While NBA referees don’t have the monopoly on bad calls, they certainly seem to have Boardwalk and Park Place…with hotels on them!!!
Athletes and coaches believe in certain universal truths. For your approval, a new truth regarding NBA referees.
Now, normally, these truths are expressed in soundbites that feel generic when they are uttered. “Take it one game at a time.” “Only worry about what you can control.” “Defense wins championships.”
Well, submitted for the consideration of the sports-watching public, here is a new universal truth about sports:
NBA refs suck!!!
To be fair, the National Basketball Association is not the only league struggling with the affliction of awful officiating.
All we need to do is go back to the National Football League’s NFC Championship Game played in 2019. I’m sure Saints fans remember:
Heck, it certainly isn’t limited to the professional ranks, either. For example, college basketball, in particular the SEC, has dealt with its share of awful officiating. If you are unfamiliar with Bump-gate between Tennessee Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Barnes and SEC ref Mike Nance, it highlights the absurdity that has been the quality of officiating during this basketball season.
The job of a professional officiant is not easy. It feels as if current NBA referees make the job look more difficult than it has ever been.
First, there was the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. Remember back to early December, when the Rockets lost in double overtime to the Spurs after officials missed a dunk by James Harden?
The Rockets protested. The NBA ignored it, hoping fans would move on and this would be less than a footnote in the 2019-2020 season.
Th problem is, the refs continue to suck! Consequently, the NBA has a major issues on its hands.
The suck-age culminated with a game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.
In a hotly contested, back and forth matchup that came down to the wire, Portland’s Damian Lillard drove to the basket for a game-tying layup with under 15 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Rudy Gobert went up to contest the shot, CLEARLY committing goaltending on the block attempt.
Judge for yourself:
After the debacle, the NBA admitted to blowing the call!
And, when it is all said and done, it is likely that:
- Lillard and his Portland teammates and coaches are going to get fined for their reactions postgame.
- The Trailblazers are just going to have to swallow the “L”.
- The refs will have no overt consequences for their incompetence.
What is the answer…because there is no question; the refs suck- BAD!!!
Problem identifiers are a dime a dozen. Problem SOLVERS, though, have value. The NBA has a problem with officials missing crucial calls in big moments of games.
However, the solution, simple:
Expand replay.
There is no reason that both the call that went against the Rockets with James Harden’s dunk as well as the goaltending of Lillard’s shot could not be reviewed.
Why isn’t there someone in the NBA offices looking at plays like those and alerting officials that the calls were missed?
Fans watching on television and in the arena can see the missed call seconds after the play has concluded. Therefore, if the NBA can quickly procure and review video replays then you can help the referees by removing the on court officials from the process.
If the league is worried about this being too expansive a power for replay, start by limiting this function to scoring plays in the fourth quarter. Once the league masters the mechanics, they can consider expansion beyond these scenarios.
My wife recently went to see her nephew play in a youth league basketball game in her hometown. The first thing she said to me about the game when she got home was, “Man, those refs sucked!”
It is a sad state of affairs for officials that I could reasonably respond, “You think those were bad, you should see the NBA guys!”
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