Marcus Smart Agrees With Fred VanVleet’s Criticism of NBA Officiating

The Boston Celtics won their Wednesday night match-up against the Portland Trail Blazers by a comfortable margin, but Marcus Smart was limited to 22 minutes due to foul trouble.

Smart is no stranger to being called for fouls, especially those related to unsportsmanlike conduct. The Celtics guard has accumulated six technical fouls during the 2022-2023 season.

When asked about this issue, Smart mentioned Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.

“I don’t know if you guys have seen Fred VanVleet’s interview,” said Smart to NBC Sports Boston. “That’s all I’m gonna say. Obviously, it let you know that I’m not speaking out of my butt. And I’m not the only one that feels that way. So I’m gonna let Fred do all the talking.”

VanVleet was whistled for a technical foul in Toronto’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. During the post-game interview, the former All-Star directed explicit remarks towards NBA official Ben Taylor.

“I don’t mind, I’ll take a fine, I don’t really care,” VanVleet told reporters. “I thought Ben Taylor was (expletive) terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there’s one or two that just (expletive) the game up. It’s been like that a couple of games in a row."

Smart seconded VanVleet’s notion that some referees may be biased with their calls.

“I’ve had, in my nine years, I definitely have had that where I’ve felt that an official had a personal vendetta,” Smart said. “And numerous, too. They have bad days, just like we do. So it’s only fair to notice and understand and have empathy in the fact that sometimes they’re gonna let their emotions get the best of them and make calls and judgment calls the way that they officiate. It happens.”

The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year ended the interview by advocating for fair refereeing.

“As players we just want that consistency. Just like for us, we get emotional, too. But, for us, we get in trouble for it. And we just want that consistency around."

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