Officiating

[mmmmm]

Whats odd about the Hawks game is that they received better treatment than the Heat did the night before.

This adds to the interpretation that this was about the point spread.

The spread was 3 points.

Whether you believe they are crooked or not, the sequence of events / calls by the officials are consistent with a crew trying to simply make sure Atlanta covered the spread.  And that was the end result.

I find that (the gambling premise) more likely than any bias aimed for or against particular teams.

Of course, simple, stupid incompetence is also a strong possibility.

As my blog sig says, either sucks.

[j804]

Whats odd about the Hawks game is that they received better treatment than the Heat did the night before.

That Heat game was called highly in our favor was surprised, not sure if the fouls given match up or what but we were allowed to be aggressive and the Heat were actually getting called on shooting fouls which they hardly ever do. If only that's how it pans out in the playoffs I doubt it.

[CelticHooligan3]

Hate to say it, but this thread is so predictable, (though I wholeheartedly agree with CoachBo) ... just unbelievably horrendous officiating in this game, and still many people, (mostly the same people), defending the refs.

It's just amazing to me how some folks see the officials as always above reproach, and as just an excuse for "sour" fans ... gimme a break! Some of the worst calls I've ever seen in this one, and as clearly biased as it can get.

Shameful job by the refs, and shameful defense of their lack of integrity by anyone making excuses for them. How bad does it have to get before an impartial board is put together to make these guys accountable to someone?!?

Nice game, Celtics ... once again you had to defeat eight people on the floor.

This pretty much sums it up. On a side note the fact that the NBA is the only major professional sports league where many people can actually name the referees should tell you something. These guys litterally and figuratively almost stole the show last night. Just wrong. Simple as that.

[hansenp40]

I agree with Omar, the real problem is the acting.  I know the refs suck and make a lot of bad calls, but if it looks like someone got shot like J Smith last night, it is natural to blow the whistle.  This is happening in all sports now, the "head whip" almost always gets you the call. 

They need to do away with the star treatment and just make the same calls for everyone

[apc]

here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4mHz9lDxa0

KG fouled out is on the 1:46 mark.

if you think KGs hands accidently get tangled with Teague's, you are being naive.

[angryguy77]

Whats odd about the Hawks game is that they received better treatment than the Heat did the night before.

That Heat game was called highly in our favor was surprised, not sure if the fouls given match up or what but we were allowed to be aggressive and the Heat were actually getting called on shooting fouls which they hardly ever do. If only that's how it pans out in the playoffs I doubt it.

And that is what I'm worried about the most. I do believe that the Heat game was officiated better than usual when we play the messiah(with some horrible exceptions).
If the playoffs are officiated like that, I believe we have a great shot at beating them.

The NBA has a problem because fans have to worry about the refs as much as they do the other team. Just think how much more enjoyable and popular this sport would be if they could call games more even. I believe the stigma the NBA has turns a lot of potential fans off. And this is why Stern is absolutely the worst commissioner of any sport in modern times.

[nickagneta]

here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4mHz9lDxa0

KG fouled out is on the 1:46 mark.

if you think KGs hands accidently get tangled with Teague's, you are being naive.

I also guess that Smith pulling on KG's shirt and holding him back didn't have an effect on the entanglement?

I also guess Smith's pulling on the shirt before the Teague/KG entanglement was okay to be ignored?

I thought it rule #1 in NBA and NFL officiating that if you see a guy holding another guys shirt to the point where the shirt moves, its a penalty or foul. I guess those refs missed that lesson of officiating.

[nickagneta]

Whats odd about the Hawks game is that they received better treatment than the Heat did the night before.

This adds to the interpretation that this was about the point spread.

The spread was 3 points.

Whether you believe they are crooked or not, the sequence of events / calls by the officials are consistent with a crew trying to simply make sure Atlanta covered the spread.  And that was the end result.

I find that (the gambling premise) more likely than any bias aimed for or against particular teams.

Of course, simple, stupid incompetence is also a strong possibility.

As my blog sig says, either sucks.

This is what I was alluding to earlier. It sure appears the refs were doing everything they could to make the Hawks beat the spread. That the spread was 3 and they came away with a 2 point loss speaks volumes IMHO.

[CelticG1]

here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4mHz9lDxa0

KG fouled out is on the 1:46 mark.

if you think KGs hands accidently get tangled with Teague's, you are being naive.

Isn't it also naive to think that KG didn't do this probably 10 times throughout the game already? Or naive to think that sort of thing doesn't happen on just about every possession or something along those lines?

The refs either have to be consistent with ticky tack fouls,  which would be fouling out guys in the first half, or just eliminating calls like that in general.

Bottom line is that its not good that refs can pick and choose when they want to call the same foul. Again I stated a bunch already Pierce drew offensive foul on James the other night, literally does the same thing a few minutes later and it's a no call. It was just embarrassing. Normally they would call a bad blocking foul on Pierce but he was in such good position that they wouldn't even do that.

So funny hearing gorman yell "offensive foul on..."for then a play-on and he is just at a loss for words

[mmmmm]

here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4mHz9lDxa0

KG fouled out is on the 1:46 mark.

if you think KGs hands accidently get tangled with Teague's, you are being naive.

Hmmm... watched it a few times.  Not sure you can fairly say that was 'accidental' on either KG's OR Teague's part.  Teague seemed just as determined to impede KG as vice versa.

That sort of 'entanglement' happens all the time.  It was away from the ball and mostly inconsequential to the play.   'Shouldn't have been called.  Especially in OT.

Unless you want to control the spread.

[CoachBo]

Hate to say it, but this thread is so predictable, (though I wholeheartedly agree with CoachBo) ... just unbelievably horrendous officiating in this game, and still many people, (mostly the same people), defending the refs.

It's just amazing to me how some folks see the officials as always above reproach, and as just an excuse for "sour" fans ... gimme a break! Some of the worst calls I've ever seen in this one, and as clearly biased as it can get.

Shameful job by the refs, and shameful defense of their lack of integrity by anyone making excuses for them. How bad does it have to get before an impartial board is put together to make these guys accountable to someone?!?

Nice game, Celtics ... once again you had to defeat eight people on the floor.

This pretty much sums it up. On a side note the fact that the NBA is the only major professional sports league where many people can actually name the referees should tell you something. These guys litterally and figuratively almost stole the show last night. Just wrong. Simple as that.

It does pretty much sum it up.

After two decades on the bench, you develop an eye for officiating: The good, the incompetent and the ulterior motives.

Any attempt to defend that crew last night falls on deaf ears here. I hope they're incompetent. I fear they are not.

[mctyson]

First and foremost, Tommy was absolutely hilarious during the end of that game

Second - the offensive foul on Pierce was the worst call of the overtime session.  You can't call that there.

The Stiemer offensive foul was terrible too, but I can see why it was called since his elbow was up by Smith's face.  The worst call of the game also went against Stiemer, when he cleanly blocked Teague and the opposite side official, blind to the shot, called the foul.

The KG foul is a little tougher since you can't really see from the angle whether KG locked the arm or Teague was pushing him.  I'll give the benefit to the refs on that one.

But the game overall was horrendously officiated.  Next to politicians, NBA refs are the most incompetent and corrupt people to hold jobs of wealth and power in our country.

[CoachBo]

Don't agree at all.

None of the calls were remotely defensible, but the Garnett call was the worst, easily one of the worst calls I've ever seen in an NBA game. He was CLEARLY being held by two different players, and in NO way initiated any of that contact. Absolutely a call intended to get Garnett out of the game.

With Pierce, he extended an arm going around the corner - made no contact.

The officiating in the last seven or eight minutes of the Hawks game should not be remotely acceptable to the league, and should result in disciplinary action against that crew.

[ManchesterCelticsFan]

I've come to the conclu$ion (before that game) that the NBA/$tern does not care if the Ref$ are perceived to be incompetent becau$e it help$ the bottom line.

1. Call fouls to keep the game close and therefore 'interesting' which helps viewership and provides a TV cash cow.
2. If the refs are viewed as 'incompetent' then they can't be blamed for "fixing games" or "spreads"
3. NBA/Stern does not want another Tim Donaghy scandal and is desperately trying to avoid this bad publicity. Therefore, they will NOT discipline the refs. The refs can gamble, deal with the Mafia or whatever predicaments they get into and get away with it.
4. Why would a Rational NBA Commissioner train the refs properly? That would only decrease the probability of the inferior NBA team extending a 7-Game series as far as it could go and reduce the ca$h-flow of the league! That's bad business!
5. Even if you believe none of this is true which I get that people don't want to believe it, Bad NBA referring can:

'STIR THE POT' which creates DRAMA and INTEREST that people LIKE!

LOL