TORONTO, ON – MAY 21: Head coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors reacts during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre on May 21, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Dwane Casey is paying the price after calling out officials following Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Casey has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for his postgame comments reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Raptors head coach wasn’t thrilled with officiating late in the game, especially in the fourth quarter where the Raptors didn’t register a single free throw, despite some rough stuff late in the game.

“[Bismack Biyombo] is not getting the calls,” Casey told ESPN postgame. “We shoot zero free throws in the fourth quarter. Zero. He’s getting hit. There’s one play where they almost have a brawl. He gets killed on that play.

Casey said the game was hard to call, but that some of the fouls against the Raptors were ‘unbelievable.’

“I’ve been on both sides of it,” said Casey, whose most recent fine for public criticism of officials came three years ago. “I’ve been where the whistle has been in favor of you. But for whatever reason — and I understand we have great officials and it’s a hard game to call — but some of these fouls are unbelievable.”

Casey justifiably needed to air out his concerns. Cleveland has shot more free throws in every game of the series. But, that’s also what happens when you play LeBron.

The NBA also handed out a suspension to Cavaliers 12th man Dahntay Jones, who, despite only appearing in two minutes of Game 3, gave a dirty hit to the groin of Toronto center Bismack Biyombo. It was a dirty, late-game hit on the Raptors best performer. The suspension means very little as Jones probably wasn’t going to see time in the series again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gOE5K0ktXk

With the suspension, Casey got to air his concerns publicly at a small cost. It’s hard to blame him. I’m sure his Raptors squad will help him with the fine. As for Jones, his suspension is largely inconsequential.

[ESPN]

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