May 02, 2005

This story is really creepy. Why is it exactly that Coach Van Gundy is privy to the leagues officiating evaluations? Why is an official who is not working the Mavs/Rockets series feeding him info? I'm amused that: "... his complaints aren't with the officials, but with the way officials are asked to call games -- such as having certain points of emphasis." considering that all coaches make it a point during the post-season to try and get the officials to focus on "obvious calls/non-calls" within a given series. Whether it's the Mailman taking longer than 10 seconds to shoot a free throw, Shaq barrelling into the lane, or the Suns setting moving screens. I believe that the punishment fits the crime. Commisioner Stern may very well stomach the conspiracy theories about handing over the '85 draft to the Knicks, and etc. but apparently he draws the line at those who would postulate that the league's officiating isn't "on the level". Good for him. I'd hate for the league to suffer a crisis of perception and end up being viewed like "Professional Wrestling". In short(?): Stop it Jeff you're hurting the game!

posted by lilnemo at 08:49 PM on May 02, 2005

Then again, watching tonight's game, Van Gundy might have a legit beef: the officiating was HORRIBLE, culminating in two absolutely atrocious calls that literally changed the course of the game. 1) In the waning minutes, after a missed Mavs jumper, Jon Barry grabs a rebound under the basket. Michael Finley PLAINLY steps around players to the out of bounds region, so he can get right in under the basket. While still standing with one foot out of bounds, Finley slaps the ball out of Barry's hands; in the ensuing rush for the ball, Barry "fouls" Stackhouse, sending him to the basket. Instead of a clear Rocket's possession from the rebound, or the clear possession from the Mavs' slapping at the ball while being out of bounds, the officials miss this absolutely blatant call, resulting in a 94-97 game with Rockets' possession into a 94-99 game with Rockets' possession. 2) Shortly thereafter, with a 2 point difference, the Rockets need a stop, or a foul, to get the ball back with hopefully only a one possession difference in the score. The Rockets D is tight, and McGrady and Padgett get Finley (I believe) trapped in the lower right corner. They never actually touch Finley, but the "official" calls a foul!!! Sure, the *presumption* is that they would foul if the clock kept running, but a good trap might lead to Finley forcing a pass that gets stolen, etc. The point is, the "ref" called a foul that never happened, simply because he figured that's what the players were planning on doing- before the play had a chance to actually happen!!!! The critical thing here is, while he hit only 1 of 2 and left it as a tie-able game, a turnover there from the trap might lead to a fast-break and a 102-102 game with more time left- and obviously if it's a 2- point game, McGrady (even missing the first free throw) now has to only put the rebound back at the buzzer from a few feet out, and not scramble to the 3-point line for a much lower % shot. It was just an absolute robbery, a case of clear-cut blown calls. One of the worst officiating jobs I've ever seen! And don't get me started on that 3-pointer by Earl Boykins in the Nuggets/Spurs that got ruled a 2, when it was clearly a 3, in the last minute, that would have (all else being equal) meant a 103-102 Nuggets win in regulation, and a 2-2 series, instead of a 102-102 tie that goes into overtime. How do you blow a 3-point call like that?! Tonight on TNT I have seen some of the worst officiating I've ever seen- just horrendous ineptness, blindness, and outright insane calls.

posted by hincandenza at 03:02 AM on May 03, 2005

I didn't see the game, so I can't judge, but I would be siding with the Mavericks on account of homerism. However, I think that the moment a coach plays the bad-officiating card, he's given an edge to the opposing team. If you believe you have the better team, you should have faith that your players have the talent to overcome lousy calls.

posted by rcade at 07:33 AM on May 03, 2005

I'd hate for the league to suffer a crisis of perception and end up being viewed like "Professional Wrestling". is that sarcasm?

posted by garfield at 08:57 AM on May 03, 2005

Can I ask a stupid question? Under what authority does David Stern levy fines? Is it something signed by the labor union/CBA, that the Player's Union will ensure that all members agree to pay fines levied by the league, but that the PU will potentially fight the NBA on fines/discipline they think is unfair (such as in the Pacer's brouhaha last November)? Is there an upper limit there- could Stern levy a fine so large the person hit with it is actually bankrupted? And lastly, are coaches under their own CBA, with similar rules, or do they fall under the player's union somehow? I found it interesting that one ESPN story said that the Yao Ming could not legally pay even one dollar of Jeff van Gundy's salary. However, isn't it still a different can of worms for off the court conduct? Why is a coach fine-able if they're talking about the sport outside of the arena? I mean, at my job, they could fire me if they were unhappy, they could tell me I'm working for less than before or I can go find another job, but they couldn't take money out of my pocket that they'd already paid me. And if I made comments about my job or workplace, much less outside of work, and was fined or fired for it, I believe there are labor laws to explicitly protect against "retaliation" (IANALL, of course). Are there any legal eagles who can shed some light on this for poor, addle-brained Hal Incandenza?

posted by hincandenza at 10:02 AM on May 03, 2005

no one ever seems to punish the refs for lousy officiating. Phil Jackson got in trouble for it last year. Mark Cuban points it out all the time and gets smacked with heavy fines. I think the Ahole in this is David Stern. Who is he protecting? The games image? Most people can recognize lousy calls when they see them! I guess Sterns needs some THICKER goggles! I am sure the officials are rated, but wouldn't it be nice if they were actually graded so that the public knew what kind of refs were going to be calling a game? They rate hotels and restuarants and all sorts of things...why not refs? The refs with the best grades get to do the playoofs and the Finals go to the absolute BEST and Fairest crews. Right now, it is as tho the refs are GOD and can do as they wish. Almost like TOTALITARIAN REGIME!!! STERN HAS GOT TO GO!

posted by bluekarma at 11:01 AM on May 03, 2005

Phil Jackson played this card every year, right before he won a title. PTI pointed out last night Pat Riley and Phil Jackson made a living at this, but they did so with a wink-and-a-nod attitude toward it. Van Gundy, whatever his merits, doesn't have the panache to pull that off. Stick to coaching. As a kid I loved it when our coaches would finally lose it and yell at the refs about bad calls. Now that I'm older, I think I'd be freaked out by a coach who would waste one second complaining about something he cannot possibly change. It's worse than that: complaining probably makes things worse. Give Jeff a copy of the Serenity Prayer and tell him to get the ball to McGrady.

posted by yerfatma at 11:45 AM on May 03, 2005

defrag3x, because the NBA, like all pro sports leagues, is not a democracy in any way, freedom of speech only exists as far as the dictator at the top of the organization allows it. Stern isn't a coward, he's the CEO. And that hasn't changed in two decades.

posted by chicobangs at 02:01 PM on May 03, 2005

Hal Incandenza posted: 2) Shortly thereafter, with a 2 point difference, the Rockets need a stop, or a foul, to get the ball back with hopefully only a one possession difference in the score. The Rockets D is tight, and McGrady and Padgett get Finley (I believe) trapped in the lower right corner. They never actually touch Finley, but the "official" calls a foul!!! Sure, the *presumption* is that they would foul if the clock kept running, but a good trap might lead to Finley forcing a pass that gets stolen, etc. The point is, the "ref" called a foul that never happened, simply because he figured that's what the players were planning on doing- before the play had a chance to actually happen!!!! The critical thing here is, while he hit only 1 of 2 and left it as a tie-able game, a turnover there from the trap might lead to a fast-break and a 102-102 game with more time left- and obviously if it's a 2- point game, McGrady (even missing the first free throw) now has to only put the rebound back at the buzzer from a few feet out, and not scramble to the 3-point line for a much lower % shot. I'm probably missing something in the NBA rules, but didn't the ref calling the foul actually help the Rockets by giving them more time to stage a comeback. When this play occurred, there were like 17 second on the game clock and the shot clock was off. What would keep Finley from just holding on to the ball until time ran out if the Rockets did not foul? There would be no shot clock violation. I know the rules say a player cannot dribble the ball in the frontcourt from the free throw line forward with his back to the basket for more than 5 seconds. But the ref stops counting when the player stops dribbling. As long as Finley did not dribble, couldn't the time have just run out if the Rockets did not foul? Or is there some other rule that says a trapped player must do something with the ball?

posted by graymatters at 05:29 PM on May 03, 2005