Cavs' Timofey Mozgov: Joey Crawford apologized for telling him to 'shut up'

While Joey Crawford fancies himself a refereeing John Wayne, he's not of the belief that apologizing is a sign of weakness.

Crawford has apologized to Timofey Mozgov for telling the Cleveland Cavaliers center to "do me a favor and shut up" during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Mozgov was called for a foul late in the first half on what looked like a clean block, and Crawford was nonplussed with Mozgov arguing his case.

Normally this type of interaction may fly under the radar, but Crawford is a bit of a lightning rod for officiating controversy. Despite his reputation, Mozgov's apparent case, and the Cavs ultimately losing the game and the series to the Golden State Warriors, the Russian big man is willing to put it behind him.

"I don't think any ref should talk that way to a player," Mozgov told Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "That has never happened before. I didn't appreciate it, but it's in the past now. He apologize and I've moved on."

It will be interesting to see what Crawford's demeanor is like the next time he whistles the 7-foot-plus Mozgov for an infraction. Although Crawford's demeanor is rarely friendly, anyway, so none of this is likely to make any difference.