Olimpia Milano: Coach Messina points finger at'refereeing

L’Olimpia Milano respected the court factor. In game 3, it got rid of Trento (107-79 the final), taking a 2-1 lead in the series. A game that, however, showed palpable nervousness on the court, certified by no less than five technical fouls called by the referee’s set.

Many episodes triggered the reaction of several players, especially Shields and Mirotic. The two red-and-white stars, in addition to taking a technical each, pointed out, several times, to the referees the alleged blunders they took during the game.

The referees were also asked to take the blame for the fouls.

In the postgame, coach Messina (who had said nothing at the end of game 2 about the possible foul on Mirotic in the final action), decided to spill the beans: “After the defeat in Trento I congratulated everyone without saying anything. This time I had, throughout the game, to keep my players calm for a refereeing that I really struggled to understand with even risky contacts for the players themselves. Shields risked a lot of injury to his shoulder”.

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“There are some situations where there should be clearer instructions for the referees, for example on flopping situations since we are used as an example in referee meetings for this very fundamental, to give them the opportunity to work at their best and to referee calmly with clear guidelines”, the closing remark of Messina himself. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, also at the Forum.