while the referees walk away untouched. Instead of addressing whether the officiating was inconsistent or if players have valid concerns, the NBA’s response was to hit Siakam with a $25,000 penalty. It’s a pattern—punish the reaction, not the problem.
This is a developing story…
The post “Protecting Refs Like President”: Everyone Is Saying the Same Thing About Pascal Siakam’s 5-Figure NBA Punishment appeared first on EssentiallySports.
