Bad Officiating | Righting The Wrong in Sports Officiating » NBA

Dwight Howard Awaits Fate

refpolice — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:08:55 +0000

Orlando Magic Bigman Dwight Howard clobbered Celtics forward Paul Pierce in another frustrating loss at home to Boston. Replays showed apparent intent to harm Pierce, and the NBA commissioner’s office will no doubt be reviewing the tape of the play. He was accessed a flagrant 1 foul during the game, but could face suspension for game 3 as the series moves to Boston. Already down 2-0, looks for an increased rough play and more potential incidents

NBA Playoff & Griping About Calls

refpolice — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:59:58 +0000

It has become an annual rite: the first round of the NBA Playoff means mostly boring match-ups and coaches and players whining about how they’re treated by officials. This year is no different Except for two things: Some interesting match-ups (Bulls-Cavs & Lakers-Thunder) and some stern talk from Commissioner Davis Stern on the official-bashing. It started in the final week of the regular season when Laker coach Phil Jackson, in preparation for the Lakers’ first round series with Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, publicly pointed out the surprisingly high number of calls and free throws Durant got this season. He was fined each $35,000 for that and another jab at official Bennett Salvatore. But seeing lopsided free throw counts is nothing new for the NBA Playoffs. In fact, when the Thunder earned a 34-12 free throw advantage, the officials were just ensuring what we already know from listening to Tim Donaghy: that Stern and the NBA want these first rounder series to last at least 5 games, preferably 6 if possible, and the easiest way to accomplish that is to give the home team the home calls. Thunder wins and the series goes 2-1. The Bulls – Cavs series went the same way, only the free throw distribution was more equitable (31-25 Cavs) but they still got they wanted, which was a Bulls win and a 2-1 series. But LaBron and Kobe fans should not despair, odds are still very good that the Cavs & Lakers meet in the Finals. And if they don’t, we can all blame the officials for that.

Cuban to file complaint on review

refpolice — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:24:33 +0000

The Mavericks Eric Dampier was ejected in an overtime game last night against the Rockets after officials reviewed a flagrant foul called on Aaron Brooks. After 8 minutes, they tossed Dampier because it was his second technical in the game, and the Mavs went on to lose without their starting center. But the NBA rulebook states that only called flagrant 2 fouls are reviewable, and the foul on Brooks was ruled a flagrant 1. You think that refs would know this, but apprantly not. You’d also think that during the review period of 8 minutes, someone would have pointed it out, but that didn’t happen. Let’s see how the league handles it, could be interesting if they decide to replay the overtime period.

40 Minutes for Tim Donaghy Story

refpolice — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:15:16 +0000

CBS dedicated 40 minutes on Sunday night’s 60 Minutes news magazine to the Tim Donaghy interview. Donaghy has just been released from prison and now faces a life with no money, no family and handful of mobsters tracking him. But the interview was intriguing because of the way Donaghy described the fraternity of NBA officials and how the deal with certain players. It was this information, he alleges, he used to win 70% – 80% of the bets he placed on NBA games. He refuted the notion that he rigged games with his foul calling, and pointed to a 2007 game where he tossed San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for arguing. He had money with the Spurs. His prime example was Allen Iverson, who had threatened an officials and received, according to Donaghy and his officiating colleagues, too a light fine and suspension from the league. So, they decided to mete out their own punishment by making Iverson’s life miserable on the court. Instead of his usual trips to the foul line, he got bumps, bruises and traveling calls. In the end, it was his bookie buddy that let it slip to a mob contact that he was taking bets from an NBA official. The mob naturally wanted in on the action and leaned on Donaghy before turning him in to the Feds. But the mob, the betting and the information he used to win those bets is only part of the story here. The real part is how believable he was in disclosing that NBA officials had players, coaches, GMs and owners they liked and ones they didn’t like and that they called games accordingly. He said that in games he wasn’t officiating, he’d call up one who was and ask how the games was going to be officiated, and then bet accordingly. In another detailed example, he detailed an incident where the Los Angeles Lakers had submitted a tape of 25 plays that they felt were erroneously officiated. The NBA agreed that 22 of the 25 plays indeed had been missed calls and that told officials to protect Kobe Bryant. Translation: bet the Lakers because Kobe is going to get to the line. The league telling officials how to officiate certain teams is bad enough, and the fact that Donaghy appeared so believable is even worse. the league now braces for the release of Donaghy’s book Personal Foul, due out shortly. I think David Stern would rather get a lump of coal in his stocking.

Overheard in a Steamroom Somewhere in Florida

refpolice — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:57:58 +0000

Disney CEO Robert Iger: David, what the f***? You promised me 6 games!

NBA Commissioner David Stern: Oh not this again. I told you rigging NBA series isn’t as easy as it used to be. Plus, if you watched game 4 you’d notice we did just about everything we could, if the Magic could make a free throw, you’d have your 6th game.

Iger: You also promised a Kobe-LaBron series, and gave me Kobe-Rafer Alston…not exactly the match-up we were looking for…

Stern: Dwight Howard is not slouch you know…..

Iger: Viewer say otherwise….you owe me $86 million

Stern: For what?

Iger: That’s what we would have earned for a game 6

Stern: That seems like a lot, but I don’t have the money…

Iger: It would have been more if I hadn’t saved the Kobe-Labron puppet campaign for the finals. You know how many strip joints I had to take those guys to?

Stern: How many? I would have come along…

Iger: You’re missing the point. The series fell short, and was still rife with obvious officiating inconsistencies…..did I mention you own me $86 million?

Stern: Listen, buy next year’s series and I’ll make it up to you. I’m reinstating Tim Donaghy

Iger: Oh, just like you reinstated Joey Crawford?

Stern: We had him in our pocket…we needed him to, umm, make the calls for us.

Elbow Room

refpolice — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:32:49 +0000

The Orlando Magic didn’t help themselves tonight in Game 4 of the NBA Finals (they missed like 15 free throws, including 2 by Dwight Howard with 0:10 to play and a three point lead), but they didn’t catch any break from the officials. I counted 2 muggings on Howard in OT that went uncalled and an over-the-back on Lamar Odom on an offensive rebound that went uncalled. Plus inconsistent calls, like the push called on Derek Fisher that took an uncontested dunk from Howard in OT really make you wonder. But the one we’ll remember is the intentional, flying elbow Kobe Bryant threw to Jameer Nelson’s face that prevented him from defending Fisher, who drained the three ball and ended the game. It’s too bad, because a 2-2 series would have been worth tuning in to. But the way this one went down, I don’t see how the Magic will be able to get out of bed in the morning much less show up for game 5 on Sunday.

Avert Your Eyes David Stern, this was as Shameful as it Gets

refpolice — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:35 +0000

Tonight’s game NBA Finals Game 2 featured real NBA drama down the stretch, but with about 3 minutes to go with the Magic either up by 2 or with the game tied, the officials began calling a different game. After letting them play for most of the 3rd & 4th quarter and both teams in the penalty, a sequence of touchy calls, all against the Magic, may have decided the outcome of this series. There were four plays in all, two fouls called against Hedo Turkolu defensivley (both invoking comments from Jeff Van Gundy), one non-call on Turkolu that woulds have put him on the line with 0:09 left in a tied game, and an uncalled goaltending call on Pau Gasol in the final seconds of regulation. Gasol actually grabbed the rim to keep himself airborn enough to alter a last second attempt in regulation. Either goaltending or a technical could and should have been called, but neither were. In overtime, the officials made it look good in the box score, bu th damage had been done. This game and this series has been ruined (again) by horrendous, in consistent officiating.

Cuban Official Crisis

refpolice — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:29:13 +0000

When you have a foul to give and you’re up by two, the last thing you do is let a good shooter get off a three point shot. The fans, the owners, the coaches and the players know this. More importantly, the officials know this. In fact, the league has come up with rules designed to protect players in circumstances where everyone knows a foul is coming: call the foul, don’t expose players to injury. But the other night, the Dallas Mavericks were trailing 2-0 in the series and clinging to a 2 point lead in game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals. With time running down and a foul to give, they followed the rules by fouling the ball handler, Carmelo Anthony, wanting to prevent him from getting off a 3-point shot. But the foul wasn’t called, and Anthony buried the shot, costing the Mavs the game and essentially ended the series. Mavs owner Mark Cuban flipped his lid (understandably) and NBA president Joel Litvin acknowledged that the refs made a mistake and should have called the foul. Oops. In the end it’s 3-0 instead of 2-1, and once again the league isn’t following it’s own rules.

Denver’s Martin Fined $25K for Foul on Nowitski

refpolice — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:57:07 +0000

Leave it to David Stern to throw the first “You Have to be Kidding me!” wet blanket on an otherwise great start to NBA playoffs. Kenyon Martin’s foul on Nowitski is available everywhere to see, and the more you watch it, the more you have you wonder what goes into the NBA play review process during the playoffs. Nuggets coach George Karl was understandably incredulous as he shook his head muttering “It’s amazing…” This isn’t as bad as the Robert Horry/Phoenix Suns incident in 2007 when Horry almost maimed Steve Nash, got 2 games while Amare Stoudemire got suspended for the sole of his shoe crossing the bench line in the post play disbelief. This single decision decided the outcome of the NBA championship, and every time Stern tries to convince us the Tim Donaghy days are behind him, decisions like this make is clear that they are not.

Celtic Screwjob Send Bulls Back Down 3-2

refpolice — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:40:17 +0000

Ah Spring, that special time of year when the air smells of blooming flowers, the days get longer and warmer, and the NBA referees get back to their business of wrecking playoff games. Last night in Boston, they did so first by bouncing Ray Allen with two ticky-tack calls in the final two minutes of regulation, then by NOT calling Rajon Rondo for a flagrant foul after he clobbered Bran Miller who was going in for the game-tying lay-up with just 0:03 left in OT. Miller had to get stiches and there was blood everywhere. Maybe it was a give back for the bad calls against Allen, but in not calling a flagrant, Miller, with blurred vision and a headache, was forced to shoot the free throws. His missed them both. Had the flagrant been called, the shooter would have been coach Vinnie Del Negro’s choice, which would have been Ben Gordon, who would have made them both sending the game into OT #2. Look for another giveback in game 6 in Chicago sending this otherwise great series back to Boston for a deciding game 7.