Nate McMillan Was Fined $25,000 for Telling the Truth
The NBA disciplinary clown show continues:
Hawks coach Nate McMillan was fined $25,000 for these comments when asked about the national media picking the Knicks to win the series. pic.twitter.com/nKOKEmsIsA
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) May 20, 2021
The league described this fine as “detrimental public comments asserting bias,” but I spot no lies here. The NBA does indeed want, and benefits from, the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics being in the playoffs and winning in the playoffs. Big cities in big television markets have big fan bases and that leads to big ratings and big money.
McMillan I’m sure is also just playing the underdog card here. The disrespect card. He’s telling his team that nobody wants them to win in hopes that it motivates them to knock out the Knicks in the first round. Regardless of what happens, the winner is gonna get absolutely rolled by the Philadelphia 76ers, so it doesn’t matter too much.