Officiating

[CoachBo]

That may have been the worst seven minutes of officiated basketball I have ever seen at the NBA level - absolute incompetence.

The Hawks should be embarrassed. Those three officials did everyting in their power to make sure Atlanta won, and they couldn't take it.

[Roy H.]

Yep, absolutely agree.  There were at least four ticky-tack / imaginary fouls, all of which were called against the Celtics down the stretch.  Garbage officiating.

[CoachBo]

The sixth foul against Garnett was so outrageously bad, right up there with the Salvatore offensive foul against Pierce in game 6 in 2008. KG was being held by two different people.

Officials rarely change games, but this crew gave Atlanta ample opportunities to win the game. Kudos to Doc for not getting tossed.

[CelticSooner]

Total screwjob. Hawks should be embarrassed after tonight. C's won two games tonight.

[jdz101]

In the last 30 seconds i've never seen such ticky tacky offensive fouls called as that....The same fouls were being committed on the defensive side of the ball.

If I was stiem i would have lost my marbles.

Those referees should have a rest for a few games

[wahz]

can we have one day, ONE DAY here with no rules to discuss this game?? There is no way those criminal mothers were not paid off today

[CoachBo]

I always laugh at the conspiracy theorists.

Tonight, I am not laughing. You can't find officiating that involuntarily bad at your local junior high school.

[wahz]

can we have one day, ONE DAY here with no rules to discuss this game?? There is no way those criminal mothers were not paid off today

Those were some fellonious mothers out there acting like refs today adn making 750k plus a year. how about a special obama tax on those dudes?

[nickagneta]

The dogs are just coming out of hiding after hearing me rave about the calls over the last 8 minutes or so of this game.

Can anyone who watched this game other than an Atlanta Hawks fan not review it and see an obvious effort to cause the outcome of this game to go the Hawks way?

Is there any way for a sane person not to come to that conclusion or the conclusion these three refs are severely incompetent and should be fired right away for that incompetence?

I would be checking all the cell phone calls of these refs in and out over the last few weeks to see if they have had contact with nefarious figures and see if they can tell if someone won big money based on the spread and outcome of this game. It feels like the fix was in

[esel1000]

Agreed, that was the WORST officiating I have ever seen....EVER

[cman88]

NBA refs routinely are the worst refs in all of sports...its rediculous that college refs(probably even high school refs) are better than these guys.

[CoachBo]

I know. I have a new pup who's convinced I'm insane. He retreated to his crate before the end of regulation.

There simply is no intellectual way to defend a consistent stream of inexplicably bad calls - all against the rules of the game - that ALL went in Atlanta's favor.

None.

One would hope that the Celtics management is berating Stu Jackson (I guess he's still in charge) over the phone as we speak.

Stern should worry a lot less about Tim Donaghy and a lot more about games like this one.

Having worked in high school, NAIA and D-II, I guarantee you I NEVER saw a consistent stretch of officiating incompetence - to put it kindly - like this one tonight.

[CelticG1]

Its never surprising but I still think that identical charge Pierce took on James that the refs didn't call last night and James ridiculous travel last night were just as bad.

James is a good enough player where they don't need to aid him anymore with calls like that just like Josh smith is a good enough defender where the refs don't need to help him out when he gets blown by

[jpd985]

The dogs are just coming out of hiding after hearing me rave about the calls over the last 8 minutes or so of this game.

Can anyone who watched this game other than an Atlanta Hawks fan not review it and see an obvious effort to cause the outcome of this game to go the Hawks way?

Is there any way for a sane person not to come to that conclusion or the conclusion these three refs are severely incompetent and should be fired right away for that incompetence?

I would be checking all the cell phone calls of these refs in and out over the last few weeks to see if they have had contact with nefarious figures and see if they can tell if someone won big money based on the spread and outcome of this game. It feels like the fix was in

What was the line in Vegas?

[syfy9]

Though there were quite a few bad calls, the blame here is greatly exaggerated.

Remember the Kevin Garnett and-1? If the game was truly rigged that would not have happened so late in the game. It would've been  play on.

Also, that Josh Smith slap to the face ala Pierce was easily a foul.

Aside from maybe KG's last foul and the Steamer's last 2, the refs didn't do a horrible job. The Hawks were very physical with us down low.