Cavs coach ‘disappointed’ about officiating in Game 4 loss to C’s originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff was visibly upset with officials in points during his team’s Game 4 loss to the Boston Celtics. After the game, he expressed his frustrations.
When asked what kept the Cavs from staying ahead after coming back, Bickerstaff gave credit to his team’s effort and criticized the referees.
“I’ll be honest with you, I was disappointed with the way the whistle blew tonight,” he said. “I thought our guys deserved a lot better because of the way they were competing. They were attacking the paint, chasing the paint the same way, like both teams did. We’re not asking for anything more, but we’re asking for equality.” and I don’t think we have the same opportunities tonight from that standpoint.”
Bickerstaff’s problems with officiating began early. He wasn’t happy with the officials for calling a foul on a drive by C’s star Jayson Tatum but not calling one on a layup by Caris LeVert moments earlier.
Later, Max Strus and Jaylen Brown got tangled and Brown grabbed Strus’s leg, making him stumble. Bickerstaff and the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd didn’t like it when the referees ruled that it was a common foul on Brown and not a flagrant one.
The icing on the cake was that the Celtics were not called for a foul for almost the entire fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Cavs committed six fouls in the frame.
“I’m not inside those guys’ heads,” Bickerstaff added of the referees. “But what I do know is that they didn’t foul in the fourth quarter until the end of the game. Our guys are driving, our guys are attacking. I have to go back and watch it, but again, it just didn’t look that good to me.” if it were balanced.”
Bickerstaff’s frustrations are understandable. The Cavs played well enough to tie the series at two despite missing their best player Donovan Mitchell. If a few decisions had gone right, game four could have had a very different ending.
However, the Celtics will return to TD Garden with the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals in front of their home crowd. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 pm ET with coverage starting at 6 pm with Celtics pregame live on NBC Sports Boston.