Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fined $75,000 for criticizing referees

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $75,000 for knocking the referees in the team's 95-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Cuban told ESPN after the game that “I haven’t said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven’t seen it this bad in a long, long time.

“Guys miss calls; that’s part of the game. You’re not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that’s part of the game. But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens.”

Cuban has reportedly been fined more than $1.3 million for past criticism. His latest penalty, however, should not make too big of a dent in his wallet.

In fact, CNBC's sports business columnist Darren Rovell tweeted that: "Mark Cuban's 75K fine represents 0.003% of his net worth. That's the equivalent of fining the average American THREE DOLLARS."

Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle was fined $35,000 for his behavior in the same game.

Carlisle kicked the ball into the stands with 9:34 remaining in the fourth quarter after being frustrated by a non-call.

Carlisle attempted to apologize to the fans who he hit with the ball and later expressed remorse at a news conference, contending that he meant to kick the ball back to the referee.

“I’m not a very good kick,” he said.

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 -- Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Mark Cuban was fined $75,000 for criticizing referees. Credit: Danny Moloshok / Associated Press