Raptors coach Nick Nurse was incensed by officiating in Game 2 (Video)

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse was not happy with the officiating in Game 2.

While the defending NBA champs’ poor 3-point shooting and Marcus Smart’s fourth-quarter eruption were the main stories of Game 2, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse didn’t hide his disdain for the job the officials did on Tuesday when he was asked about it.

Jayson Tatum, who finished his night with 34 points, finished a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. The Raptors, as a team, went 16-for-19.

In his postgame media availability, Nurse was asked about Pascal Siakam’s drive late in the fourth quarter with 35 seconds remaining when Smart stripped the ball and tried to save it to one of his teammates. While he was called out of bounds after trying to recover the loose ball, Siakam stepped out of bounds on the ensuing play, giving the ball back to the Boston Celtics in another classic example of “ball don’t lie.”

https://twitter.com/Dubs408/status/1300948693755944961?s=20

Even so, Nurse did not hold back his feelings when he was asked about the play, saying, “I think Smart fouled the s**t out of him.”

He went on to voice his displeasure with the free-throw count and how the refs “took very good care” of Tatum in Game 2:

Nick Nurse and the Raptors should probably point the blame elsewhere

While that was a pivotal no-call, upon instant replay, it looked like a pretty clean strip from Smart. And even if it hadn’t been, it’s not like the discrepancy in free throws was that glaring. The Raptors went 16-for-19 from the foul line. The Celtics were 23-for-25, only attempting six more than Toronto. Boston finished the game with 20 personal fouls, while the Raptors were whistled for 19.

Nurse is looking for any angle to sway the officiating back in his team’s favor for a do-or-die Game 3, but if he and the Raptors are looking for something to blame, it should be their poor 3-point shooting (21-for-80 for the series so far), Marcus Smart shooting the lights out or Toronto simply not stepping up to answer the effort we’ve seen thus far from Boston.