If I had $500 in my pocket right now (which I don't) and I needed to get advice on who to bet that money on for an NBA Playoff game who would I go to?
Not the great RJ Bell at Pregame.com.
Not anyone on ESPN (some please shut down their NBA Shoot Around show ASAP).
Not Lee Cordova (it is best you don't know who he is or what he does).
I would go straight to:
Because it is pretty obvious that he and the rest of his merry men of referees already know who they want to win the game, so why not go straight to the source?
When former NBA ref Tim Donaghy got busted by Feds and it came out that he was involved in some shadiness I will be honest I wasn't surprised. NBA refs have more control over the outcome of a game than any other official in sports.
When Napoleon Stern declared after a thorough investigation (yeah right) that Donaghy was acting alone and it was an isolated incident I thought that was a bunch of foolishness.
If the answers to a test comes up messing in a college class of 100 students do you really believe only one student looked at the answers?
These are the same refs that got in trouble for downgrading their first class airline tickets to coach so they could pocket some extra cash, so you want me to believe that Donaghy was the only ref involved in shady activities?
If the NBA wanted to ease the fears of the general public this post season has been doing the exact opposite.
The only word I could use to describe the officiating is:
ATROCIOUS
I understand what is at stake. I understand the potential windfall of a Lakers vs. Cavs NBA Finals, but the lengths they are going through to make that happen is turning me into a Nuggets and Magic fan.
The Lakers vs. Nuggets series has been bad, but the Magic vs. Cavs series is on the level of the 2006 Heat vs. Mavericks NBA Finals which was the worst officiated series of all time.
As I twittered last night (http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline) I feel sorry for the Magic for having to play against:
The Entire Cavaliers Team
Lebron James who is playing at a beastly level
The NBA Refs
The fact they are up 2-1 (should be 3-0 if it wasn't for Lebron's crazy shot) is amazing if you think about it (if I hear that Kanye West song one more time Ron Artest and I are going to grab a table leg).
There were about ten loose balls that went out of bounds in last night game and nine was ruled to be the Cavs ball. The words "Charge" and "Lebron" don't seem to go in the same sentence together. Poor Dwight Howard is wondering where is the "Star System" for him since he seems to have two fouls before we can even comment on how bad Craig Sager's suit is.
Meanwhile everyone is scared to ask Napoleon Stern what he is going to do about it. Napoleon Stern is too busy trying to talk down to people and act like he is smarter than everybody (his interview with Leslie Salters during the NBA Draft Lottery was deplorable he should apologize to her).
We are watching some great athletes and some great games in these NBA Playoffs but isn't sad the only thing people wanted me to talk about today are the refs?
That isn't amazing
The "star system" in the NBA is out of control. But what is most appalling is the fact that everyone just accepts it. The coaches can't say anything b/c they will get fined. The reporters want to keep their access, so they don't say anything either; and the players acquiesce b/c they will get fined. The NBA product suffers b/c the meme that the games are fixed is allowed to continue b/c, well . . . it looks like the games are fixed when the league allows the stars "have earned the calls" system to go forward. They may get the calls, but no one has "earned" the right to break the rules.
Well luckily V I don't care about my access so I took SVG advice and wrote about it.
Because it is simply out of control the last two Magic/Cavs games have been hard to watch
I mean they're trying everything in their power to have Cleveland Win... I bet if the Lakers were having as tough of a time as Cleveland is having with Orlando .. they would probably do the same...
it's ridiculous... and it's funny how they're trying to get rid of another Superstar .(Dwight Howard) so that Lebron can win ..
The foul called on Howard after he cleanly blocked James' three-pointer from behind was pretty ridiculous...
I could not agree with you more. The refs have been like this for at least the past season (if you look back on the Celtics' season you can see). It is the most frustrating thing while watching- no one can question their calls without getting a T. If it is going to be like that they should actually make the RIGHT calls.
I totally agree, these refs have been awful. The 3 point attempt in the Cavs-Magic game when they called a foul on Dwight (to foul out) on a totally clean block was absolutely horrendous (to quote Bill Walton). In tonight's Lakers-Nuggs game they took it up another notch or down whichever way you want to look at it, technical foul after technical foul. I'm a Lakers fan but I admit the refs tried to give them many chances to win that game with technical fouls shots, just horrible. I just wish Napoleon Stern would wake up and change it. Get rid of all the old guys and get younger faster refs with better vision and better judgment.
How the refs tried to give the Lakers the game? Nuggets 49 free-throws; Lakers 35 free throws. And, for example, did you see Dohntay Jones' dirty plays against Kobe? Jones didn't even get whistled for a foul.
Anyways, it's true the officiating has been bad in the playoffs. Players keep getting faster and stronger, which makes the game tougher and tougher to officiate. So, how about a coaches challenge or something like that? In this way coaches can ask refs to review controversial plays.
Let's admit it. Refs, unlike us, don't have slow-motion from different camera angles, so it's not that surprising we see so many bad calls. They have to take decisions in a split second. So isn't it time to give them as much help as possible by allowing them to use instant replay (and not just when there's a buzzer-beater)? Or how about adding a 4th ref?
I know where I stand now as a star, and that's far behind LeBron. I knew it was over when Nike didn't make a puppet out of me. We'll see whose laughing after I knock the Cavs out of the playoffs
littal, i'll make it easy on who to bet on:cavs all the way!!+!!!
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