"We knew with this officiating crew": Kyrie Irving offers cryptic response on refs after 'tighter' whistles

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving admitted on Sunday that referees' calls are tighter in the playoffs, following his team's 116-111 loss in a thrilling Game 4.

In a game where he made all six of his free throws and his team went 20-for-25 from the line, the crafty scorer recognized that receiving foul calls might be more challenging during the playoffs.

"Refs are human too... we knew with this officiating crew, they've been in a few playoff games, but they were going to call it a little tighter,” Kyrie Irving said (per Law Murray).

In their five-point victory in Game 4, the LA Clippers made 12 of their 18 free throws. Paul George, with 33 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals, and James Harden, with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds, were responsible for nine of those makes.

Games are considered more physical in the playoffs and referees are often allowing more physicality.

In their first-round matchup, the LA Clippers have converted 60 free throws out of 77 attempts. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have made 77 free throws out of 104 attempts.

During the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks averaged 22.5 free-throw attempts per game. In the 2024 playoffs, the number increased to 26.0 free-throw attempts per game.

Meanwhile, the LA Clippers, who averaged 22.2 free-throw attempts per game in the regular season, are attempting less in the playoffs, with 19.3 free throws per game.

Kyrie Irving’s 40-point night not enough as Mavericks fall short vs Kawhi-less Clippers in Game 4

Kyrie Irving paced the Dallas Mavericks with 40 points, five assists and seven rebounds in Game 4, but it wasn't enough as the Clippers went hot from deep to eke out the win.

The Clippers made 18 three-pointers, with Paul George hitting seven, James Harden making four and Norman Powell and Terance Mann each contributing three. The Mavericks were a poor 33% from distance, going 11-for-33 from beyond the arc.

Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Irving and Doncic combined for 12 of the Mavericks' 16 turnovers, which matched the total turnovers by the Clippers.

The victory was huge for the Clippers as it leveled the series at 2-2. Both LA wins occurred with Kawhi Leonard sidelined. Leonard missed Game 4 due to right knee inflammation, a recurring issue that also caused him to miss the series opener.

The series will return to LA for Game 5 on Wednesday night.