NBA Officiating

First of all, let me preface this posting by saying that I did some research, and contrary to popular belief, the NBA and David Stern does not in fact have the power to fine me over these comments. (As a currently unemployed “Hometown Hero” who is hurting for cash, this is comforting news).

NBA officiating is a problem that is not going away. I’m not talking about the whole Tim Donaghy gambling mess. That topic has been beaten to death in the media. We all know that the Donaghy scandal is bigger than the NBA, and obviously needs to be cleaned up to protect the image and integrity of the league. What I am talking about is the flat out missing of calls, the bias of certain refs against certain players and coaches, and the inconsistencies in the enforcement of the rules. All of these problems were evident in the Celtics-Lakers game yesterday afternoon.

The refs missed several calls yesterday, all of which I thought were pretty evident to the naked eye in real time.

-Example 1: Ron Artest was fouled on a drive to the basket, and had his layup blocked by Kendrick Perkins after it hit the glass. This should have been called goaltending, giving Artest an opportunity for a 3 point play.
-Example 2: Perkins grabbed a rebound after losing control of the ball and tipping it off of a camera on the back of the backboard. This should have been called out of bounds with possession going over to the Lakers.
-Example 3: After Rasheed Wallace misfired badly on a 3 pointer, Rajon Rondo grabbed the offensive rebound. The ball clearly hit the side of the rim, and the official timer reset the shot clock, like he should have. The refs, however, stopped the game and reset the shot clock to 5 seconds, clearly unaware of the fact that the ball hit the rim.

All of these calls could have easily been overturned by instant replay, if the NBA and its fans were willing to sacrifice a few extra seconds to get the call right. (Or the NBA could just try hiring better refs. Either way, problem solved.)

The other two problems are more difficult to deal with however. Some referees have obvious biases against certain players and coaches. Often times, refs let a player’s reputation get in the way of a clear-minded decision. Obviously, I am talking most notably about Rasheed Wallace. In recent games, Sheed has been T’ed up for calmly (and I do emphasis calmly) arguing a foul call, as well as for yelling “And 1!” and waving his hand in the direction of a ref after believing he was fouled. Kobe Bryant did the EXACT same thing after a hitting a difficult shot in yesterday’s game, and was not called for a T. If not for Sheed’s rep, there was no way he would have received those technical fouls. I believe that both of those T’s will be rescinded by the league, and they should be. I don’t know how the NBA can fix this problem, but here is a possible step in the right direction: Players get fined for technical fouls, so why not fine a referee if they give out a T that gets rescinded. That might help to eliminate some of the bias that exists against certain players. A ref might hesitate to give out a game-altering T to a player who doesn’t fully deserve it.

The last problem is one that I’m afraid does not have a solution: the inconsistency in the enforcement of the rules. Paul Pierce was called for a critical offensive foul for pushing off on Ron Artest in the last minute of yesterday’s game. Video here. I’ve watched the replay several times, and although it was not quite as bad as Artest made it seem by diving into the eighth row like he was Jack Bauer avoiding the gunfire of a terrorist, it was definitely a foul. The problem is that this play happens all the time. Like right here for example. Kobe gets away with it all the time. So does Ray Allen. So does every player who handles the ball. It could be called on every possession. Just like a carry. Just like 3 seconds in the paint. You never know when the refs will decide to blow the whistle. It is a problem without a solution. NBA officiating involves too much subjectivity. We, as fans, just have to accept it. The refs suck, but they suck for every team. All we can do is sit back and watch some of the best athletes in the world play basketball, and hope that the guys with the whistles don’t screw it up too badly.

-AFG