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I feel the NBA has the best climate in the last decade, but the whole bad officiating discussion is ruining it
I agree, its consistency. The fact that we know so many refs by first and last name is a problem. The fact that between certain crews on certain nights the disparity on what is allowed vs not allowed is a problem. There is absolutely no consistency not even in the same game at times.
Legal betting has cast a dark cloud, specifically over the NBA which has arguably the most subjective officiating. It’s so easy for refs to manipulate a game in the NBA with questionable, subjective calls. Throw in the gambling apps and it’s a real recipe for disaster. The NBA in particular has a real problem on its hands that strikes at the integrity of the game
It's not just the NBA. Video review has had some negative consequences in all sports that people don't like to acknowledge:
- It's increased the unrealistic expectation of perfection from officials: this has had a trickle-down effect all the way through the youngest youth sports. Officials are not worse than they used to be: they're more scrutinized.
- It's a detriment to the live entertainment value of the games. This is especially apparent in soccer, where after most goals, celebration is tempered by the fear/expectation that there was a potential offside decision in the build-up that will need further evaluation... major buzzkill.
I agree, I hate replay in every sport for this exact second reason. Live or on tv it kills the experience. The end NBA games which were FT fests to begin with have become even longer more drawn out.
Lol Lebron and curry played in the finals just 6 years ago
In my view the problem is that the NBA has been far too reactionary in response to bad calls. Rather than admit that as humans refs will make mistakes they pretend that somehow they are sacrosanct. Then they (whether intentionally or not) call the next game with a slight bent towards that criticism.
Your refs are not perfect accept that and accept that they will make mistakes. This bullshit just makes games feel so much more rigged.
It’s almost like they could improve things… especially in the playoffs.
Why isn’t there a 4th ref on the floor for Playoff games?
Why isn’t there a “replay ref” at the scorer’s desk (or elsewhere in the building) whose only job is to work with the replay center to ensure things don’t get missed. Instead of stopping the game to try to figure out what happened and having the crew huddle up before watching tv for 5 minutes, just let one guy and the replay center handle it all. If there’s a questionable call, they turn on a yellow light which tells that floor crew to hold up the game. Teams are not allowed to huddle at their benches, and then a green light signals that the call was correct and play resumes. A red light means that the floor crew missed it and the call is to be changed.p (might require a brief verbal consultation to work out the details.
That”s the replay system they need. Every clearly objective call, constantly under review. Ref apologists want to talk about how hard it is to keep up with these athletes and see all the little things.., so use the damn cameras that cover it all. If you have a dedicated official for it, it doesn’t slow the game down nearly as much.
Coaches wouldn’t have to play the game theory of whether or not to challenge a call because there might be a worse call on the next possession, and it’s not tied to timeouts anymore.
Though the coach challenge s could be retained for more judgment call type stuff that they want to ensure gets a fair review.
Let me guess, knick fan?
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24d
This post is complaining about people complaining about the refs.
Complainception
He deleted it before I could reply lol but this is exactly what I meant
Guarantee you're a Knicks fan. Real easy to say this when the obvious referee bias is in favor of your team.
Philly fans complaining about officiating is hilarious
Why do Philly fans never mention Maxey's travel on the four point play? We were technically robbed of that game
Embiid was allowed to stay in Game 3 because of the name on his jersey. Get out of here with that
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24d
When I grade my own papers 95% of my answers are right too
Some of my friends have become like a broken record. “I feel bad for Indiana” “Refs ruined their playoff.” “I’m starting to realize Knicks fans are annoying.” And I can’t really blame them.
There is a discussion about bad officiating because there is some very bad officiating out there. Bad calls are and will always be a part of the game, as well as varying criteria depending on the ref, situation etc., and even lack of consistency is understandable if it all roughly evens out on a big scale. But what is killing the game is skew, some players and teams being allowed to do what others aren't more often to the point that it affects the outcome. Tolerating Harden's five steps or jumping on a defender to draw a foul (still happens even after the rule change), Embiid's 20+ free throw attempts per game or general tipping the scales in favor of the Lakers more often than not are some of the well known examples. I haven't seen the Knicks - Pacers games so I don't know if Carlisle's complaints have substance (I wouldn't be surprised if they do), but a similar example is the Denver-Minnesota series. Everyone's talking about otherworldly Wolves defense, but they commit several fouls per possession per "normal" standards, even play-off ones. Another team or a team in different circumstances would simply be not allowed to play like that and would be fouled out by the halftime. It's this conscious choice of the referees that drives the outcome and that's terrible.
The official reviews help only to correct honest mistakes or the things that referees don't see initially, but they don't solve this criteria bias because it's the same people with the same bias who come to the screen and who make the decisions. Why would you expect a different outcome? That's why you see ridiculous justifications for ridiculous calls like "insufficient contact" - yes, that happens when you are just looking for an excuse to what you already set your mind on. That all being said, I don't mind the reviews at all. Stopping the flow of the game to correct honest mistakes is a small price to pay, and hearing the bullshit excuses and putting the referees' bias clearly in the public for anyone to see is, well, priceless.
Because the fans have decided FTs are morally bad and unfortunately this narrative has made the average fan way less knowledgeable.
They think refs hand out calls to whoever their favorites are with no actual bearing on what is happening on the floor.
No, fans are fine with free throws. Fans are tired of players hunting fouls for the sole purpose of getting to the line. As a 76'ers fan you might be tired of hearing opposing fanbases complain about Embiid's free throws, but the rest of the league is tired of seeing a 7 foot tall, 300 pound beast of a man flop around like one of those gas station inflatable sticks.
Players have hunted fouls since the invention of basketball
no fans are NOT fine with free throws (unless it benefits their team)
hense every comment when the free throw total isnt exactly 1:1
A lot of fans (most?) also just straight up don't know the rules
And this perspective is perpetuated by the media and the talking heads, who collectively believe this is the only way refs hand out fouls.
Yeah I was just about to make a post similar to this,, is the officiating ruining the value of the game? esp in the playoffs? Its so obvious when they want to rig a game but man I just want a fair game called.. its just basketball
The NBA definitely has a consistency issue. Things can swing wildly between quarters within the same game. That's a legit problem that needs to be addressed. And different crews absolutely call things differently than other crews. You want better basketball, these things do need to be addressed. And I think these are criticisms we can all agree on even if some think small guards can act like they've been shot in the head from the smallest contact and it not be flopping.