Class is in session and Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown is asking the referees to pay attention.
Following his team's 143-142 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, the second-year Kings coach gave a full-on film breakdown of missed calls by the referee at his post-game press conference, even bringing out the laptop to pinpoint exact moments during the game.
Brown had to be held back by players Malik Monk and Trey Lyles after letting it all out at a referee early in the fourth quarter. He was ejected from the game following the incident.
At his post-game press conference, he asked to see his laptop so he could point out exactly why he blew up in the first place.
He explains that it all started with a foul call late in the third quarter that saw Bucks guard Damian Lillard go to the line for three free throws after what Brown called "incidental contact" from De'Aaron Fox on a screen above the break.
He went on to contrast it with the play that directly preceded his ejection in which Fox turned the ball over after being hooked by Bucks guard Cam Payne while getting around a screen.
"Hooks his arm, he almost falls," Brown emphasized. "No incidental contact, he hooks his arm and almost falls and no foul."
Much like Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic did on Tuesday in his rant following his team's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Brown pointed out the enormous discrepancy in free throws for both sides, calling out the 19-5 difference in shots from the charity stripe at the half.
He also made sure to touch on calls that his team didn't get, specifically highlighting a drive from Monk in the second quarter that was contested by Bucks big Brook Lopez. The King didn't get a whistle despite some questionable arm placement.
"I'm OK as a coach because the referees are human and they're going to make mistakes," Brown said. "But you just hope that A, there's some sort of consistency, and B, there's some sort of communication."
Perhaps taking a more calm and collected approach after Rajakovic was slapped with a $25,000 fine following his spirited rant, Brown opted to explain instead why he got mad in the first place and just show examples despite having reached a "boiling point" in the loss on Sunday.
Whether or not his actions deserve a fine – particularly those involving the use of props to best make a point – will be up to the league to decide in the coming days.
Monk tried to make sure that he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of one but was still unable to hold back from airing some frustrations following the loss.
The 19-5 gap in free-throw attempts would tighten up by the end of the game, ending in a 32-20 advantage for the Bucks.
Ironically though, the Kings would lose due in part to Monk missing two free throws at the end of overtime that would've given his team a six-point lead with 18 seconds left. Fox also missed a free throw with five seconds left that would've at least made it so that Lillard's game-winning three would've only tied the game.
Regardless, Brown's film session has added to an iconic week for coaches letting out their frustration on officiating and some of the discrepancies with the whistle this season.
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