The relationship between players and referees is a tricky one. No matter what sport you play, referees can either be with you or against you. Houston Rockets star James Harden knows all about that as he questioned the officiating of referee Scott Foster after fouling out during the team's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Thanks to his tirade against the referees, Harden has been fined $25,000 by the league as per the rule that you can't publicly criticize an official. "Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant," Harden said according to ESPN. "I mean, you aren't able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it's like, how do you build that relationship with officials? And it's not even that call [on the sixth foul]. It's just who he is on that floor. It's pretty frustrating. And I'm probably going to get hit [with a fine], but honestly, I don't really say anything. I'm a pretty quiet guy, to myself, but it's one of those things where you can't voice your opinion. You can't have a conversation with someone that's officiating the game. You're getting a tech. It's pretty sad." The Houston Rockets are ranked fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 34-25.<doc-sep>James Harden has been fined $25,000 for publicly criticising an official When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again The 29-year-old focused his criticism at referee Scott Foster, whom he claimed was “rude and arrogant” and had a personal issue with the Rockets, who lost the game 111-106 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Harden even went as far to say Foster should not officiate any more of the Rockets’ games. "Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant," said Harden. "I mean, you aren't able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it's like, how do you build that relationship with officials?<doc-sep>Houston Rockets star James Harden was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his criticism of the officiating after their 111-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at the Staples Center, the league announced on Saturday. Harden fouled out late in the fourth quarter after scoring 30 points in the loss — extending his historic scoring streak to 32 games — but was extremely critical of referee Scott Foster. “Scott Foster … I never really talk about officiating, but he’s just rude and arrogant,” Harden said after the game. He went even further, too. “For sure, it’s personal,” Harden said. “For sure. I don’t think he should be able to even officiate our games anymore, honestly.” The reigning league MVP said he knew a fine was likely coming after those comments, but he didn’t care. He said he was “frustrated with Foster’s demeanor on the court” because they can’t talk to each other during the game and they can’t build a relationship that way. James Harden was fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials after the Rockets’ loss against the Lakers on Thursday. (AP/Jim Mone) Foster called 12 fouls on the Rockets in the game on Thursday — including seven in the fourth quarter and a technical foul on Chris Paul with just 33 seconds left in overtime. Paul, naturally, wasn’t happy with Foster after the game, either. “I don’t know what else to do, know what I mean?” Paul said. “I met with the league with [Foster] before and all this stuff. I don’t know what else to do.” The Lakers, after trailing by 19 points in the third quarter, rallied back behind a 23-11 run and outscored the Rockets 28-16 in the fourth quarter to snag the first win back from the All-Star break. Harden finished with 30 points, six assists and six rebounds in the loss, shooting 11-of-24 from the field. Harden out against Warriors Harden will not play on Saturday night when the Rockets take on the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, coach Mike D’Antoni announced Saturday afternoon. Harden is sick in addition to dealing with the cervical strain. — Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 24, 2019 Harden is currently dealing with a cervical strain in his neck, and also battling flu-like symptoms. It’s not clear when Harden first suffered the neck injury, but he did receive treatment on his shoulder and neck on the bench on Thursday against the Lakers. More from Yahoo Sports: • Panthers’ Reid rips ‘false narratives’ about Kaepernick • Sohi: DeRozan loves and loses again in Toronto return • Sources: Warriors’ Green close to hiring LeBron’s agent • Report: Harper meeting with Phillies owner in Las Vegas<doc-sep>
James Harden and Chris Paul voice their frustrations with NBA referee Scott Foster, with Harden saying Foster is "arrogant" and that things have become personal. (1:24) Rockets guard James Harden has been fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating following Houston's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, the NBA announced Saturday. Harden's comments were directed specifically at referee Scott Foster, who he said "for sure" has a "personal" issue with the Rockets and should not be allowed to officiate any more of their games. Harden was called for four offensive fouls in the loss at Staples Center, including the call that disqualified him from the game with 1:24 left and the Rockets trailing by six points. That call was made by referee Michael Smith, but it was Foster, the crew chief, who was the target of Harden's wrath. "Scott Foster, man. I never really talk about officiating or anything like that, but just rude and arrogant," said Harden, who finished with 30 points to extend his streak of 30-point performances to 32 games, the second longest in NBA history. "I mean, you aren't able to talk to him throughout the course of the game, and it's like, how do you build that relationship with officials? And it's not even that call [on the sixth foul]. It's just who he is on that floor. "It's pretty frustrating. And I'm probably going to get hit [with a fine], but honestly, I don't really say anything. I'm a pretty quiet guy, to myself, but it's one of those things where you can't voice your opinion. You can't have a conversation with someone that's officiating the game. You're getting a tech. It's pretty sad." Harden did not play in the Rockets' 118-112 road win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, as he was dealing with flu-like symptoms in addition to a cervical strain in his neck. Information from ESPN's Tim MacMahon was used in this report.