Shortly before halftime of Monday’s game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets, Nuggets center and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić was ejected.
Jokić’s night ended early due to the two (the other came in the first quarter) technical fouls he picked up for arguing with the referees, something which superstar players generally get far more leeway on than Jokić was shown Monday.
It was egregious enough that even Pistons play-by-play man George Blaha ripped into the officials for the decision, rightfully stating that fans are there to see the players, not the referees.
This is Denver’s only trip to Detroit this season. Unfortunately for the fans that came to see Jokić, they’re out of luck.
Fans on social media sounded off about the ejection.
One fan said, “Here’s the thing I know that in Denver when the league’s best players come to town, ticket prices shoot up, so Detroit fans likely paid a premium for this game because Jokić was in town and this is what happened.”
Another was very critical of the NBA, saying, “Been saying it for years. The NBA needs to overhaul their officials. They are absolutely the worst in pro sports. And make the game about them way too often.”
One fan feels that it’s targeted, saying, “I mean I can’t lie it genuinely seems like the NBA referees have a vendetta against Nikola Jokić.”
Another user made an interesting point, saying, “Great job by the NBA to never call a foul on Jokić and then eject him with techs for getting ——- about it.”
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