The CBA playoffs are in full swing, but the league office dropped two major fines yesterday. First, Shanxi was fined 50,000 yuan after a large number of home fans chanted “biased referee” and directed insults at officials. This season, Shanxi has become the league’s most penalized team, with media reports showing total fines of 260,000 yuan—an astonishing figure.
Then came a stiffer penalty for Zhejiang. The situation was far more serious: fans also insulted referees and chanted “biased referee,” but things escalated when numerous objects, including a lighter, were thrown onto the court. This exposed severe security lapses, resulting in a 110,000 yuan fine. Additionally, the team’s investor entered the scorer’s table area and was slapped with a separate 50,000 yuan fine and a one-game suspension. Combined, Zhejiang faces 160,000 yuan in penalties. It’s clear that Zhejiang’s frustration got the better of them—both fans and the investor acted irrationally, and the fines are completely justified. More importantly, allowing a lighter into the arena is unacceptable and must be severely punished.