Last night, the Phoenix Suns took on the San Antonio Spurs in an entertaining clash. Ending 114-115 in the Spurs’ favor, the Suns blew a 20-point lead, losing the game. Things turned in favor of the Spurs after they stole the ball from Kevin Durant in the last minutes and converted it into a basket to take the lead.
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Following the game, Suns head coach Frank Vogel pointed to this very play as the defining moment of the game. Not because of the go-ahead points the Spurs got but rather because of what happened before it. According to Vogel, there was a clear foul on Durant before the ball was stripped away from him. He believes that there was a whack on the arm, but the referees didn’t call it.
Vogel, in the post-match press conference, looked visibly annoyed. Taking out his frustrations on the poor officiating, he blasted the refs for their no-call. “They fouled him! The refs didn’t call it. They whack him on the arm before the ball gets ripped out of his hands. No call,” said Vogel.
Frank Vogel:
“They fouled (Kevin Durant). The refs didn’t call it.” pic.twitter.com/t4UuNiJVqB
— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) November 1, 2023
Based on the footage, it’s hard to tell whether or not there was actually any foul involved before the strip. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it is the referee’s call. That aside, Vogel was happy with the Suns’ performance and believes his team performed to the best of their ability.
The Kevin Durant foul isn’t the first time a Phoenix Suns coach has called out referees
At this point in time, as mentioned earlier, there is no telling whether or not Kevin Durant was actually fouled on that final play of the game. However, it’s clear that Frank Vogel has made up his mind. Blasting the referees for their poor officiating, Vogel isn’t happy.
The irony is he isn’t the first Phoenix Suns head coach to call foul. Last year, former head coach Monty Williams called out referees for poor officiating quite a bit. Most notably, he lambasted officials for the number of free throws they gave to the Milwaukee Bucks in a 116-104 loss.
“Hard to swallow.”
Monty Williams on Giannis going 14-of-24 from the line while the #Suns as a team went 14-of-16.
“Booker had 3 free throws.” #Bucks pic.twitter.com/G99wuoKGJ9
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 15, 2023
Players and coaches calling out refs for poor calls is nothing new in the NBA. Monty Williams has done it, Frank Vogel just did it, and there are sure to be similar cases in the future. Whether the NBA will look into it or not, who knows? But, there is nothing that either players or coaches can do about it when all is said and done.
