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The NBA fined Doc Rivers $15,000 for his outburst towards the officials on Tuesday night, the league announced today.
The fine was levied for Rivers’ “verbal abuse” towards Ken Mauer and for his failure to leave the court in a timely manner. The team was down by 2 points with 18.6 seconds remaining in overtime, though the Brooklyn Nets missed both technical free throws, and the Clippers were able to tie the game and force a second overtime.
Rivers had originally left his coach’s box by about 30 feet to speak to referee Lauren Holtkamp, who generously spoke to Rivers and escorted him back to the Clippers bench without a technical foul. While he clearly deserved it for the play, Holtkamp did not call a technical foul which could have potentially decided a close game.
Mauer, from the other end of the court, saw this unfold and called a technical foul on Rivers as he returned to the Clippers bench, which set off Rivers’ tirade that has been the butt of internet jokes for the past forty-eight hours. From there, an ejection and fine were inevitable.