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Fred VanVleet didn't hold back his thoughts when describing referee Ben Taylor's officiating during the Toronto Raptors' 108-100 loss against the LA Clippers. The game on Wednesday left VanVleet visibly frustrated in the postgame press conference.
He knew a significant fine for his comments was imminent, but the one-time All-Star didn't hold back. Here's what VanVleet said:
"I don't mind, I'll take a fine, I don't really care. I thought Ben Taylor was f**king terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there's one or two that just f**k tthe game up. It's been like that a couple of games in a row.
"[Losing on Monday at] Denver was tough, obviously. You come out tonight, competing pretty hard, and I get a bulls*t ectech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game.
"Most of the refs are trying hard. I like a lot of the refs, they're trying hard, they're pretty fair and communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be d**ks and just kind of f**k the game up. And no one's coming to see that s**t. They come to see the players."
NBA fans went berserk following VanVleet's passionate rant. The officiating has been questionable all season long and some fans online were impressed with VanVleet going all in on his thoughts about it from a player's perspective. Meanwhile, others were left surprised as the Raptors' guard will likely receive a massive fine.
Fans sent in hilarious reactions to the same. One of them wrote on Twitter:
"That fine gonna be generational"
More reactions followed:
Fred VanVleet and Ben Taylor have a rough history
Fred VanVleet received his third technical from Ben Taylor during his team's 108-100 loss against the LA Clippers. The incident occurred with seven minutes left in the third quarter. The Raptors' point guard has received eight technicals this season alone, three coming from Taylor.
The Raptors were already coming off a frustrating night regarding the officiating during their 118-113 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Monday. They were up one late in the fourth when Scottie Barnes received a technical from referee Scott Foster, who eventually ejected him.
The Raptors were called for 20 fouls against the Nuggets' 12 in their previous outing, while they were called for 23 fouls against the Clippers' 18. The major disparity came at the free throw line, with the Clippers receiving 17 more attempts (31-14).
