Source: NBA Reviewing Officiating of Game 4

[Celtics18]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

Why would they have to "leak" it when their public stance is that they review the officiating after every game. 

I think this is all a case of a reporter trying to draw some attention by starting his piece with a juicy, slightly sensational first paragraph about the league reviewing the officiating of a Heat game.  It's a good opening hook. 

Based on our reaction, it looks like it worked. 

[fairweatherfan]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

Why would they have to "leak" it when their public stance is that they review the officiating after every game. 

I think this is all a case of a reporter trying to draw some attention by starting his piece with a juicy, slightly sensational first paragraph about the league reviewing the officiating of a Heat game.  It's a good opening hook. 

Based on our reaction, it looks like it worked.

I agree, this is one of those things where factual information (NBA is reviewing calls) is presented in a leading way and the readers connect the dots to arrive at a conclusion that fits with a pre-existing belief (ZOMG LeBron bias!!1!).  Politicians and pundits do it all the time.

The weirdest thing about this whole thread is how many people are taking LeBron fouling out of a big game as further evidence that the league is rigging things for LeBron.

[nickagneta]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

I don't think it's a stretch to think that the league isn't "leaking" anything, but that after a game with a ton of controversial calls, including but not at all limited to a star fouling out, members of the media might be a lot more likely to ask if the league is reviewing those calls.

Even if LeBron doesn't foul out last night's officiating was pretty embarrassing for the league - even taking out all subjectivity they completely blew that shot clock violation at the very least.

Don't get me wrong, fwf, I agree the officiating was awful last night. But its been that bad before and we haven't "heard" anything about the NBA reviewing specific games the next day. This is fairly uncommon for this news to come forth after a bad game.

But let's see what becomes of this. Regardless of anything if the League wants to be consistent it should fine Lebron. If it doesn't and then they make some public announcement about the game, I think people will be entitled to believe this was because of Lebron fouling out. If they fine him and nothing more is heard, then yeah, it probably was just S.O.P. for the League after a poorly officiated game. Anything in between and I am sure the debate will rage on.

[fairweatherfan]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

I don't think it's a stretch to think that the league isn't "leaking" anything, but that after a game with a ton of controversial calls, including but not at all limited to a star fouling out, members of the media might be a lot more likely to ask if the league is reviewing those calls.

Even if LeBron doesn't foul out last night's officiating was pretty embarrassing for the league - even taking out all subjectivity they completely blew that shot clock violation at the very least.

Don't get me wrong, fwf, I agree the officiating was awful last night. But its been that bad before and we haven't "heard" anything about the NBA reviewing specific games the next day. This is fairly uncommon for this news to come forth after a bad game.

But let's see what becomes of this. Regardless of anything if the League wants to be consistent it should fine Lebron. If it doesn't and then they make some public announcement about the game, I think people will be entitled to believe this was because of Lebron fouling out. If they fine him and nothing more is heard, then yeah, it probably was just S.O.P. for the League after a poorly officiated game. Anything in between and I am sure the debate will rage on.

Again, I think it's just a matter of whether columnists are writing about it or not.  They clearly reviewed the officiating after Game 2, because they retroactively gave Wade a flagrant for the elbow on Stephenson.  The same thing happens all the time.

I agree LeBron should get fined but he did phrase things pretty neutrally so it won't be too shocking if he gets away with it.

[Celtics18]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

I don't think it's a stretch to think that the league isn't "leaking" anything, but that after a game with a ton of controversial calls, including but not at all limited to a star fouling out, members of the media might be a lot more likely to ask if the league is reviewing those calls.

Even if LeBron doesn't foul out last night's officiating was pretty embarrassing for the league - even taking out all subjectivity they completely blew that shot clock violation at the very least.

Don't get me wrong, fwf, I agree the officiating was awful last night. But its been that bad before and we haven't "heard" anything about the NBA reviewing specific games the next day. This is fairly uncommon for this news to come forth after a bad game.

But let's see what becomes of this. Regardless of anything if the League wants to be consistent it should fine Lebron. If it doesn't and then they make some public announcement about the game, I think people will be entitled to believe this was because of Lebron fouling out. If they fine him and nothing more is heard, then yeah, it probably was just S.O.P. for the League after a poorly officiated game. Anything in between and I am sure the debate will rage on.

Again, I think it's just a matter of whether columnists are writing about it or not.  They clearly reviewed the officiating after Game 3, because they upgraded fouls on Wade and a Pacer I can't remember to flagrants. 

I agree LeBron should get fined but he did phrase things pretty neutrally so it won't be too shocking if he gets away with it.

Just to re-iterate my agreement with FWF on this one; there's nothing to see here.  If Ken Berger asked a league source if they were planning to review the officiating, surely, the league source would respond "yes" as they review the officiating for all games.

Now he has a first paragraph that can make the titillating claim that "league sources claim the NBA will review the officiating from game four of the Heat/Pacers series."  It's not exactly dishonest, but it doesn't point to anything nefarious by the NBA either. 

As to whether or not the NBA has the stones to fine James for his comments, I really hope they do.

[staticcc]

Figures the League only looks into their officiating when calls go against LeBron and Wade.

I don't doubt they'll make the Pacers replay the final four minutes.

Stern can't have the Heat going home before the Finals.  And, he certainly can't have Bron-Bron upset with him.

Not true. If that was the case, then Game 2 between the Heat and Pacers would also have been reviewed, and all Heat losses for that matter. Gotta admit there were some bad calls last night and reviewing it doesn't mean the NBA favors the Heat.

And if Stern wants Lebron in the finals every year, there would have been no chance of us beating the Cavs twice (2008 and 2010), and of the Magic beating Bron (2009). The better teams will always end up in the finals, and Stern has nothing do to with it.

Complaining about the commissioner just because we dislike the Heat is a major excuse. Let's just hope the Celtics get better and focus on our team. If we get enough help, we'll have a shot of beating Lebron again. (We already did twice and came within a quarter last year.)

[CelticConcourse]

Figures the League only looks into their officiating when calls go against LeBron and Wade.

I don't doubt they'll make the Pacers replay the final four minutes.

Stern can't have the Heat going home before the Finals.  And, he certainly can't have Bron-Bron upset with him.

Not true. If that was the case, then Game 2 between the Heat and Pacers would also have been reviewed, and all Heat losses for that matter. Gotta admit there were some bad calls last night and reviewing it doesn't mean the NBA favors the Heat.

And if Stern wants Lebron in the finals every year, there would have been no chance of us beating the Cavs twice (2008 and 2010), and of the Magic beating Bron (2009). The better teams will always end up in the finals, and Stern has nothing do to with it.

Complaining about the commissioner just because we dislike the Heat is a major excuse. Let's just hope the Celtics get better and focus on our team. If we get enough help, we'll have a shot of beating Lebron again. (We already did twice and came within a quarter last year.)

Well that's not exactly true. (see 2002 Kings)

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Yes, he's a great player, but he's not a defensive savant.

I would be more interested in the league reviewing how Lebron was able to go over 250 straight minutes, playing the way he does, without committing a foul than hearing about them investigating officials because Lebron fouled out of one game. How does a guy go to the hole with no regard for human life or play in your shirt defense or come flying across the court for a block without once committing a foul for over 5 games?

That isn't being investigated but Lebron getting a 6th foul in one game is? Madness I tell you. Pure madness.

I agree. Not only did he go five games without a foul, this was his first disqualification since June 2012–last year's playoffs.

[Boris Badenov]

Also, Lebron comments about officiating...will he get fined??? (Doubt it)

"I believe I was straight up-and-down on Paul George's drive -- the and-one," James said.

On the offensive foul against Stephenson, James said, "I don't believe it was an offensive foul. I was going to set a screen, and I believe I was stationary. ... It was a couple of calls that I didn't feel like were fouls."

Others have brought up the idea of Lebron getting fined, but as I read those comments he seems to be choosing his words carefully.

He does not, anywhere, actually criticize the referees for making the *wrong* call. He merely states that his opinion was different.

To see what I'm talking about, suppose one of the refs told him during the game that it was 8:30 PM. Lebron later says "When the ref said it was 8:30, I didn't think it was 8:30, I thought it was 8:35."

Nowhere is he actually questioning whether the ref was right or not, or making an accusation of any kind.

Do any of our resident experts know whether there's an official standard here, in terms of what gets someone into trouble?

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

*Prepares to be crucified*

I thought a couple of the fouls on LeBron were kind of weak, especially the one of the Hibbert and1.  Watching it live, I didn't even see a foul, and upon watching replay, it was a touch foul at best.

His offensive foul at the end of the third (where he barreled into West, I think) reminds me of KG's moving screens.  LeBron/KG does it every game, why call it now?

Finally, the foul that got him out was, in my mind, a makeup call for the horrendous shot clock violation assessed to IND.  I didn't really like it because they chose to make up for it with 56 seconds left in a crucial playoff game.  For starters, I think Stephenson ran into LeBron, because Wade had rejected his pick, and I also don't think LeBron moved THAT MUCH.  Moving screens are rarely called, anyways.

Did I enjoy seeing LeBron foul out?  Absolutely.  But some of those calls against him very shaky.  And like I mentioned, that SCV made my eyes bleed.

. I was thinking the same thing on the 6th foul and KG doing the same thing.  The difference is they tend to call KG for at least an obligatory illegal screen call per game.  Lebron does not.

Exactly. KG is called for that fairly often, and Perk got hit with that a lot too.

Here's the thing about LeBron's sixth foul: To me, it wasn't about whether he was moving, because virtually all NBA screens are moving ones; it was about the fact that LeBron stepped on the Pacer player's foot, causing him to trip. To me, that was an easy call.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I believe that you're correct in saying they review every game. But as a rule they don't publicly announce reviews ... so when they make such an announcement after a rare LeBron foul-out, well, that seems dubious to me.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I don't think it is a stretch that on the day after Lebron fouls out and complains about the fact that he fouled out right after the game, that it is just coincidence that the NBA leaks that they are taking a look at these fouls and the officiating as a whole for game 4, that people come to the conclusion that the NBA is doing it because their media darling and number one drawing ticket complained publicly about the officiating.

When other stars have complained, they get fined the next day. The league doesn't leak the fact they are taking a look at the officiating, especially if they review the officiating after every game anyway. Why let it be known you are doing it now if it is something commonly done?

I don't think it's a stretch to think that the league isn't "leaking" anything, but that after a game with a ton of controversial calls, including but not at all limited to a star fouling out, members of the media might be a lot more likely to ask if the league is reviewing those calls.

Even if LeBron doesn't foul out last night's officiating was pretty embarrassing for the league - even taking out all subjectivity they completely blew that shot clock violation at the very least.

I'd argue that the officiating is routinely embarrassing, yet reviews normally don't get mentioned. So I have to ask myself, "What makes this game different?" The answer is obvious: the golden boy fouled out.

[fairweatherfan]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I believe that you're correct in saying they review every game. But as a rule they don't publicly announce reviews ... so when they make such an announcement after a rare LeBron foul-out, well, that seems dubious to me.

But the league made no public announcement I'm aware of - all I see is that a columnist asked an anonymous league source, who said "yes, we're reviewing calls", and then the columnist published it.  That's not anything out of the ordinary to me.

[nickagneta]

Also, Lebron comments about officiating...will he get fined??? (Doubt it)

"I believe I was straight up-and-down on Paul George's drive -- the and-one," James said.

On the offensive foul against Stephenson, James said, "I don't believe it was an offensive foul. I was going to set a screen, and I believe I was stationary. ... It was a couple of calls that I didn't feel like were fouls."

Others have brought up the idea of Lebron getting fined, but as I read those comments he seems to be choosing his words carefully.

He does not, anywhere, actually criticize the referees for making the *wrong* call. He merely states that his opinion was different.

To see what I'm talking about, suppose one of the refs told him during the game that it was 8:30 PM. Lebron later says "When the ref said it was 8:30, I didn't think it was 8:30, I thought it was 8:35."

Nowhere is he actually questioning whether the ref was right or not, or making an accusation of any kind.

Do any of our resident experts know whether there's an official standard here, in terms of what gets someone into trouble?

Doc once got fined for saying Bill Kennedy goaded him into a second technical. He got fined earlier this playoff season for the word "horrendous" when talking about the refs. I have seen some tremendous rants get fines and some stuff I would never have expected get fines.

Pierce got fined for making a "gang" sign once. Rondo got suspended for patting a ref on the backside during a timeout when he was joking around with the refs. Not sure there has been any demarcation line set with the refs over such things. Of course, there hasn't been a lot of consistency with the NBA front office regarding their rulings over the years so.......who knows.

[LooseCannon]

Absolutely ludicrous that they don't decide to review the officiating until LeBron fouls out of a game. Gimme a break.

Where are you getting it from that this is an unusual move, or that this is just about LeBron?  There were plenty of dubious calls all over the place last night. 

And my understanding is they review the officiating every game - I know for a fact officials get notes and grades from the league after every game.

I believe that you're correct in saying they review every game. But as a rule they don't publicly announce reviews ... so when they make such an announcement after a rare LeBron foul-out, well, that seems dubious to me.

Not a public announcement, and there's plenty of stuff worth reviewing, such as whether or not West's foul on Wade was flagrant and if fines should be handed out on the James-West double flop or the Lance Stephenson-Ray Allen elbow incident.