Thunder’s Chet Holmgren echoes Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s eye-opening NBA playoffs admission

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks lead the Western Conference Semifinals over the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1. It has been a physical series. The officiating in the series has drawn mixed reactions, and both Luka Doncic and Chet Holmgren believe there is a difference in how the game is being called now as compared to the regular season.

After Game 3, Doncic was asked if this playoff series is being called the same as a regular season game.

“No, I don’t think so,” Doncic said.

On Monday after the Thunder’s shoot-around, Holmgren was asked if the physicality of this series is different than the regular season. He said it is “similar,” but noted that the officiating is different.

“No it’s pretty similar,” Holmgren said of the physicality. “I would just say there’s a little bit of a difference in how the game is called between early in the season and this point in the season. In terms of regulating the physicality it’s been pretty fair in my opinion. That’s all you can ask for. I don’t care if you call it, call it tight or let us play as long as it’s equal both ways.”

Holmgren doesn’t have a preference one way or the other. He doesn’t have an issue with the difference. As long as the game is being called fairly for both teams, Holmgren will accept the officiating.

“All I ask is that the game is fair,” Holmgren said.

Mavericks contained Holmgren in Game 3