Rodney Mott might be the least known of the referees who worked Game 1 between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics (along with Ed Malloy and Marc Davis), but he is the one who ended up going viral.
A video of the veteran official Mott drew attention online after Wednesday’s game, which the Heat won on the Celtics’ home floor to take a 1-0 lead in the series. As Heat star Jimmy Butler got interviewed following the final buzzer, TNT aired video of Butler’s highlights. Mott was in the background of one of those highlights, seemingly making a disappointed face after a Butler layup.
This immediately sparked the ire of the Twitter mob, who accused Mott of preferring the Celtics to win (for one reason or another).
Here is the clip in question.
@BronGotGame just incase you guys ever get this ref , look at his face once the ball rolls in 🫡 pic.twitter.com/krXonEKOuy
— Akumpo Fan Page #34 (@ImPrinceNate) May 18, 2023
Videos of supposedly dubious calls that Mott had made during the game also got added to the discourse.
This drive by Tatum should have been a foul on the floor.
The only person in Boston tonight who thought it was a continuation and-one was official Rodney Mott. Tatum finished with 30 points and it was his first game this season with less than four 3-point attempts. pic.twitter.com/aMOiiJrAHF
— Ahaan Rungta (@AhaanRungta) May 18, 2023
Of course, there are less sinister (and far more plausible) explanations for Mott’s expression there. For one, that could have been a snap reaction to a tough Butler shot as if to say, “This guy is good.” For another (and perhaps the likeliest one), Mott may have been just turning to run back up the floor and gotten caught by an awkward camera angle that made it seem like he was reacting when he really was not (the clip did cut away immediately, after all).
All things considered, there was no reason to accuse Mott of any sort of improper behavior there, especially when the only real evidence was a lone video clip open to different interpretations and maybe a 50-50 call or two.
Still though, that is not to say that the 25-year officiating veteran Mott is well-liked by everybody. You may recall that Mott was in the middle of a superstar ejection controversy earlier this season.
