This League is such a JOKE

[Assassin70]

The most difficult part of the finals for me is the fact that I believe the Cs could have beaten OKC. It may have take 7 games and been a lot uglier, but #18 was right there.

Mk

Nope we would have been in OKC's shoes now and not get the any of the 50/50 whistles.

I give OKC credit no matter the situation they are right there @ the end.  They are just not executing when they need to.

[aporel#18]

The Heat shouldn't be in the Finals. They're there because of Game 2 officiating against us.

OKC is playing like garbage. They're not playing like they did against the Spurs, they're going iso and killing themselves every time.

I'm not watching the games, (just watched game 3's 4th quarter) because I can't stand the HYPE and how this league is trying so hard to give LeBron and the Miami morons a ring. Stern doesn't want a long series, he wants LeBron to win MVP and Finals MVP.

None of this makes any sense. If course they would want a longer series and I think Lebron NOT winning would be great theatre for the league. If you are going to have a conspiracy theory, at least don't do it on a night where the fouls were 20-18 and the outcome you suggests is exactly what the league does NOT want to happen.

You all sound like sad crazy haters. If I was a Heat fan, I would come on this blog and just laugh at how pathetic it is.

Well, you might be right... but I doubt it. You could see games 3 and 4 of the ECF were more fairly officiated because the Heat were ahead on the series, but in the Finals they keep acting the same. They might ease a bit on game 5, because OKC isn't supposed to come back in the series, and they're beating themselves anyway.

That's not a conspiracy, it's just the same old garbage of Jordan Rules, the Shaq-Kobe dinasty and the 2006 Wade free-throw parade. Of course, Stern couldn't help his Knicks or MJ's Bobcats to win it all. It takes a team, or at least good players to make it work. The refs don't treat every player the same, they've their favorites. And it takes an extra effort from the opposite team to beat the favored one.

In fact, the Celts did very well in games 2 and 5 this year, where they had to play 5 on 8. Of course, if they could keep playing like in game 5, Celtics would be fighting against OKC right now. But they couldn't, they were exhausted in games 6 and 7, and fell short. Of course it takes two teams, and when Miami plays well and gets every call, you can still beat them if you play at 110%.

You can still believe it's all on the teams not being able to beat Miami AND the refs, but it's not. Celtics played turrible in game 6 and deserved to loose, but they deserved a lot more in game 2 and to a lesser extent in game 7.

And no, the Heat's three stooges couldn't survive another Finals disaster, so this year's priority is help them to get their rings. In fact, LeBron and Bosh are helping themselves more than Karate Hamster, who needs ref's help to make it through the series in his Metta World Wade role. Give credit to the Heat, but don't forget the refs.

[Celtics18]

Wow!! We are now on page five of a thread on how much of a joke the NBA officiating is, and I still haven't read anyone cite any specific instances where the refs made egregious errors in last night's contest.

Come on, guys.  You're better than that. 

[wiley]

The problem with the conspiracy theorists is that there aren't enough specifics mentioned to make the argument plausible.  Two or three questionable calls a game do not add up to a conspiracy.  Many of the calls, not just in this game, but most contested games, that cause people to claim the fix is in are generally calls that could go either way or when looked at closely were actually called correctly by the refs.  

I am absolutely convinced that the Heat are up 3-1 against the Thunder because they have outplayed them on the court, not because the league and the refs have rigged the whole event.  

For me, it's not about "rigged" or "fix", it's incompetency and special treatment for certain players. I've said this before: the fact that the league does nothing to make it an even playing field for all players, is as bad as if there was a legit effort to fix the game.

I see no legit explanation of how Lebron can go game after game with so few fouls called against him. I don't understand how one team gets hammered with nothing called and the other goes to the line when there was just a little contact drawn.

It doesn't matter what or why, what matters is the problem at hand that stern won't address. I tend to believe that stern likes the star treatment because it makes the best look even better, and thus helps the league. So there maybe no conspiracy, but there is definitely willful inaction that is costing the league credibility.

I believe had last game been called even, OKC would have won despite their turnovers and miscues.  

I tried to watch the game last night objectively, and I didn't see the egregious errors in the officiating.  Could you point to some of the specific bad calls?

The Heat are playing a physical brand of defense and the Thunder are not, for one reason because their superstar keeps getting in foul trouble on lame calls.  So it's not just which call was blown but what style of play is allowed.  In other words, you can isolate a call against the Thunder, look at it and say yes, that was a foul.  But it may have been the kind of contact that is being let go (and should be let go...technically a foul perhaps but inconsequential contact) when Miami does it.  

But as to more specifics from last, Durant got called for a foul that wasn't and then the refs realized it was a bad call on him so they switched it Harden, who was even further from the player than Durant.  Durant got called for a foul on Wade that may have involved trading skin cells, basically because Wade wanted the call (when he drove from the side and acrobatically avoided Durant).  A bunch of no-calls on Westbrook drives to the hoop (acknowledged by Breen for goodenss sakes).  I guess they didn't call those because the ball went in??  
And Norris Cole with the ball pushes off Durant with his shoulder causing Durant to fall back, and Durant gets called.  There were others but I don't have a photographic memory.  But it's not just about what is technically a foul and what is not.  It's about which fouls are allowed on one end and not on the other.

Also, in a well officiated NBA finals, both coaches should be upset with the officials.  Instead, the Heat are gliding through paradise right now with the way the calls have gone.  If I were Brooks I'd have gotten tossed already.

[Assassin70]

Wow!! We are now on page five of a thread on how much of a joke the NBA officiating is, and I still haven't read anyone cite any specific instances where the refs made egregious errors in last night's contest.

Come on, guys.  You're better than that. 

That Harden steal clear path where Wade fouled him at least twice with no call and he blew the layup.

[angryguy77]

Wow!! We are now on page five of a thread on how much of a joke the NBA officiating is, and I still haven't read anyone cite any specific instances where the refs made egregious errors in last night's contest.

Come on, guys.  You're better than that. 

True or false, Lebron and Wade get star treatment?

[Celtics18]

The problem with the conspiracy theorists is that there aren't enough specifics mentioned to make the argument plausible.  Two or three questionable calls a game do not add up to a conspiracy.  Many of the calls, not just in this game, but most contested games, that cause people to claim the fix is in are generally calls that could go either way or when looked at closely were actually called correctly by the refs.  

I am absolutely convinced that the Heat are up 3-1 against the Thunder because they have outplayed them on the court, not because the league and the refs have rigged the whole event.  

For me, it's not about "rigged" or "fix", it's incompetency and special treatment for certain players. I've said this before: the fact that the league does nothing to make it an even playing field for all players, is as bad as if there was a legit effort to fix the game.

I see no legit explanation of how Lebron can go game after game with so few fouls called against him. I don't understand how one team gets hammered with nothing called and the other goes to the line when there was just a little contact drawn.

It doesn't matter what or why, what matters is the problem at hand that stern won't address. I tend to believe that stern likes the star treatment because it makes the best look even better, and thus helps the league. So there maybe no conspiracy, but there is definitely willful inaction that is costing the league credibility.

I believe had last game been called even, OKC would have won despite their turnovers and miscues.  

I tried to watch the game last night objectively, and I didn't see the egregious errors in the officiating.  Could you point to some of the specific bad calls?

The Heat are playing a physical brand of defense and the Thunder are not, for one reason because their superstar keeps getting in foul trouble on lame calls.  So it's not just which call was blown but what style of play is allowed.  In other words, you can isolate a call against the Thunder, look at it and say yes, that was a foul.  But it may have been the kind of contact that is being let go (and should be let go...technically a foul perhaps but inconsequential contact) when Miami does it.  

But as to more specifics from last, Durant got called for a foul that wasn't and then the refs realized it was a bad call on him so they switched it Harden, who was even further from the player than Durant.  Durant got called for a foul on Wade that may have involved trading skin cells, basically because Wade wanted the call (when he drove from the side and acrobatically avoided Durant).  A bunch of no-calls on Westbrook drives to the hoop (acknowledged by Breen for goodenss sakes).  I guess they didn't call those because the ball went in??  
And Norris Cole with the ball pushes off Durant with his shoulder causing Durant to fall back, and Durant gets called.  There were others but I don't have a photographic memory.  But it's not just about what is technically a foul and what is not.  It's about which fouls are allowed on one end and not on the other.

Also, in a well officiated NBA finals, both coaches should be upset with the officials.  Instead, the Heat are gliding through paradise right now with the way the calls have gone.  If I were Brooks I'd have gotten tossed already.

Thanks for giving examples.  The one where they changed the foul from Durant to Westbrook actually favored the Thunder, but yes that was ridiculous.

I can't recall the other ones you are talking about, but I'll look for them.  

[Celtics18]

Wow!! We are now on page five of a thread on how much of a joke the NBA officiating is, and I still haven't read anyone cite any specific instances where the refs made egregious errors in last night's contest.

Come on, guys.  You're better than that. 

That Harden steal clear path where Wade fouled him at least twice with no call and he blew the layup.

I didn't see anything there, and based on his reaction neither did Harden.  He just blew the layup. 

[Celtics18]

Wow!! We are now on page five of a thread on how much of a joke the NBA officiating is, and I still haven't read anyone cite any specific instances where the refs made egregious errors in last night's contest.

Come on, guys.  You're better than that. 

True or false, Lebron and Wade get star treatment?

True.  But, to qualify that, I think that stars know how to earn calls.  That's a part of why they are stars.