With their backs against the wall, the Phoenix Suns are throwing anything at the wall. The Oklahoma City Thunder have dominated their Round 1 matchup with a 2-0 series lead. Through the first two games, they're sitting at a pretty plus-48 point differential.Just pure dominance.
Something you see in the mundaneness of the regular season, but not at the high stakes of the NBA playoffs. After the Thunder picked up a 120-107 Game 2 win over the Suns, the latter went all out in their postgame comments.From Devin Booker to Dillon Brooks to Jalen Green, we've seen Phoenix's triumvirate voice their concerns with the officiating. To the point that Booker will likely eat a hefty fine as he singled out NBA referee James Williams by name.
With the talent gap too wide, the Suns have to make up the difference elsewhere. One way is by currying favor with the next group of officials. As the Round 1 series shifts over to Phoenix, the eighth seed will have a chance to make things interesting in Games 3 and 4.
With Jalen Williams sidelined for at least a week with a hamstring strain, that opens a crease after it felt like OKC had shut the door and thrown away the key.Now, Suns owner Mat Ishbia has joined in on the gamesmanship. Never afraid to voice his NBA opinions, he backed up Booker on his comments about the controversial technical foul he received in the second half as the Thunder pulled away by as many as 26 points."I am 100% behind Devin Booker here. Last night was not a good look for our league.
Let me be clear, we didn’t lose because of officiating, but that doesn’t make last night any less important," Ishbia posted on social media. "If the referees are going to demand respect from the players - as they should - then the players should demand respect from the referees."Not that crazy of a thing to say at the start, but Ishbia kinda jumps the shark in the rest of his essay-length social media post. He called Williams' decision to give Booker a technical foul a sign of disrespect.
Well, that's quite the giant leap in logic to make."When a referee is missing calls and clearly disrespecting the players, almost mocking them, they must be held accountable. Nobody who loves this game enjoyed watching that last night. They want to see the players compete at the highest level," Ishbia continued.
"The league needs be far more aggressive about this kind of thing. All players and all fans deserve it."This is all part of the NBA playoffs. At this point, the Thunder's reputation is tarnished.
No going back. Those who think they're given an officiating advantage are ten toes deep into their beliefs. Alas. Comes with the territory of basketball dominance.
Now, let's see if the Suns' pleas for a more favorable whistle materialize as OKC is a couple of wins away from another stress-free Round 1 series win.I am 100% behind Devin Booker here. Last night was not a good look for our league. Let me be clear, we didn’t lose because of officiating, but that doesn’t make last night any less important. If the referees are going to demand respect from the players - as they should - then the… https://t.co/SR0lM9Y3FS— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) April 23, 2026This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Suns owner Mat Ishbia demands a fairer whistle in series against Thunder