Why don't we have more talk about the situation with the referees?

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Here is an excerpt from the article talking about the stated A.I. game:

If Donaghy was able to execute his plan, he did a better job concealing it than you could imagine. The Nuggets attempted 31 free throws to Utah’s 17, and Iverson went to the free-throw line more than anyone else in the game; he was 11 for 12. But there’s more, thanks to Synergy Sports Technology, which logs in-depth statistics, play outcomes and video clips of every NBA game.

In the game in question, Iverson drove to the basket 12 times. I watched every one of those plays. Iverson made two driving layups, missed four, lost the ball once and drew five fouls — three of which were called by Donaghy himself. He was called for two personal fouls and drew nine in the game.

Iverson was called twice for palming the ball, an infraction known as a discontinued dribble. One call was made by Zielinski and the other by Donaghy, who also whistled Utah’s Deron Williams for the same infraction with two minutes left in the game. At the time, cracking down on palming was a point of emphasis for the NBA’s officiating department, according to a source.

The Synergy video clips showed one play on which Iverson obviously was fouled and didn’t get the call. With 2:28 left in the third quarter, Iverson missed a driving layup in transition. Donaghy, the baseline official on the play, failed to call Mehmet Okur for hitting Iverson with his left arm. Donaghy did, however, call Okur for fouling Reggie Evans, who got the offensive rebound and missed both of his free throws.

there is a very fine line between a legitimate sport and professional wrestling. i know this may come as quite a shock to most readers of this blog including myself BUT PRO WRESTLING IS NOT REAL! sports in general a long time ago has blurred the line between true competition and entertainment. once the element of obscene money becomes part of the equation corruption in one form or another will always follow. john wooden once said the purest form of basketball played today is womens college basketball. some very talented players can dunk and shoot 3 pointers but cannot make a free throw. several years ago the t-wolves tried to make an under the table deal with joe smith. the university of memphis and derrick rose had the sat test scam. look at all the teams in the nba that trade away their best players, tank the season and try to position themselves for the draft or free agents. basketball is a great game. it is truly an equal opportunity proposition. i am not trying to make fun of handicapped people but you never hear of wheel chair football. name another sport that has a womens pro league on par with the wnba. there is no other sport that translates so well to so many different kinds of people all over the world. the nba ref scandal is only the tip of the iceberg.

And part of the reason that it is difficult to talk about is the hyperbole being tossed about. I think it is silly to think games are “fixed” and that referees can single-handedly help a team win or lose. They do play a part. A small part. And in close games with questionable calls down the stretch there is going to be scrutiny, especially if you are on the wrong end of a call. Ask a Dallas fan about the non-call of an intentional foul in the playoffs last year.

While I think the allegations deserve some serious scrutiny — more than the external investigation that the NBA already had — I don’t think that NBA basketball is anywhere close to pro wrestling in terms of irrelevance. Nor do I think this is as serious a scandal as points shaving.

It’s a big deal, yes. But not worth giving up on the most exciting spectator sport (after world cup soccer).

      but sometimes it feels like his legacy lives on in the NBA. The game of basketball has a quick pace and a continuous flow that makes it difficult for the refs to be completely accurate on every single call, many of us understand that fact. When you hear that certain refs have preferences for certain players and teams it seems like Donaghy was a scape goat for the rest of the NBA. The problem becomes worse when the schedule appears to favor certain big market teams while appearing to screw over some of the less favorable teams.

       I dont want to make any out right claims of corruption since the NBA is my favorite professional league but they need to find a way to amend bad calls. Every coach should have the ability to request a video review, but not in a way to impede the flow of the game. I also believe that referee’s should be held accountable for making bad calls whether by suspension or fine it should be made understood that the league will not tolerate favoritism from the game officials.

     On the flip side it is frustrating to watch players ask the officials for a call repeatedly during a game. Ideally the players should have no need to ever speak to an official during a game instead they should let the refs focus on the game and get back to playing. Overall its an issue with no clear or easy solution, maybe one day the NBA can make the game fair, but for now all we can do is support our favorite team no matter how poorly the officials call the game.

Hi All,

I had been working on a Donaghy piece but wanted to give the A.I. reunion lead coverage today. Anyway, now that we’ve crushed the 76ers my Donaghy column is up complete with solutions to the NBA’s referee problem. Please give it a read and let me know what you think!