NBA Rumors: Van Gundy Thinks Ref Is Biased In LeBron's Performance; 'He Gets To Do What He Wants'

By Jenn Loro - 18 Apr '16 10:42AM

It's quite a given fact that some elite NBA stars often get better treatment, at least indirectly, than their not-so-famous peers in the league. Also, there is also an accepted belief that home teams should be given a little more leeway, or a little more benefit of the doubt from referees who oversee the game on the court.

As he led his team against LeBron James' Cleveland home game, Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy sent the first volley of verbal attack against the Cavaliers during the first-round series against the host. As he discussed Pistons' gameplay and composure on the court in a quick sideline interview at the end of the first quarter last Sunday, the frustrated coach unleashed a burst of angry comments toward the referees whom he felt were biased toward James' unacceptable play.

When he was asked how Detroit Pistons feel about finally reaching the playoffs after missing it for seven long years, the loquacious coach expressed what he thought was unjust.

"Not bad. A couple calls have upset our guys. They've got to understand. LeBron is LeBron. They're not going to call offensive fouls on him. He gets to do what he wants," Van Gundy sarcastically answered as quoted by Detroit Free Press.

But for some reason after the game, the straightforward coach backtracked from his ill-suited statement, recanted his opinion, and sounded in a more positive tune.

"Look, I thought it evened out really well. But early on, I thought there were two pretty obvious offensive fouls down there on him. But it's two calls in an entire game after that. Look, the refereeing had nothing to do with tonight. They did a good job. It went both ways. I thought they did a really good job. It was decided by the players on the floor, as it should be," said Van Gundy as quoted by ESPN.

He further noted that things could have been done a little bit differently saying, "There's some things that I regret, myself," Van Gundy said. "I'm proud of our guys. I thought they competed hard. I think there's some things I got to do to help them a little bit more."

There is no doubt the Cavs received a little more something during the game. James is a force to be reckoned with on the court and he knows how to play bully ball as he breaks his way through his opponents' think defense in order and land some dunks and lay-ups, SB Nation reported 

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