One referee for Game 1 between Warriors and Rockets has history with key player

Rockets guard Fred Van Vleet was fined for publicly criticizing referee Ben Taylor, who is working Game 1.

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets playoff series is expected to be a physical matchup between rosters that include some players known for their blowups. There have been plenty of jokes about whether Warriors forward Draymond Green or Rockets guard Dillon Brooks will be ejected or suspended first in this series. Yet, it’s Rockets guard Fred Van Vleet who has the most noteworthy history with one of the referees tapped to call Game 1 of the series.

Back in 2023, Van Vleet publicly criticized referee Ben Taylor after a 108-100 loss. The Clippers had 17 more free-throw attempts than Van Vleet’s Raptors during the game and the guard received a technical foul from Taylor. It was high eighth technical of the season and third from Taylor. Following the game, Van Vleet did not hold back with reporters.

“I thought Ben Taylor was f---ing terrible tonight,” Van Vleet said following the game. “I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there’s one or two that just f--- the game up. It’s been like that a couple of games in a row... You come out tonight, competing pretty hard and I get a bulls--- tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game.”

“Most of the refs are trying hard. I like a lot of the refs, they’re trying hard, they’re pretty fair and communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be a d--- and just kind of f---s the game up. ... And no one’s coming to see that s---. They come to see the players.”

Van Vleet was fined $30,000 for his remarks. However, NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh claimed that the league had demoted Taylor’s assignments following Van Vleet’s outburst. The league’s referees denied anything like that, but the NBA rarely publicly discusses internal referee decisions for obvious reasons.

Regardless, as the Rockets and Warriors prepare for Game 1, Ben Taylor is scheduled to be among the three referees. For what it’s worth, Taylor officiated the Warriors last game against the Rockets, which ended in a victory for Houston. Still, it’s hard to imagine Van Vleet is excited to see him tonight.