Playoff Officiating

[Adam]

I always think being the underdog is what counts most. Maybe all this adversity will add pressure on Chicago and allow us to play with freedom without expectation

 

[Andrew]

Cavs will never be the underdogs with LBJ

 

[Otsego Mar]

I've been watching this over and over each year since the 80's. The refs wont change. The players need to adapt. And yes, the coach too.

LeBron needs to learn how to "sell" fouls like Harden does. He gets whacked every single drive, and instead of "taking it like a man" he needs to pressure the refs by flopping, shouting, or whatever. No need for and-1's. Make the no-call a non-possibility.
JR needs to learn to elbow down low, not in the face, and in general be more cool. Suspensions for starters are simply not worth it.
David needs to find the right moment for a T. Needs to draw the line for the guys, the refs, the crowd, and the media. When a guy injures your player on purpose and doesn't get ejected, or at least a T, and you don't "flip out" - you're sending the message that it's ok. And he saw it clearly.

What Perkins did to Crowder is how you win in the playoffs. You hit back harder.
Iman was extraordinary BTW. The game could've easily gone the other way if not for him.

Look, the NBA doesn't need to turn into more of a drama than it already is. Players shouldn't need to worry about having to sell calls. The refs should make the correct call - that's what they're paid for (supposidly).

 

[Douglar]

Another "no-call" from yesterdays game:

 

[Otsego Mar]

Fuckin' Chowderhead.....

 

[bob2the2nd]

can someone explain to me why at the end of the cavs game when Isaiah thomas hit both lebron and the ball while lebron was inbounding, why that wasnt reviewed?

 

[Otsego Mar]

can someone explain to me why at the end of the cavs game when Isaiah thomas hit both lebron and the ball while lebron was inbounding, why that wasnt reviewed?

Because it's the NBA refs - Nothin' But Ass.

 

[ThirdWorld]

can someone explain to me why at the end of the cavs game when Isaiah thomas hit both lebron and the ball while lebron was inbounding, why that wasnt reviewed?

Go check the replay and see if it's this guy who most of the time wont call any fouls committed on LeBron.

If it is, now you know he's the worst ref in the league and REMEMBER HIS FUCKING FACE AND EXPECT MORE NON CALLS IN FUTURE CAVS GAMES.

 

[Cratylus]

Go check the replay and see if it's this guy who most of the time wont call any fouls committed on LeBron.

If it is, now you know he's the worst ref in the league and REMEMBER HIS FUCKING FACE AND EXPECT MORE NON CALLS IN FUTURE CAVS GAMES.

 

[madalidog]

It seems to me that certain teams have a developed a reputation for being "Great Defensive Teams" (regardless if they truly deserve it). Teams like Chicago, Indiana, San Antonio, etc will ALWAYS get the benefit of questionable calls. ESPN and other sports outlets will laud certain teams of the defensive prowess and I think the refs hear this (as we all do) and will officiate a game differently for certain teams (intentional or not). Heck, I still hear how Chicago is such a great defensive team even though if you look at the stats from this past season it would show that they definitely took a step back and are at best a middle of the road defensive team. Teams like that will just "muddy" up a game and slow it down, making them appear to be playing defense.

Ticky-Tack fouls are the most frustrating. When a player doesn't even seem to touch the offensive player or the offensive player (Harden) just literally throws his body into the defender, are some of the most frustrating. A foul should only be called if the defender's play actually affected the play. I hate it when the refs will seem to wait to see if a player makes a shot before they make the call or the player will react (wait, I mean ACT) so demonstratively that they blow the whistle.

Don't get me wrong, I think being a ref would be VERY difficult! The speed of the game and the size of the players make it very hard to see everything. Does the NBA have any kind of grading system for the refs? If I am not mistaken some sports do, and this would be the only way to try to weed out the stiffs.

Ok, rant over.

 

[Huber.]

Every pro league has its downfall. In the NFL it's the commish being a communist supreme leader. In baseball it's the season lasting 2 months into the NFL season. In the NBA it's the officiating and the conspiring that comes with it.

 

[tsteele316]

just a few general vexations, which may be a hangover fueled rant of sorts, but nonetheless:

1. the subject of officiating will be in the spotlight for the rest of the playoffs, especially if love misses a considerable amount of time. this is the last thing the nba wants.

2. the second to last thing the nba wants is to have some scrub team from the east get to the finals and get their clocks cleaned by whoever emerges from the west, which is exactly what will happen if anyone that is not cleveland makes it to the finals.

3. if the nba is smart, they will give JR Smith a token one game suspension and say nothing more about it. the last thing the league wants is to levy a major suspension and call further examination into how poorly officiated that series really was. david stern was dogged mercilessly for the way he protected nba refs from any sort of scrutiny, much of which was deserved. the last thing adam silver wants or needs is to have the entire playoffs marred when people go back and look at that series, and how that officiating crew had zero control over what was going on, all by their own making.

 

[ssopata]

just a few general vexations, which may be a hangover fueled rant of sorts, but nonetheless:

1. the subject of officiating will be in the spotlight for the rest of the playoffs, especially if love misses a considerable amount of time. this is the last thing the nba wants.

2. the second to last thing the nba wants is to have some scrub team from the east get to the finals and get their clocks cleaned by whoever emerges from the west, which is exactly what will happen if anyone that is not cleveland makes it to the finals.

3. if the nba is smart, they will give JR Smith a token one game suspension and say nothing more about it. the last thing the league wants is to levy a major suspension and call further examination into how poorly officiated that series really was. david stern was dogged mercilessly for the way he protected nba refs from any sort of scrutiny, much of which was deserved. the last thing adam silver wants or needs is to have the entire playoffs marred when people go back and look at that series, and how that officiating crew had zero control over what was going on, all by their own making.

Rick Carlisle has also brought this to the forefront. The refs are not having a good post season thus far

 

[KI4MVP]

I didn't think they called this a foul, but apparently they did.​

they called a foul, but they didn't even bother to review it for a flagrant. That's why so many people didn't think they called a foul. I thought the same thing myself, and told the people watching with me they couldn't review it for flagrant because they didn't call a foul

 

[KI4MVP]

This series is the total opposite of Bulls Bucks. Last game they went to review literally every other call for signs of a cheap shot to keep the game under control. Gotta find a middle ground.

Had they done that yesterday it doesn't escalate to JR doing what he did. Boston's clear strategy was to get away with as much as they could, and the refs let them get away with a ton.