Stan Van Gundy is already hating on officials? (Video)

Apr 17, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy reacts during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Stan Van Gundy lets out a terrific soundbite in his first quarter interview, saying that LeBron James won’t have offensive fouls called on him in the game.

During an interview on Sunday in the first game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, Stan Van Gundy had no issue in letting his feelings known about the way refs treat LeBron James.

Van Gundy said, “LeBron’s LeBron. They aren’t going to call offensive fouls on him. He gets to do what he wants and they got to understand that.”

The Pistons coach was speaking about how his players have to understand that the officiating in this game will probably be one-sided as James is the most marquee player in the basketball game.

Heading into their first playoff appearance in eight years, only point guard Reggie Jackson has played in a playoff game before, so Van Gundy is just stating the obvious for how playoff games are officiated when your team is the underdog on the road.

Perhaps Van Gundy should have not said that on national television on Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the first round season? This could prove costly for the Piston when they host Games 3 and 4 at the Palace at Auburn Hills, as top officials will almost certainly remember the early criticism coming from Van Gundy in the series.

His complaint happened after 12 minutes of play. Should this series remain tight, expect for Van Gundy to get a bit more chippy about calls that the officials aren’t going to give him. Not only does he have to beat James, he now has to beat the referees to win the series in upset fashion.

For more posts on the 2016 NBA Playoffs, please check out our NBA hub page.