Victor Wembanyama teammate calls out refs as fans blast ‘unwatchable’ flopper SGA

Stephon Castle took a jab at officials after the San Antonio Spurs were brushed aside by the ‘unwatchable’ Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Asked about facing stifling defense in a 127-114 loss on Tuesday night, Castle suggested San Antonio cannot match the same level of physicality that the defending NBA champions are allowed to play with.

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“Trying to play through it, you know, it’s tough,” he told reporters after OKC cruised to a 3-2 series lead.

“I just think with the way they guard, how physical they are, we don’t get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times.

“Offensively, I think we do a good job of screening and playing through it.”

Castle led the Spurs in scoring with 24 points in Game 5, but San Antonio struggled offensively as a unit, shooting just 40.2 percent.

Superstar Victor Wembanyama had an off night, and put up 20 points in 4-of-15 shooting.

The Thunder, meanwhile, showcased a balanced offense.

Led by back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after a slow start, OKC were able to count on significant contributions throughout the rotation to build and hold the lead.

The defending champs are now just one win away from returning to the NBA Finals, but discourse around both the officiating, and ‘flopping’ from SGA, continues to grow.

‘Unwatchable’ Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slammed for Game 5 performance

Spurs fans believe OKC has had a favorable whistle throughout the series, with chants of ‘Flopper! Flopper! Flopper!’ aimed at SGA from the crowd at Frost Bank Center during Game 3 last Friday making headlines.

A deep dive into the MVP’s play by Yahoo Sports writer Tom Haberstroh also shows that the MVP hit the deck on 22 shots through the first four games against the Spurs.

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That trend continued on Tuesday night, with compilations quickly surfacing on social media after he put up 32 points in the win, having made 16-of-17 free throws.

“Generational whistle,” one fan posted on X.

“NBA is just comedy at this point,” another claimed.

A third wrote: “Without his refs and all the free throws, Shai is just an average NBA player!”

“You’ve got to be one strong individual to be able to stomach watching OKC in the playoffs. Absolutely unwatchable basketball,” a fourth raged, taking aim at the Thunder as a whole.

“How are they supposed to guard him!? This is absolutely atrocious!” a fifth said.

Beyond OKC’s play, fans also took aim at a number of apparent missed calls from the refs.

Late in the third quarter, San Antonio’s Luke Kornet saw an attempt swiped away at the basket. He wanted a goaltending call, but instead was called for a foul seconds later.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson tried to challenge that call, but failed to get the attention of referees with his motion, and play continued.

The team’s bench was then given a technical foul for stepping onto the court while the ball was in play.

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Many fans were far from impressed when they later noticed referee Tony Brothers sharing a smile with OKC’s Luke Dort after the incident unfolded.

“THE WORST 30 F****** SECONDS OF OFFICIATING I EVER SEEN,” one fan wrote on X, watching the passage of play back.

“These s***** calls will keep happening if referees aren’t held accountable for them,” another claimed.

“Maybe if Mitch fell on the floor they would have given him the call,” a third joked.

“This is highway robbery,” a fourth concluded.

The Western Conference Finals returns to Frost Bank Center in San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday night, where the Spurs will be looking to stay alive as backlash against OKC continues to grow.

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