Darius Garland was unhappy with the officiating against the Trail Blazers.
Refereeing is one of those unique things in sports where it's something that can fully determine the course of the game, but it's also something that's largely out of the hands of either team.
A common sports mantra is "control the controllables," meaning focusing on the things you can do to influence a game in the face of the things that you can't.
Refereeing is one of those non-controllable things. It can turn the tide of a game and often, because of the human element, it can seem to sway wildly in the direction of one team or another and leave the team on the opposite side of the whistle frustrated and desperate from some calls of their own.
Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) defends LA Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) during the second half at Moda Center. Jaime Valdez-Imagn ImagesLopsided Game
That was the case for the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers dropped that game 116-97, scoring only 13 points in the fourth quarter to sink a comeback effort that looked promising after a resurgent third quarter where the Clippers outscored the Trail Blazers by eight.
The Clippers committed 27 personal fouls to just 15 by the Trail Blazers and at the charity stripe, Portland had 35 free throw attempts to just 12 by Los Angeles.
"Odd was against us, as you all probably seen," Garland said (via Law Murray). "But, keep... playing with pace. Try to put a shoulder, try to get a foul called, maybe. But, you never know how that's going to be."
Committing to Standards
Focusing on the work is about all that a team can in a situation like the one the Clippers were in. As Garland said, the Clippers felt like they were playing with the odds stacked against them and simply had to commit to the principles of the game to try and swing the momentum back in their favor.
Overcoming officiating with solid play is a tall order in most scenarios, and it didn't work out for the Clippers on Friday, but it's also truly the only option that a team has in front of them in situations like Friday's.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) drives the ball while under pressure from Dallas Mavericks guard Max Christie (00), left, during the first half at Intuit Dome. William Liang-Imagn ImagesOn the other hand, officiating has a way of balancing itself out and if there are more lopsided games ahead, odds are some of them will sway in the Clippers favor.
That's the other side of why committing to standards is so important. Not every game will be called the way that Friday's was against the Clippers, but the way that they play despite adversity will always be something that can follow them through the good and the bad.