CLEVELAND — After the final whistle blew on Sunday night’s heated basketball match between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers, Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome didn’t mince words about his frustrations.
The 133-129 overtime victory for Cleveland was marred by a plethora of personal fouls, which Jerome attributed to the referees’ poor performance, singling out referee Natalie Sago.
“I thought the referees were really poor tonight, especially Natalie,” Jerome openly criticized. He expressed frustration at how the game seemed to spiral out of control due to the referee’s inability to maintain order, particularly during the game’s initial and third quarters.
The game was saturated with whistle calls, with the teams racking up a combined 53 fouls. Both the Cavaliers and the Trail Blazers ended up with 35 free throws each, resulting in an erratic game pace that disrupted any potential fluidity.
Jerome, despite his impressive performance of 25 points, six assists, and a notable six steals, received a technical foul during the game after expressing his annoyance over the referee calls. Although his remarks are likely to earn him a fine from the NBA, he was not alone in his displeasure.
“The game was so disjointed,” remarked Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson. “I’ll have to review the footage. We have excellent referees in this league, but it just wasn’t an appealing spectacle for fans or the media, let alone for us as coaches. It felt like an endless interruption. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The frustration was palpable among Cleveland’s audience, who vigorously voiced their discontent throughout the game with a chorus of boos directed at the officiating team. The frequent interruptions took a toll, with Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley fouling out, along with Blazers rookie Donovan Clingan, who accumulated six fouls in a mere 11 minutes of play.
