A hefty fine is coming for Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, and he does not seem too bothered.
Following Toronto’s 108-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, VanVleet ripped the officiating, singling out referee Ben Taylor.
Fred VanVleet, #23 of the Toronto Raptors, walks on to the court prior to the game against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 10, 2023 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I don’t mind, I’ll take a fine. I don’t really care,” VanVleet said. “I thought Ben Taylor was f—ing terrible tonight. I thought that on most nights, out of the three [officials], there’s one or two that just f— the game up. It’s been like that a couple of games in a row.
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“Denver was tough, obviously [the prior game]. Come out tonight, competing pretty hard, third quarter I get a bulls— tech. Changed the whole dynamic of the game. Changed the whole flow of the game. You know, most of the refs are trying hard. I like a lot of the refs. They’re trying hard. They’re pretty fair. They communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be d—-.
Fred VanVleet, #23 of the Toronto Raptors, dribbles against the Orlando Magic during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 14, 2023 in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
On Monday, NBA official Scott Foster ejected Raptors forward Scottie Barnes late in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets.
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On Wednesday, the Clippers attempted 31 free throws to the Raptors’ 14.
VanVleet has eight technical fouls on the season, three of which have been called by Taylor.
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“It just kind of f—- game up. Nobody’s coming to see that s—. They’re coming to see the players,” VanVleet continued. “And I think we’re losing a little bit of the fabric of what the NBA is and was. It’s been disappointing this season. You can look up … most of my tech’s this year have been with Ben Taylor officiating. At a certain point as a player you feel it’s personal.
Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet, #23, drives past Los Angeles Clippers’ Terance Mann, #14, during first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“It’s never a good place to be. That’s not why we lost tonight. We got outplayed, but it definitely makes it tougher to overcome.”
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The Raptors have not met expectations this season, currently in the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 32-35.
