Official Report for Game 3 5/7

[FLCeltsFan]

Tonight's Referees are:

Bennett Salvatore
Regular Season Stats
Home Team W/L 46-22
Home Team Win % 68.9%
Home Team Foul % 50%
Playoff Stats
Home Team Win % 57%
Home Team Foul % 48.5%
Road Team Foul % 51.5%
Bennett Salvatore has refereed over 1,400 regular season games, 175+ playoff games and 20 NBA Finals games. Bennett has the distinction of being the worst referee alive today. The man is just incompetent. Salvatore seems to miss more calls and make more bad calls per game than all the other refs and tonight he is our crew chief. Salvatore made one of the most controversial calls in NBA finals history in game 5 of the 2006 finals. The call basically gave the Heat their championship. Here is Bill Simmons' take on the call.

    Salvatore called the foul on Wade's final drive in overtime (remember, the call where ABC couldn't find a replay to show that anyone touched him?) even though he was standing at midcourt a full 35-40 feet from the play, and even though two other refs were closer to the play. Not only was that NOT his call, he butchered it.

Another of Salvatore's controversial calls was in the 2008 conference finals when he waved off a contested 3-pointer that Pierce had hoisted over Richard Hamilton, inducing him to leave his feet with a ball fake. Pierce, however, was charged with an offensive foul for creating the contact with Hamilton. Here are a couple of video examples of Salvatore's ineptness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxO_Gmtpm80&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDM2eGpf5Hc&feature=player_embedded


Ken Mauer
Regular Season Stats
Home W/L 39-31
Home Team Win % 51%
Home Team Foul % 47.7%
Playoff Stats
Home Team Win % 50%
Home Team Foul % 51%
Home Team T's 1.3
Road Team T's .8
Mauer has been a referee since the 1986-87 season and has officiated over 1,200+ regular season games, 70+ play-off games and 3 NBA Finals games. He has been a road friendly ref in the playoffs, calling more fouls on the home team than on the road team. He is also very quick to call T's averaging 1.3 Technicals on the home team and .8 on the road team per game. No doubt that this guy is crooked, he was charged with tax evasion and obstructing federal tax laws for receiving substantial taxable income from 1989 through 1994 and failing to declare it. He was one of the refs in the Miami/Dallas Finals where the foul calls were totally lopsided. Video evidence of Mauer's incompetence and bias.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtbhlJHG8U&feature=player_embedded

Zach Zarba
Regular Season Stats
Home Team Won/Loss 41-32
Home Team Win % 54%
Home Team Foul % 49.5%
Playoff Stats (4 games)
Home Team Win % 75%
Home Team Foul % 51%
Zarba has officiated over 175+ regular season games and spent 2 years officiating the D-League. Zarba is one of the league’s youngest officials and because of that, he hasn't been involved in a lot of controversy so far. However, he is another ref who has called more fouls on the home teams in the playoffs than on the road teams.

It looks like Stern has carefully picked his referees for this game. Celtics fans can start cringing now. Salvatore and Mauer assure that the Celtics will be playing 5 on 8 once again, even though they are at home.

[Chris]

You know what this means?  The C's need to actually play well, and stop whining. 

They control their own destiny.  Only losers whine about refs.

[DannyZ]

David Stern just sent out a league wide memo: 

"In the interest of the NBA and due to his elbow injury, Lebron will not be required to dribble for the rest of the playoffs"

[Bahku]

Great stuff, Fl, (TP) ... Zarba's OK sometimes, but Salvatore and Mauer are two of the very worst, most anti-Celtic officials on the planet, (and they absolutely love to stroke Kobe and LeBron). Like C said, we control our own destiny, (to a point), but that destiny will be decided by a seven or eight on five match-up. But if we play our game at it's highest level, we can still put this away!

[jpd985]

Great stuff, Fl, (TP) ... Zarba's OK sometimes, but Salvatore and Mauer are two of the very worst, most anti-Celtic officials on the planet, (and they absolutely love to stroke Kobe and LeBron). Like C said, we control our own destiny, (to a point), but that destiny will be decided by a seven or eight on five match-up. But if we play our game at it's highest level, we can still put this away!

With this officiating crew, we will need to play flawless. Funny how after Doc sends a tape to the league to review officiating in the 1st 2 games we get stuck with this crew.

[Bahku]

Great stuff, Fl, (TP) ... Zarba's OK sometimes, but Salvatore and Mauer are two of the very worst, most anti-Celtic officials on the planet, (and they absolutely love to stroke Kobe and LeBron). Like C said, we control our own destiny, (to a point), but that destiny will be decided by a seven or eight on five match-up. But if we play our game at it's highest level, we can still put this away!

With this officiating crew, we will need to play flawless. Funny how after Doc sends a tape to the league to review officiating in the 1st 2 games we get stuck with this crew.

Coincidence? I think not! (TP)

[angryguy77]

I smell an epic screw job coming our way. I have a feeling I'm going to have veins stick out of my neck by the second quarter. But we still will win this game if Rondo continues to play great and we don't let up on the defensive end. We are the better team, it's ours if we want it bad enough.

[jpd985]

I predict I will lose my voice by screaming at the officials.

[Donoghus]

I smell an epic screw job coming our way. I have a feeling I'm going to have veins stick out of my neck by the second quarter. But we still will win this game if Rondo continues to play great and we don't let up on the defensive end. We are the better team, it's ours if we want it bad enough.

Yeah, we just need to play our game.  Rondo's the key.  If he's aggressive, then we should be alright.

People need to stop worrying so much about the refs.  

[Bahku]

I smell an epic screw job coming our way. I have a feeling I'm going to have veins stick out of my neck by the second quarter. But we still will win this game if Rondo continues to play great and we don't let up on the defensive end. We are the better team, it's ours if we want it bad enough.

Yeah, we just need to play our game.  Rondo's the key.  If he's aggressive, then we should be alright.

People need to stop worrying so much about the refs. 

Completely agree, Don ... if we play our best, stick to our game plan and defensive intensity, then no matter what the refs bring will be moot. Our boys can't let that stuff get into their heads or under their skin, or it becomes self-defeating. Drawing the worst officials just means it's more important than ever to be aggressive on offense and stifling on defense, not less, otherwise we're playing into their hands, and the game plan of the Cavs.

[ManUp]

I really don't want to believe this is how the NBA works, but how is it humanly possible to be that bad.

[Chris]

I really don't want to believe this is how the NBA works, but how is it humanly possible to be that bad.

Well lets remember, these are all very biased reports based on a few calls.  You can make a strong argument against most any of the very experienced refs in the league.

Stat-wise, there was no one more fair in the regular season than Bennett Salvatore, who called 50% fouls on home and away teams.

Mauer calls the 3rd fewest fouls per game in the regular season, and IMO, that benefits the C's.

IMO, this is classic conspiracy theory.  Only focus on the points that support your point, but ignore those that don't.

Some were arguing that it was the worst refs possible last game.  Now these are the worst refs possible.  I am sure the same argument will be made for game 4, and certainly game 5.

[incoherent]

This has got to be some kind of bad joke/nightmare

[Bahku]

I really don't want to believe this is how the NBA works, but how is it humanly possible to be that bad.

Well lets remember, these are all very biased reports based on a few calls.  You can make a strong argument against most any of the very experienced refs in the league.

Stat-wise, there was no one more fair in the regular season than Bennett Salvatore, who called 50% fouls on home and away teams.

Mauer calls the 3rd fewest fouls per game in the regular season, and IMO, that benefits the C's.

IMO, this is classic conspiracy theory.  Only focus on the points that support your point, but ignore those that don't.

Some were arguing that it was the worst refs possible last game.  Now these are the worst refs possible.  I am sure the same argument will be made for game 4, and certainly game 5.

I guess we could just assume that officials are all perfect and wonderful and never make mistakes, and so are above critical review. I think the majority of bloggers here are very intelligent and knowledgeable when it comes to basketball, and while most of us are also admittedly biased when it comes to our team in green, we can also distinguish between a bad call/official and a good one. It would absolutely astonish me if everyone here who complains about the officiating are completely wrong and just trying to create another "conspiracy theory" ... but then again, I'm wrong more than I am correct, so it's entirely possible ... but our suspicions give us more juicy stuff to chew on, and it's just plain too much fun to give up!

[RAcker]

I've been at a game with Mauer reffing where we won by 40.  Much ado about nothing.  Salvatore sucks, but it will all balance out.  Zarba is more likely to make a "real mistake".  If the other two make bad calls (deliberate or otherwise) let the conspiracy theorists run wild.