The Dallas Mavericks have once again been fined by the NBA for violating rules on “bench decorum.”
This fine, which is for a whopping $100,000, covers violations from the Mavs’ 126-117 Game 2 loss against the Golden State Warriors. Here’s what Dallas was fined for:
“On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action,” the NBA said in a press release.
For context, here’s a screenshot that shows where the players — as well as owner Mark Cuban, wearing a green shirt — were standing at various points throughout the game.
Mavericks’ third fine for ‘bench decorum’
You’ve heard this before — two times, in fact. This is the third time the NBA has fined the Mavs for “bench decorum” violations. The first came in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, a blowout win against the Phoenix Suns, which cost them $25,000. The second was for “bench decorum” violations in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Warriors, which cost them $50,000. Including Sunday’s fine, the Mavericks now owe the NBA $175,000.
Head coach Jason Kidd has said that the NBA “is focusing on the wrong thing” with the fines, but the league clearly does not like the Mavericks bench and Cuban “encroaching” on the playing court or loudly cheering on their teammates. They’re escalating the fines, so if the Mavs do it again, it’ll likely be be in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.
Not that escalating fines will stop the Mavs and their owner from doing what they want. Cuban is worth over $4 billion, so these fines are meaningless to him. Billionaires also don’t like being told what to do, and since he’s one of the people cheering and “encroaching,” we can probably expect to see even more of that from the Dallas bench in Game 3, which will be played on Sunday night at 9:00pm ET on TNT.
