Probably could have made this thread a couple weeks ago. ----- That ASG meeting can't come soon enough.
it's pretty embarrassing what's going on right now. I wonder what the root cause is. So many good refs have retired?
nba made its bed. at some point, over a decade ago, they decided to stop asking that officials simply call the game by the rules. now refs are pulled in all directions, imo. add to it that they've generally resisted transparency in their management on that side, and you've got a fiasco.
It’s consistently the worst refereeing I’ve seen as a whole that I can remember. Techs for the silliest of things, constant ticky-tack calls, fouls for players running full speed into set defenders and falling down (Harden), fouls for players accidentally tripping on other players feet, fouls for players jumping INTO defenders in the air (which was supposed to be changed or fixed before). And now they’ve gotten rid of continuation fouls, or more accurately made them up to the ref’s discretion which is a mess. Star players are calling out refs more than ever, they’re pointing out long time refs like Scott Foster who they believe hold personal grudges against them and think they are they are bigger than the game and untouchable. I agree too, Foster sucks, refs shouldn’t have egos or hold grudges. A few of these refs I think are probably pretty new I don’t recognize are awful too, like that really short one from a Laker game a week or so ago. I understand the nba wants a more free moving game, but not allowing defenders to touch a player in certain situations is ridiculous, and it’s led to a monstrosity like Harden, and that toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube. The nba also said they were going to crack down on flopping and fine players for it, but I have seen no improvement, refs fall for things so obvious I wonder how they even got the job.
Oh I should also throw in, to be fair, that the players are more entitled now than ever before. Every little touch they want a foul. They come up watching Chris Paul, Harden and these guys flopping and flailing and getting rewarded for it, and they think they deserve it too. Freakin millennials. Combine horrible refereeing and whiny, entitled players and this is what you get. I’d love to see a lot of these guys play in the 80’s and 90’s vs some of those teams with basically football players on them to see what a real foul is and what physical ball is.
You mention ticky-tack calls... What I particularly don't like about is (especially in local basketball where officiating has been absolutely horrendous in all levels--collegiate, amateur, and professional alike the past 3 decades), that it is the best way of making any game "excitingly" close to boost popularity and ratings. My collegiate team was up 25 during halftime of a championship game years ago and I remember being confident that the lead is enough to win the damn game, but oh I was so wrong. The announcers were praising the team of their good defense which led to the huge lead during the break, and what do the f'n refs do? They call 3 ticky-tack fouls on my team in the first minute of the 3rd quarter which ruined their defense for the rest of the game. The opponents gradually ate the lead up and won the championship.
The refs have too much power in this game and really theres no quick fix to the whole mess. Reffing is at an all time worse right now (as far as I can remember) and it doesn't help with players constantly whining about every call/no-call. Someone will always be mad whichever way you make a call but at least make the right one, the one that comes from the rule book.
its a lil bit everybody at fault, a lot of the veteran refs have retired, the new refs need to go back to school and take communication courses, and the players as somebody has mentioned above are becoming more entitled thanks to the treatment chris paul and harden get on a nightly basis. Its becoming a Spoiled Brat League if it hasn't already become one.
Unfortunately, just like the Bible and the law, the human factor screws it all up as far as interpreting what is in the rule book is concerned. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY should accept and be bound to a single truth/interpretation of the rules.
this is part of what i meant by "they made their bed". they created an entirely new style of play through bad officiating. kids think harden's antics are cool and part of his "game" as opposed to a shameful ploy. but if officials stop giving harden those calls (you can't tell me they haven't seen the film and had teams point out the rules violations ad nauseum), they're admitting they were screwing up in the first place. i've seen stuff like this outside of basketball, and it gets ugly. it's gotten there for the nba.
IMO should also apply to non-calls: - Alonzo Mourning taking steps under the basket (what Phil Jackson coined as the) "Georgetown Gallop"; - LeBron's "Crab Dribble"; - I.T. momentarily lifting the ball so he can quickly change direction; - Illegal screens, which seem to be commonplace these days; - Kawhi, et. al., changing pivot foot: Etc. etc.
Yes. Someone was either really lazy and assumed there was a foul because they were out of position, or they need to go back to ref school. That was a terrible call.
I watched the game a bit last nite and there was literally 2 trips in a row the Lakers had a 3 point opportunity. So i guess continuation doesnt exist in the new generation referee handbook
