The referees in the playoffs have been bad. And everyone all over the country has complained about it. Usually the losing team coach, players and fans are the loudest. A lot of it is the whole confusion about what is a flagrant 1 or flagrant 2 that is confusing from the NBA. And the fact that there are playoff games with road teams that aren't aggressive (the Lakers) shooting 45+ free throws should be an embarrassment to the league. And the refs missing the flopping (Anderson Varejao) in the league has become such a problem that they had to come up with a penalty for flopping. But I'm taking the refs off the hook a little bit and putting a lot of the blame on the players.
Watch an NBA game and see if any player ever admits to committing a foul. Seriously, I don't think I ever recall a player ever accepting a call against them. And it's not small complaints it is always the most dramatic and demonstrative reaction possible. We always kill Rasheed Wallace for his reactions, but he's just like everyone else in the league. Every call has to be argued with a referee. And most times a player takes a shot they flail their arms or scream out loud as if they've been shot. And don't even get me started on the flopping done on the charge/block call. I know when I watch a game that sometimes I'm influenced by the reactions of the players. And a lot of times it takes the replay to figure out exactly what has happened. Howmany times do you watch the block/charge call and your not sure which way it should go?
After each foul we have to watch as the player whistled goes up to the ref and pleads his case. I often wonder when these pros play in the summer what they do without refs. In the summer you know you ain't getting those calls and you learn to play through any questionable fouls. If the NBA players cried on the playground like they do in the NBA, no one would ever pick them on their team. Everyone hates that guy that feels he is fouled every play and slows the flow of the game. It is similar to the Boy who cried Wolf theory. If you complain after every call against you even the obvious ones, how does the ref take you serious when you have a legitimate complaint.
The constant complaing by the players also adds legitimacy to the fans complaining. An unknown Nuggets player after game 5 said the Lakers basically paid $50000 for the win. So now the conspiracy theory fans who believe their team is getting cheated have been validated by the teams themselves. So now every call that a fan thinks is questionable just reinforces their thoughts that their team is getting cheated. I've never heard a coach come out after he talked a ref into a make-up call and say that was a great call I manipulated the ref into making. After every game the losing coach complains in some fashion about the refs. And seriously do we think a $25,000 fine is going to deter Phil Jackson from talking? So the players and coaches help to create an environment where everyone thinks the refs are cheating Superstars like Kobe and Lebron always have and always will get calls. But their teams do lose games, so does that mean when their teams lost those games the ref weren't cheating? The refs made some bad calls against the Nuggets in game 5 for sure, but what lost them that game was too many jump shots in the 4th quarter. That's not the refs fault.
The NBA needs to put an end to all of the BITCHING and COMPLAINING. Next preseason tell the players stop whining. The coach and the captain can speak to the refs that's it. It won't take the players long to adjust. After a couple of them get tossed in the preseason they will learn quickly. And if your the 8th-9th man on a team and you complain I would suspend you a game or 2. It takes away my enjoyment watching the game when I know after every call there is going to be a face made and a complaint. That is what fans should be doing not the players. And if the refs still SUCK, then I got another post to write around this time next year....
Written By Kali
Also, look at the major players like Lebron, Kobe, and Melo drawing fouls every time they get breathed on instead of every time they actually draw contact. This can absolutely change the outcome of the game, considering these players are taking upwards of 15-20 free throw attempts a game. This is an unfair advantage compared to other players like Shannon Brown, Mo Williams, and Chaunchy Billups get hammered on the way to the hole. It's a different story depending on your star status on if you get a foul or not. The league should also take a look at this controversey. But I agree that the flopping and the complaining is ridiculous especially this playoffs, and your website is hilarious :)