Officiating is starting to become an alarming problem for the NBA. Players want accountability, the same way they are penalised for bad conduct. Today, it was Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker who reached his breaking point and spoke up after 11 years in the league. “People are going to start viewing this as the WWE if they’re not held responsible,” the Suns star said after Game 2 of the series against the Thunder.

Booker was called for an egregious technical foul, among other contentious calls. The penalty was for trying to save the ball from going out of bounds. Literally, that was it, no aggression or intention to hurt anybody. So, Booker did something he’s never done before.

“It’s definitely something that has to be looked into. I heard Caruso tell them to call the tech, and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James was terrible tonight, through and through. It’s bad for the sport, bad for the integrity of the sport,” the Suns star added.

James Williams, the official who called the technical on Booker, did seem swayed by the Thunder’s complaints. The Suns star looked utterly lost in that moment. Even Jalen Green nodded his head in agreement while Book expressed his dismay during the press conference. The crux of the issue wasn’t just favoritism towards OKC. It’s part of a larger issue where a soft technical foul can disrupt the entire flow of the game.

And at this point, Devin Booker isn’t worried about a fine. He wants to see a radical change for the betterment of the NBA. If players are held responsible for their actions, so should the referees. They are also professionals hired to do a job. With the NBA being the most prominent basketball league, the least they can do at this point is evaluate officials and hope to solve this problem.

Devin Booker and the Suns fall down 0-2 to the Thunder

The Phoenix Suns’ troubles continue to grow beyond frustration against officials. The Thunder executed another flawless game plan to take a convincing 2-0 lead in the first-round series. They were hounds on the defensive end, and equally as sharp and clinical when scoring the ball.

The Suns had three 20+ point scorers. Dillon Brooks led the way with 30 points, thanks to a late burst of life in the fourth quarter. Jalen Green and Devin Booker combined for 43 points but went a combined 1-11 from beyond the arc. OKC’s defense suffocated the Suns, forcing 21 turnovers. Those errors resulted in 22 points for the Thunder.

Unsurprisingly, the defending champion had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to put the game to rest. After being crowned Clutch Player of the Year before the game, SGA proceeded to drop 37 points and 9 assists, shooting 52% from the field. However, OKC did suffer a huge blow that could alter their playoff fate.

Jalen Williams played like a beast in his 23 minutes. He scored 19 and played inspiring defense. But in the third quarter, Williams exited the game with an apparent hamstring injury. The dynamic guard suffered from a right hamstring injury that limited him to just 33 games in the regular season. This time, it appears to be his left hamstring that’s damaged.

“We think he aggravated his left hamstring. We’ll take a look at it in the next couple of days, and we’ll update you guys when appropriate,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game.

The series will now shift to Phoenix, where the Suns will attempt to stage a comeback. They did claim a win over a fully healthy Thunder team at home in January, while being without Jalen Green themselves. The postseason presents an entirely different challenge. However, the Suns aren’t a team to throw in the towel halfway through the contest.