Sydney coach fumes refs too lenient on Breakers

Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford.
Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz

The referees have come in for a verbal lashing from Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford following his side’s loss to the Breakers in game four of the grand final series.

The series is now level at two all with the decider in Sydney on Wednesday after the Breakers kept their title aspirations alive with a 80-70 win in Auckland on Sunday night.

Buford claimed the Breakers were too physical and that the referees were too lenient on the home side.

After the Breakers game three loss the shoe was on the other foot with Breakers owner Matt Walsh complaing the refs had come down too hard on his side.

Maybe they’ll just foul our entire team out.

— Matt Walsh (@mattyvincent44) March 10, 2023

“There was no freedom of movement, at one point it was 11-2 in the foul count in the second half – we were playing five on eight out there,” said Buford.

“It’s always tough to go out there and compete against eight.”

“After Matt Walsh’s tweet I knew exactly how it was going to be called, and it was called exactly how I thought it would,” he said.

The final foul count had the Breakers 17 and the Kings 20.

Game four of the ANBL final series produced a record basketball crowd in New Zealand of 9742.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

“We knew we were going to get hosed, and we said we had to weather the storm and stick together, and I don’t think we did a great job of that to be fair, but we just have to handle it better,” said Buford.

Asked in the post match media conference if physicality is simply part of the game, Buford smiled and then walked out.

.@SydneyKings‘ coach Chase Buford has frustratedly walked out of the post match media conference after being questioned about the physicality of the game. pic.twitter.com/eH0cPFkK4a

— NBL (@NBL) March 12, 2023

Game five is in Sydney on Wednesday night.

-RNZ