The toughest part of the 0-2 playoff hole the Phoenix Suns find themselves in right now isn't the fact that they are being outplayed by an opponent who is just better than them.
No, it is the way the Oklahoma City Thunder play the game and try to influence the referees that has made this an ugly watch.
Mat Ishbia's defense of Devin Booker's tech perfect Game 3 rallying cry
This peaked in Game 2, with Booker getting a technical foul for reasons that days later still remain unclear to all involved. No wonder the neutrals want the Suns to somehow win this matchup.
Owner Mat Ishbia, as he so often has, took to social media to give his two cents on what went down, defending his superstar passionately.
I am 100% behind Devin Booker here. Last night was not a good look for our league. Let me be clear, we didn’t lose because of officiating, but that doesn’t make last night any less important. If the referees are going to demand respect from the players - as they should - then the… https://t.co/SR0lM9Y3FS
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) April 23, 2026
Booker was then handed a $35,000 fine by the NBA for his comments above, calling out the referee in question by name most likely the reason why.
But what this has done has given the Suns the perfect "us against the world" mentality to take back with them to The Valley for the next two games.
The Suns haven't even played that badly up to this point, the Thunder are just better while also being experts at getting the referees onside.
You can say what you want about Ishbia's tenure as owner so far, and your opinion may change again this offseason, but he has always been vocal in his support of this group.
Contrast that with Portland Trail Blazers' owner Tom Dundon, who has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons recently with the strict policies around spending he has put in place.
That is criticism you could never level at Ishbia, if anything his desire to spend whatever it takes in order to build a winner made him too eager to make trades when he first bought the franchise.
It would also be no surprise if he paid Booker's fine out of his own pocket, and these are the gestures that can create the kind of mentality needed to pull off a major shock.
Really though this is just another example of how Ishbia is both a good owner, but also one who understands that he can have an influence without being on the court.
Let's see how the referees officiate Game 3 with Ishbia in attendance, because the Suns need to think outside the box to stop the Thunder and this infuriating brand of winning.
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