NEW YORK — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined $75,000 for his criticism of NBA officiating, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
Cuban made his comments on Feb. 1 following Dallas’ 95-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center.
“Look, I haven’t said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven’t seen it this bad in a long, long time,” Cuban told ESPNDallas.com in the Mavericks’ weight room after the loss. “Guys miss calls; that’s part of the game. You’re not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that’s part of the game. But these were officials (Ron Garretson, Mark Ayotte, Michael Smith) that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens.”
In that same game, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle kicked the ball into the stands and got himself ejected.
He learned today that it’s going to cost him $35,000.