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.