SGA was under the fire once again! The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was mockingly called a ‘Free-throw merchant‘, has a new moniker now. It was the result of the LA Clippers fans’ outrage. Tonight, the Clips hosted the top-seeding Thunder for an intense duel. Mind you, the Thunder almost crumbled. Anyway, the fans weren’t with the refs, the allegations continue to grow stronger.

Alexander, one of the most consistent players in the league, leading the league in points, averaging 32.9 ppg. At the same time, one of the aspects of his game also remains consistent. It’s his ability to get a call and visit the charity strip. Tonight, he scored 11 points just from the FT line.

Most of the fans weren’t happy with this play and ultimately named him the ‘Free-throw merchant‘. However, unfazed by the noise, Shai continued to do what he does best. But tonight, the Clippers, upset with the calls, began chanting “Flopper”. During the late end of the third quarter, SGA attempted to get a call under the line, but the refs only called it an out-of-bounds, favoring the Thunder. At that time, the crowd broke into the demoralizing chant but SGA once remained unfazed.

Moving on, the game also ended in the OKC side’s favor, as they survived with a 103-101. This further infuriated the fans, as they took to social media to further attack SGA. This time, they didn’t leave the refs alone.

Clippers fans rip apart Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the refs

The Clippers looked lethal and play-off-ready at the right time. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden catching fire right before the postseason is indeed a good sign. But some fans felt that wasn’t enough to win games. In order to summarize the anger, a fan wrote, “Clippers playing the Thunder and the Refs.“

It has always been a debate when it comes to refs’ controversial calls. For instance, Stephen Curry, one of the greatest shooters of all time, has always struggled to get calls under the rim despite the bodies thrown at him. On the other hand, a bare minimum contact is enough for SGA on his way to the paint enough to get the whistle. So, whichever team SGA faces, the opponent team’s fans gang up and accuse the refs of bias.

Tonight wasn’t any different. A fan wrote, “These calls are just stupid. Why can’t we ever, even just one game, just a game where the refs are biased to our team?!!!” Well, we don’t have an answer for the fan’s outcry. Adding to that, another fan wrote, “NBA refs trying their best to not let the Clippers beat the top 2 teams in a matter of days.” Well, that’s indeed an interesting angle.

The Clippers found a new zeal in the last few games. They hosted the Cavs a few days ago and dominated them with a 13-point win. And tonight, the Thunder, despite being the best defensive team, struggled to control the Clips’ offense. Even though there isn’t any evidential proof for the allegation, the fan did open up a few perspectives.

Another fan further solidified the allegation, writing, “SGA clearly holding Zubac jersey yet the refs say it’s not a foul … the rig couldn’t be more blatant … so many bad calls against the Clippers.” This fan pointed out a controversial no-call to address the refs’ bias. In a particular play, SGA can be seen holding Ivica Zubac’s jersey under the rim. The ref simply ignored it and called it an out-of-bounds.

Anyway, there are always different perspectives. A fan wrote, “Least obvious ref job of all time the league is forcing OKC to win games that’s why they are giving the thunder *checks notes* 8 less free throws attempts than the Clippers.” While the fan continued to allege the refs for bias, contrarily, the Clippers have had more free throw attempts than the Thunder tonight. So, how did this controversy emerge? Let us know in the comments.