Who are the refs?
Official Report
Mark Davis is the lead referee in this game and in an LA Times survey in 2016, players and coaches voted him one of the worst referees in the league so he may very well be an X-factor. Here are a couple of quotes from the article about Davis:
“He’s cool as they come, but he’s so arrogant,” one player said. “He instigates things sometimes. Marc will go back at a player. He forgets that he’s talking to another man. Don’t challenge a man’s manhood. Now you are going too far.”
“Marc Davis is hands down the worst,” a player said. “He acts likes he’s your friend, but he’ll just screw you. He’ll screw you and he’ll get the biggest attitude about it.”
However, called Game 2 of the Bucks series, Game 1 of the Sixers series, and Game 1 of the ECF and he was decent in all 3. His home W/L record this season is 40-30. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Davis while the Cavs are 4-6 in their last 10. He averages 38.5 fouls called per game with 49.1% of those called on the home team.
James Capers - This is Capers third game with the Celtics in these playoffs. He called game 5 vs the Sixers and let them play both ways. He also called game 3 of the ECF. In the past he has been good in some and bad in some. He doesn’t have a lot of controversy around him, however. His home W/L record this season is 51-17. He calls an average of 41.5 fouls per game with 48% of those calls on the home team.
Zach Zarba - This is Zarba’s third playoff game with the Celtics. He called Game 5 vs Philadelphia and Game 3 vs the Cavs with Capers. As with the other refs, sometimes he is good and sometimes he isn’t so good but there isn’t a lot of controversy surrounding him. His home W/L record this season is 32-37. He calls an average of 38.4 fouls per game with 47.7% called on the home team.