Ime Udoka won't be invited to the referee's holiday party after he sparked a fire among officials after the Rockets' 120-111 loss to the Kings on Tuesday night.
In his postgame comments, the head coach targeted referee John Goble, who ejected the coach in the fourth quarter for what he claimed was a series of miscalls.
“There was a blatant missed call right in front of me,” Udoka said in response to a question about how the match went. “I'm calling up a screen that's ticking, and I just don't like that, and I don't want to call up the obvious screen that's right in front of me, and that's it. Alpy [Sengun] We got fouled a few times on that drive and layup, but they didn't want to call it. I said to him, “Go get some fucking glasses.” Please open your eyes. ”
Udoka's comments came after he got so heated against Goble that a staff member had to keep him on the court after he was ejected.
The coach entered the court to confront Goble and was seen on video repeatedly trying to get in Goble's face near the scorer's table.
Even after the match, he didn't lose his love for Goble.
Goble is in his 17th season as an NBA official and has appeared in the NBA Finals once.
As the verbal abuse continued, Udoka told reporters, “Get rid of your sensibilities and emotions and call the game the right way.'' “It's clear before your eyes. John Goble, or whoever it was, saw it, but didn't call. And I informed him about it.”
Warning: Adult language
Udoka's comments will likely result in a hefty fine from the league office.
In November, Kings coach Mike Brown was fined $35,000 for “aggressively pursuing” the individuals involved.
The Rockets hit .500 last season and are off to a strong start with a 15-7 record and are second in the Western Conference during Udoka's second season with the team.
