Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says referees are human and that James Harden should look in the mirror before the criticizing the playoff officiating.
“I have been fouled by James on a James’ three-pointer before,” Green said. “I think we can all sit here and complain about calls every game.”
Green said that when it comes to close contests, both teams can usually make the case that they got a raw deal at some time from the officials.
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“It is the nature of the game we play. Refereeing isn’t an exact science,” Green said.
Harden, who has been a vocal critic of the officiating all season, asked for a “fair chance” from the refs after Houston lost 104-100 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals on Sunday.
Harden and the Rockets were specifically upset about what they believed were several non-calls on his three-point attempts.
“I mean, I just want a fair chance, man,” said Harden, who scored 35 points, but was four of 16 from beyond the arc. “Call the game how it’s supposed to be called, and that’s it. And I’ll live with the results.”
Harden said he got fouled on a pair of three-point attempts in the second half, including by Green on a potential game-tying attempt with seven seconds remaining.
Green said the Warriors could make the same case.
“They [the Rockets] also could have possibly shot 20 less free throws, but if that is the case, then we could have shot 20 more free throws,” Green said.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kyrie Irving had 26 points and 11 assists, while Al Horford added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Boston Celtics cruised past the Milwaukee Bucks 112-90 in the opener of their second-round playoff series.
Additional reporting by AP
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