A black eye for the league

[Tarzan]

The refs are a joke.

The NBA refs have no credibility and blatantly try to sabotage games. Ignoring it does not help. I have sent the league several emails about some of the worst atrocities. The league would be much better if the players were allowed to decide the games rather than the zebras. Fortunately the Mavs beat the Bongblazers in game 2 and the TWolves beat the Lakers in game 3 in spite of the biased officiating. Unfortunately, the refs are sometimes successful in controlling the outcomes of games. Below is a link that can be used to send the league an email. Exercise your consumer rights and let the league office know what you think.

NBA Email Address

[Drbio]

For those of you without a DMN account......


Mavs say officiating in Lakers-Wolves game suspect
Nelson says bias doesn't lead to errors; players say calls went LA's way


04/26/2003

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News


PORTLAND, Ore. – Mark Cuban is the No. 1 watchdog when it comes to critiquing NBA referees, and he can expect a lot of support in that endeavor from a pack of angry Wolves.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were the victim of some of the most blatant officiating blunders in recent memory in Game 3 of their first-round series against the three-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavericks, like the rest of the crowd watching the game that started Thursday night and ended early Friday morning, saw it.

And just like everybody else, they had a hard time believing it.

Mavericks players were disheartened by the string of controversial calls, all of which went for the Lakers and against the Timberwolves in a game Minnesota eventually won, 114-110, in overtime. None wanted to attach their names to comments. But several players called it "a sad situation." One said "it really gives the league a black eye."

And they said they could understand how fans would suspect that a string of poor judgment calls by the referee crew of Bill Spooner, Leroy Richardson and Ronnie Nunn was because the Lakers were getting preferential treatment.

Coach Don Nelson doesn't think there's any basis to that train of thought. But he agrees that the referees have good and bad days, just like everybody else.

"First of all, they're trying to do a good job," Nelson said. "Sometimes, you know, it doesn't look that way.

"But they're honest, they're trustworthy and they're trying to do their jobs. Sometimes you have to wonder why this is called and that isn't called. Maybe it looks sometimes like one team has an advantage because of the calls, but that's just the nature of the game."

At issue in the Minnesota game were a handful of questionable calls. The most visible was a foul called on Wally Szczerbiak, who was practically in a different zip code when he was whistled for fouling LA's Jannero Pargo on a drive to the basket.

There also was a foul called when Kobe Bryant was shooting a 3-point shot, which led to a 4-point play that gave the Lakers a chance to force overtime. Kevin Garnett was called for his sixth foul at the start of overtime when contact was minimal.

Cuban, of course, is the most vocal person in the league when it comes to questioning the abilities of referees. He saw the crew in Game 2 of the Mavs-Blazers series have difficulties in the fourth quarter. Bennett Salvatore, Joe Forte and Ted Bernhardt missed several calls, including Steve Nash's foot being on the line when he was awarded a 3-point field goal with 29.7 seconds to go.

After that game, Cuban railed on the crew, particularly Salvatore.

But, as Nelson said, the cause of referees making poor calls is more a case of ineptitude rather than having an agenda. Referees don't care who wins. But they do have to learn the nuances of players as well as coaches.

"We make mistakes as players and coaches, and so do they," Nelson said. "Our players are smart. They try to put them [referees] in a bind. They flop. We teach it.

"We want it to be a hard job. So we can't complain if they make an error and somebody gets a flop. They are our policemen."

But after the fiasco in Los Angeles, whistle-blowers might be coming out of the woodwork.

E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com

[Drbio]

Still, let's focus on winning like we did tonight and in Game 2. If we do the things we can control well, we won't have to worry about the things we cannot control.

[Murphy3]

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[Tarzan]

I think that is a good strategy for the players, owner, and the coaches. There does seem to be a considerable threat of retribution if they complain. However, as fans it is within our control to complain to the league office and let them know that we don't want to pay for a tainted league. If enough people raise the issue then it will likely be addressed and the league can gain back some of its lost credibility. Some accountibility would be very good IMO. If we take up the task of voicing the issues to the league the Mavs organization won't have to. Go, Mavs!!!

[Drbio]

Tarzan- I'm sure Cuban would appreciate it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[MavKikiNYC]

Maybe start a new thread for worst calls of the playoffs.

My nominee would be from the Nets-Bucks G3, where Scott Foster called a technical foul on Jason Collins and NOT on Sam Cassell, after Cassell, who already had one technical foul, drove to the basket taking down Collins on the play, then tangled himself up with Collins while both were on the floor, and pushed at Collins aggressively with a forearm as both were trying to head up court. Collins pushed back at Cassell defensively to disengage from the contact, and Foster who was standing watching the whole thing, immediately called a technical foul on Collins.

Even Van Gundy, who normally can't disengage his lips from various parts of officials' anatomy, pointed out that Foster appeared not to want to put a second technical foul on Cassell, but was plenty willing to T up the non-star Collins.

This was the most egregious call I observed in this game, but there were at least half a dozen others ALL going against the Nets in the short stretch of the game that I watched. The calls were so blatantly bad and one-sided that if I were a league official, I would have the officials investigated for mob and gambling ties.

[MavKikiNYC]

Friday, April 25
Updated: April 25, 7:42 PM ET

Stern: 'Guess what -- we miss calls'
Embellished quote: "I've made this a very profitable league, so I don't give a flying phuck about a few missed calls, or whether they ultimately affect the outcome of a game or two--even in the playoffs. We're about entertainment, this isn't science that requires an absolute level of accuracy and precision and objective correctness. Mafia-schmafia. The idiot public? Let them eat fake."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assocaited Press

LOS ANGELES -- Rod Strickland said it was the worst refereeing he had ever witnessed in a big game. Kobe Bryant called it "pretty bad,'' while Rick Fox termed it "terrible.''

The officiating in Game 3 of the Lakers-Timberwolves series remained a hot topic Friday, with NBA commissioner David Stern even offering an opinion on a questionable late foul call against Wally Szczerbiak.

"Guess what -- we miss calls,'' Stern said.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead by beating the three-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 114-110 in overtime Thursday night in what had to be the most significant win in their 14-year history.

Game 4 in the best-of-seven series will be played Sunday at Staples Center, and the Lakers find themselves in unfamiliar territory -- trailing in a first-round playoff series.

"We know that this game is a need game for us,' coach Phil Jackson said.

The Lakers have won 12 straight playoff series since Jackson became their coach in 1999, and Jackson-coached teams in Los Angeles and Chicago have won 24 consecutive playoff series.

With those streaks close to being in jeopardy, Jackson focused on a Lakers' offense that shot a shade under 40 percent in Game 3.

The Timberwolves took their 2-1 lead by overcoming several questionable calls, a last-gasp Lakers rally to send the game into overtime and the loss of star Kevin Garnett in the first 12 seconds of the extra period.

"I got to bed this morning about 6:30,'' Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said about five hours later following Friday's practice at Loyola Marymount. "It was very difficult to sleep. I'm sure it was the same for a lot of the players.

"It was a very intense game. When you lose it seven times and win it eight times, there's a lot of emotion.''

Kobe Bryant, who scored five points in a 5½-second span to tie the game at 101 with 12.1 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, said the Lakers "played terrible'' and deserved to lose.

"We're down 2-1 -- the series is far from over,'' Bryant said at the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo. "It was a big win -- I'm sure it was a confidence-booster for them.''

But the Timberwolves were a confident bunch to begin with -- especially after their 119-91 victory in Game 2 at the Target Center.

"Nothing was going to take this game away from us,'' said Troy Hudson, who scored 27 points, including two free throws with 2.1 seconds left in overtime to clinch the victory. "We had guys come off the bench, we didn't miss a step.''

The Timberwolves needed bench help because Rasho Nesterovic fouled out at the end of the fourth quarter and Garnett did the same at the beginning of overtime.

Both calls were suspect.

"As coaches and players, we've got to complain,'' Saunders said. "It's a difficult game to referee, especially at the level you're at. It's not a job I'd want to have.

Several players on both sides criticized the officiating.

"We had to beat 15 people last night,'' said 15-year veteran Strickland, who said he couldn't remember a big game called so poorly.

"It was pretty bad,'' Bryant said.

"From both ends, it was terrible,'' Fox said. "It was not a pretty game. We benefited. At times they benefited.''

Szczerbiak had at least two questionable calls go against him -- one for a foul on Bryant with 17.7 seconds left when Bryant made a 3-pointer. Bryant made the free throw to complete a four-point play.

"The team that played better last night won _ that's the only positive,'' he said.

Szczerbiak also was called for a foul on rookie Jannero Pargo with 47.7 seconds left in overtime. Pargo made two free throws to give Los Angeles a 108-107 lead, but the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 7-2 after that.

"I didn't touch the guy,'' Szczerbiak said.

Stern, at a meeting of Associated Press Sports Editors, said he caught the last 20 minutes of the game on TV and spoke about the foul of Pargo.

"I'd like to see the other angles, but from the angles that I saw, going up against the backboard, I didn't see Szczerbiak touch him,'' Stern said.

Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, a former star with the Boston Celtics and now the Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operation, smiled when asked about the officiating.

"It's a losing battle when you're dealing with officials,'' he said. "The whistle's mightier than the mouth, so I'm not saying anything.''

[superheadcat]

<< Stern: 'Guess what -- we miss calls' >>


unquestionably quote of the day, no, quote of the year.




<< Embellished quote: &quot;I've made this a very profitable league, so I don't give a flying phuck about a few missed calls, or whether they ultimately affect the outcome of a game or two--even in the playoffs. We're about entertainment, this isn't science that requires an absolute level of accuracy and precision and objective correctness. Mafia-schmafia. The idiot public? Let them eat fake.&quot; >>


excellent interpretation.

i watched the game, until garnett got &quot;fouled&quot; out. and was highly pleased next day to learn the result.

[Murphy3]

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