Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving asks how much the fine would be before commenting on refs

Published Apr. 11, 2017 5:24 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

The Cavaliers blew a 26-point fourth-quarter lead on the way to a 126-125 overtime loss to the Hawks on Sunday, and the team had its issues with the officiating along the way. Atlanta shot 14 free throws to Cleveland's two over the final 12 minutes of regulation, and LeBron James fouled out of the game in the overtime session.

Kyrie Irving finished with 45 points, and was too financially conscious to rip the referees afterward.

https://twitter.com/foxsportsoh/status/851211181603790848

"How much is the fine for talking about the refs? Is it like, 50 [thousand dollars]? 25? Not worth it. Not worth it," Irving said. "I had some good conversation with the refs, and, you know, just a few plays that didn't go our way. That's not the first step that led to the breakdown of what happened in that fourth quarter."

The fine is usually $15,000 for players who don't have a history of criticizing the officials, but Irving was smart to avoid it nonetheless. The Cavaliers have enough problems at the moment, and angering the referees less than a week before the playoffs begin would only make things worse.

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Kyrie Irving

Cleveland Cavaliers

National Basketball Association