Tom Thibodeau Fined $35,000 for Criticizing Refs Over LeBron James’ ‘Flop’ |

Tom Thibodeau Fined $35,000 for Criticizing Refs Over LeBron James’ ‘Flop’

by Doug Kyed on Sun, May 12, 2013 at 4:17PM

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Tom Thibodeau spoke his mind about the NBA’s refs, and in return, the Bulls head coach’s wallet will be a little lighter on Sunday.

The NBA fined Thibodeau $35,000 for comments that were critical of the refereeing in Game 3 of the Bulls-Heat series, according to the league’s official release. Thibodeau wasn’t happy with a call that got Nazr Mohammed ejected from the game. The Bulls big man shoved LeBron James, who fell on his back. Thibodeau said that James was flopping.

“From my angle, I just saw a guy basically flop, you know, and I’m going to leave it at that,” Thibodeau said. ”When you play [the Heat], you have to have a lot of mental, physical and emotional toughness. And things aren’t going to go your way. That’s the way it is. We’re not going to get calls. That’s reality. We still have to find a way to get it done. And we can.”

Perhaps Thibodeau wouldn’t have got fined if he really had “left it at that.”