Grizzlies' Fizdale fined $30K for rant
Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizdale was fined $30,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for his rant toward officials following Monday's 96-82 Game 2 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Fizdale's diatribe was one of the more memorable in recent history, and a fine was expected the moment the first-year head coach began his critique of NBA officials.
"It's unfortunate that I got a guy like Mike Conley, who in (his) whole career has zero technical fouls," Fizdale said. "He just cannot seem to get the proper respect from the officials that he deserves. We don't get the respect that these guys deserve because Mike Conley doesn't go crazy. He has class, and he just plays the game, but I'm not gonna let them treat us that way. I know (Gregg Popovich) has pedigree and I'm a young rookie but they're not gonna 'rook' us. That's unacceptable. That was unprofessional. My guys dug in that game and earned to be in that game but they did not even give us a chance. Take that for data."
His "take that for data" conclusion quickly became a T-shirt.
The Grizzlies trail the series 2-0 with Game 3 going Thursday in Memphis.