The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks $25,000 on Friday for violations of league rules regarding team bench decorum.
In a release sent by the NBA, the league determined several players and a member of the Mavs’ coaching staff “stood away from Dallas’ team bench and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action” in Game 2 against the Phoenix Suns.
“I didn’t know about the fine, but that’s cool,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said before Friday’s Game 3 at American Airlines Center. “The league is worried about the wrong thing. You have millionaires cheering on other millionaires. Doesn’t happen in this society. And the enthusiasm of the game, for a teammate to cheer on another teammate is special. And I think sometimes we’re focused on the wrong thing. And so when you look at people who make a lot of money cheering on their teammates or their employees, that’s what sport is all about. And so for us to get fined, that’s cool. It’s going to another good cause, charity. But again, we’re looking at the wrong thing.”
The series returned to Dallas for Game 3 on Friday night at American Airlines Center.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. in the pivotal matchup as the Mavericks try to cut into the Phoenix’s 2-0 series lead.
In the NBA’s 75-year history, 146 teams have faced a 3-0 series deficit in a seven-game postseason series. None have ever come back to win the series.
