Kyrie Irving Complains About Foul Calls For Giannis: 'Getting Ridiculous ... Slowing The F---ing Game Down'

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Watching NBA games can be a bit of a choppy experience. Watching NBA games involving Giannis Antetokounmpo can really be choppy. And that applies to both fans and players alike.

Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving was asked multiple times about the officiating in his postgame press conference, following the Celtics' 123-116 loss to the Bucks. Irving handled some of the questions similarly to how head coach Brad Stevens did a few minutes earlier and like most athletes do in such situations. Irving said the officials can't be blamed, that they "have a difficult job," and that the Celtics need to focus on what they're doing themselves and not worry about the refs.

But it was Irving's response to the first question about officiating that he vented some frustrations about Giannis' parade to the free-throw line in Game 3.

"I mean it's inevitable. Guy comes down almost six times in a row and gets free throws. What are you really going to do? It's slowing the game down," Irving said. "So the run that you would hope to make in a quarter like that, it doesn't happen. I mean, he shot 22 [free throws] on the game."

Irving added for emphasis: "I mean it's just getting ridiculous at this point. It's just slowing the f---ing game down."

Irving scored 29 points in the loss, going 11-for-12 from the free-throw line and just 8-for-22 from the field (including 2-for-8 from 3-point range). With Antetokounmpo doing equal damage from the charity stripe (16 points on 22 free throws) as from the field (16 points on 8-of-13 shooting), Irving might be angling for some changes from the officials come Game 4 and beyond.

When it comes to influencing the refs, we do now know that Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer possesses serious influence. He got in the ear of referee Kane Fitzgerald after a minor bump between Jaylen Brown and Eric Bledsoe early in the fourth quarter. Despite no foul being called (and despite no real foul being committed), Fitzgerald blew his whistle a full 2 seconds after the light collision and then signaled for a foul.

It was Brown's fifth foul of the night, and it thus sent him to the bench for the next six minutes. The Bucks went on an 18-10 run during Brown's absence.

Brown was asked about how the Celtics can defend without fouling, but didn't care to get into as much detail as Irving with any potential frustration.

"I'm not going to comment on it. I think they shot a lot of free throws. It is what it is, you move on, but we gotta set the tone for the next game. We can be more solid. I'm just focused on us," Brown said. "Obviously that was something that's going to be talked about, but I'm not going to do too much of that talking. I'm going to be focused on us and the next game."

Likewise, Brad Stevens didn't want to comment on that particular call, or any call.

"I don't complain about officials," Stevens said. "We got a lot of stuff we have to do better. And they have a hard job. We focus on us and the controllables, and that's the bottom line."

The final three-throw tallies for both teams show the Celtics getting to the line 32 times compared to the Bucks' 36 free throws, but the Celtics likely feel that the final number was impacted by the Celtics taking 16 free throws in the fourth quarter, after the Bucks had built their double-digit lead.

"Hopefully we can even out the free throws, not just in the fourth quarter," Irving said with hope for Game 4.

It is the one expletive from Irving that is sure to catch the most attention, but his longer response when asked directly about "officiating being so poor on one side" was bit more expansive.

"I mean, hey the refs have a difficult job. We have a difficult job," Irving said. "Obviously I could sit up here and complain. We know the disparity and what it is, but I'm not going to put all the emphasis on the refereeing. I think that there are a lot of controllable things on our end that we can be better at. Obviously the officiating's going to be part of it. You wish that things could go your way, but they don't. And we have to be able to respond in a better circumstance, we've just gotta respond better, and I think that we will do that going into Game 4. ... We just have to do better."

Irving also said that any frustration that might bubble up based on referees' calls has to be managed. He also admitted that it can be challenging to play the game when the opponent gets into the bonus so early in a quarter.

"Yeah like I said, it's difficult, but it's something that we can manage," Irving said. "And when it does happen at that point in the game, we've just gotta collect ourselves and be ready to move on to the next play. Obviously we know how many free throws [Antetokounmpo] shot in the game, he's a great player in our league, we know how many times he goes to the basket and gets contact. But we also understand how many times we go to the basket and get contact. It's a playoff game, and guys are playing very aggressive. And when you get into the bonus with eight minutes to go in the third, it's definitely a shocker. It'll definitely put something in your mind where you don't want to touch anyone."

Irving continued: "They shot free throws, and like I said, in any instance in a game like that where you go into the bonus early on, it slows the game down. ... As I look at the box score I thought that some of the numbers were really going to ... shoot off the page. And the only thing that comes off the page is that third quarter and 22 free throws. Like I said there's some things we can obviously control, but the officiating, we're going to leave them alone next game. We're going to do a better job of walling up, better job of staying straight-up, making sure that there aren't any eye-catching calls. We're just going to make sure we stay solid."

Of course, nothing anybody said from either side after a game like that would or will change what happened in the game. There's some validity to the complaints, but as the Celtics themselves admitted, the refs can't be blamed for a postseason loss.

More likely than not, Irving's comments were intended to do a little bit of politicking for him to perhaps get some of that superstar treatment that Antetokounmpo is clearly getting. We'll find out Monday night whether it works, or whether it backfires.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

In:
• Boston Celtics
• Kyrie Irving
• NBA
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Giannis Antetokounmpo