Damian Lillard, Micah Parsons Join NBA Twitter Protest Against Referees Amid Polarizing Thunder Whistle
OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs - 2026 Western Conference Finals © Imagn Images As the Thunder and Spurs continue to slug it out in the Western Conference Finals, the scrutiny of the officiating grows stronger by the game. Even as Game 3 of this series raged on Friday night, a number of sports personalities weighed in on the referees’ performance.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, for one, thought that the officiating was overkill in this game. “Refs doin too much,” Lillard tweeted. Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons appeared to echo Lillard’s sentiments, as he too made his opinion heard during the Thunder-Spurs game.
“It’s becoming very hard to watch basketball!! ” In Game 3, the Thunder were whistled for 28 fouls while the Spurs got called for 25 fouls. Both OKC and San Antonio picked up more fouls compared to Game 2, when they tallied 21 fouls apiece.
If there was ever any barometer for this tightly contested Western Conference Finals, it’s free throws made. Thus far in this series, the team that wins the free throw battle, goes on to win the game. Friday night at Frost Bank Center, the Thunder narrowly edged out the Spurs in this category, with two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going 12-for-12 by his lonesome.
As such, the officiating takes on even more significance. In the first three games of this series, fans have pointed out several instances of questionable calls and non-calls. Perhaps the most egregious of them all is the Game 2 sequence in which no referee blew their whistle after Isaiah Hartenstein blatantly tugged on Stephon’s Castle hair.