No End in Sight

Warning: this is a post related to the NBA. If you think it's a niche sport or just plain hate it, too bad, so sad. I'm going anyway.

The Suns had a huge game last night against the Pistons. The Warriors also played a very important game against the Lakers. Both contests ended not so much with controversy but with complete and utter incompetence displayed by the officials.

First, the Suns/Pistons game. The 4th quarter and overtime were not a good 17 minutes for the officiating crew headed by Joe Forte. With about 2 minutes remaining in regulation, Shaq came down with an offensive rebound only to get raked across both arms and knocked in the head by Antonio McDyess and Rodney Stuckey. No call was made and the Pistons went on to force overtime.

In the extra period, Steve Nash forced what looked to be a sure charge on Chauncey Billups as he was clearly outside the restricted area and got to his position in plenty of time. A blocking foul was instead called, with Billups' completing the three point play and the Suns never getting closer.

Some choice comments from the Suns players after the game:

Shaq: "I wish they wouldn't have had help. I sure wish those people would get a little more consistent in how they call a game. I know I got fouled down there. It ain't no all ball. (Expletive) that. I know I got fouled, and there's a ref standing there. He should have (expletive) called it. I got chopped in the head. He should have (expletive) called it. Period. It'd been a different game if they'd done what they're supposed to do. They had help."

Grant Hill: "We played well enough to win. It's just hard five against eight...we got hosed down the stretch. It was just bad. Rasheed's agreeing with you about the foul situation. Then you know you got screwed.

Steve Nash: "It's not a really bad loss. Everyone's disappointed and angry. We felt like we played well enough to win and feel like, in some ways, it was taken from us."

It also bears mentioning the worst call of the night went against the Pistons, which only further illustrates the officials' complete lack of control over the game. Nash was awarded to free throws when he was clearly passing the ball out of the lane. In fact, he wasn't even facing the basket when the call was made.

It's increasingly difficult to take a league seriously where the officiating is consistently horrendous. I know that at this point I've dropped the hickory stick and am now running the dead horse over and over with a bulldozer, but when will it ever stop?

Watch the below clip (fast forward to the 7:15 mark) and "enjoy." The Warriors' announcers can be called homers but you know what? They're absolutely right.



It isn't basketball when an official can decide the outcome of a hard-fought, overtime game. And it sure as hell isn't basketball when said official isn't anywhere near the correct position to make that already atrocious call.

What last night illustrated to me is we're in store for another NBA playoffs chock full of awful officiating and that this problem is never going to go away. The call made my Bob Delaney against Monta Ellis is exhibit A.

This is a guy who's actually a pretty good referee. Most of the time, you don't even know he's on the court (wiser men than I tell me this is the mark of a good official...I would agree, Joey Crawford probably wouldn't) What happened in that play is he saw two players falling down and just couldn't help himself.

He HAD to blow the whistle. Nash's blocking foul on Chauncey Billups was the same. For whatever reason, the art of the no call has been lost.

Furthermore, Delaney should know who's on the court and how they play the game. Derek Fisher has put together a solid NBA career and has earned a number of rings but let's face it, he's been known to flop. Shouldn't Delaney know that? Shouldn't he know he tends to fall down?

I've begun to ramble and not make any sense so this is probably as good a time as any to cut it. My overall point is one that has been made for as long as I can remember, the officiating in the NBA is the worst in any of the major sports and continues to hurt its credibility.

Doesn't make it any less frustrating when my team gets the shaft though.

Posted by McLane at 12:57 PM