Aaron Gordon blasted NBA refs for letting smaller defenders hack Nikola Jokić without calling fouls

Let's make one thing very clear first.

The Denver Nuggets did not get demolished 149-106 in Game 2 of their second-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of poor officiating. Even the worst possible kind of refereeing — which, yes, Scott Foster is known for — couldn't make up that kind of massive chasm.

With that said, it's hard to ignore how some defenders, particularly those of a smaller build, are seemingly allowed to be as physical as they please when they're guarding the listed 6-foot-11, 284-pound Nikola Jokić. It's even more interesting that these smaller defenders can sometimes apparently hack and push Jokić as they please without fouling a very large man who does most of his work in the paint while a lot less contact is permitted on perimeter-oriented players.

Is it because big men are perceived as stronger than wings and forwards? I don't know, but that would be silly logic. A foul is a foul. As good as he is, it's not like Jokić is literally a superhuman compared to his peers and opponents.

The irony to all of this is that Jokić generally isn't allowed to respond in kind because any contact that he throws back out might actually be called a foul. Unsurprisingly, on this note, Jokić fouled out in the third quarter of Game 2 when he was incensed and started getting reckless with these kinds of responses.

This isn't a new problem for the Nuggets. A lot of NBA teams and coaches, not just the Thunder, have long realized that big men like Jokić are officiated differently. Sometimes, deploying a smaller guy on Jokić with the intent to simply frustrate him is one of the only cards teams can play to defend the three-time league MVP. It doesn't always work because Jokić is so good and usually keeps his nose to the ground despite the additional adversity, but it works enough to try now and then.

Jokić's failsafe, Aaron Gordon, the hero of Game 1, is tired of seeing this defensive strategy get rewarded during this postseason (and otherwise) while his superstar teammate gradually grows incensed at all the non-calls:

Gordon makes a terrific point here. This officiating disparity concerning Jokić doesn't make any sense.

Why does the first foul by the defender frequently never get called, while a little extra contact from Jokić in response immediately often draws a whistle? Jokić might be bigger and stronger than most players in the NBA, but that doesn't mean that theoretically weaker and smaller players should get to do whatever they want with him on the defensive end. A foul is a foul, no matter a player's stature. Jokić's massive size is an advantage that shouldn't be neutralized just because refs think he can deal with more physicality as a result of his frame. That's his distinct advantage for defenders to try to contend with. Full stop. It's absurd that refs would ever try to Nerf it.

Nonetheless, this kind of officiating discrepancy between big men and perimeter guys probably won't be meaningfully addressed and remedied during the Nuggets' and Thunder's series, if at all.

So, Gordon's overarching point while stumping for his teammate is probably (and unfortunately) more salient.

If refs are not going to call fouls on more physical (and sometimes smaller) defenders going up against Jokić, he's just going to have to play through it, as he often has in the past. Getting frustrated and lashing out, especially in a playoff setting, will only hurt him and the Nuggets' chances of pulling off an upset of Oklahoma City. Unfortunately for Jokić, that's the likely path set out for him. He either trudges through it with grace (and brute force) or he grows more and more bitter while sinking the Nuggets. There's almost certainly no other option.

Of course, Gordon mentions all of this anyway because he's still hoping that referees do start to give Jokić a little more protection and leeway in these kinds of situations. And maybe they will.

We'll see whether the referees grant Jokić more favor as this tied series shifts to Denver for Games 3 and 4 this weekend. Most importantly, we'll see whether Jokić's mentality to play through this additional contact will have changed regardless of the officiating.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Aaron Gordon rips NBA refs for letting defenders get away with fouls vs. Nikola Jokić