Many Boston Celtics complaints to referees lately

The Boston Celtics have a few players who speak their minds quite freely to the referees during the course of a game.

We often see players all over the NBA complain and argue with the referees about the fouls and no-calls during a game. It seems like some of the players on the Boston Celtics this season are arguing for no-calls entirely too often.

There’s always been controversy about superstar players getting favorable calls from officials, particularly when compared to average or regular players. As the dynamic of the game has quickly altered over the last decade, the way an NBA game is called is still catching up.

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When it comes to the Boston Celtics, there’s no predicting which player it’s going to be. It could be Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum or even Kemba Walker, but someone is always having words with the officials about the fouls being called.

We’re noticing as Marcus Smart has matured throughout his career, his rants with the referees are much more civilized. For the most part, Smart expects an explanation if he is being charged with a foul. He also looks to plead the case of his teammates when they’re charged for a foul as well.

As Smart is a defensive standout, he needs to understand how the game is being called by the referees so he can adjust his game accordingly and use it to his competitive advantage for the Celtics. Right before our eyes, Marcus’s game is truly becoming a work of art.

However, after the Celtics’ most recent victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Smart was fined $15 thousand for comments he made during a postgame press conference, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. He believed the officiating should have been better.

"“Really, just, I wish they would call the game the right way. A lot of the calls that they called, I didn’t understand where the fouls were. And it just seems like whenever I get the ball on offense, I can’t get a call.”"

After the Boston Celtics picked up their fifth loss of the season in Brooklyn, Kemba Walker said he complains all the time to the referees and he can’t be upset when he doesn’t get a call to go his way.

Walker isn’t the type of player who trash talks his opponents or causes issues on the court. But when it comes to the officiating, he does expect nothing less than the professionalism associated with being a veteran in the NBA. If Kemba feels otherwise, he’s going to make it known to the official.

Regardless of how much Jayson Tatum has accomplished in his short career, he is still a relatively young and rising star in the NBA. Now in his third year, we’re noticing he is arguing and complaining to the officials almost every time he drives to the hoop in the fashion of a seasoned veteran.

The issue with the way Tatum approaches his rants is with the way he does it. Not only does he yell and make a scene, but he makes hand gestures and throws his arms up towards the officials. That is a well-known recipe for being hit with a technical foul.

Brad Stevens’ approach towards the officials has never really been appreciated from Celtics fans. The relaxed coaching style of Stevens allows him to let his players take care of business on the court and he’ll step in when he feels it’s required. Empowering leadership is the culture Stevens builds within his teams.

Even though the Boston Celtics are young and rising, they’re still a respectable team. It’s pretty rare for Brad Stevens to earn himself a technical foul, but it will happen from time to time. The Boston Celtics have seven technical fouls this season just between Marcus Smart (three), Kemba Walker (two) and Jayson Tatum (two).