Doc Rivers fined $25,000 by NBA for public criticism of referees

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of referees following the Clippers’ 111-107 loss to the Spurs in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday.

“I thought we got some really tough calls tonight, some brutal calls,” Rivers said late Tuesday night. “The travel on Blake [Griffin], the goaltend on Matt [Barnes], which wasn’t a goaltend. You think about the playoffs, and they’re single possession games. Those possessions, those were crucial. J.J. [Redick]’s foul that got him out, J.J. didn’t touch anyone. It’s not why we lost, but those were big plays for us.”

Barnes was called for goaltending with 5 minutes and 45 seconds left in the second quarter. Griffin was called for traveling with 5:01 left in the third quarter. Redick received his sixth foul with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter. And Chris Paul received a controversial technical foul with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter.

All of those calls had a big impact on the game, considering it came down to the wire.

With 4.9 seconds left and the Clippers down, 108-107, Griffin shot a contested one-handed floater that rolled around the rim. DeAndre Jordan tipped the ball in and was called for offensive interference on the play.

After the play, Griffin immediately fouled Danny Green, who made his first free throw and missed his second. Kawhi Leonard then got the rebound. Jamal Crawford fouled Leonard, who went on to make two more free throws, giving the Spurs the four-point win.

The Clippers now face elimination in Game 6 in San Antonio on Thursday. Game time is 6:30 p.m. PDT.

The Spurs have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. A Game 7, if necessary, is Saturday at Staples Center.

Twitter: @melissarohlin