Refs

[joshrblabber]

Not to pull a Trumpism (The game is rigged!), I think the refs are a worthy topic of discussion.

My assumption is not that refs are "dirty", although a few might be. I think they are very good at their job, and their job is to promote the league. Money rules, this is reality TV as opposed to a sporting event. I think they get direction from league marketing and they try to follow it as best they can. Most of it is "call this, don't call that", which changes every year, but there are other (maybe unwritten) directives like "promote superstars, give them a 10%-20% edge on 50-50 calls." This is a Stern legacy, we all remember Jordan Rules.

Refs are also human and they don't like people that give them a hard time. This may be one reason that IT doesn't get a lot of calls. A good coach/team manages the refs carefully.

I have watched 2 Cavs games and I am convinced that they are getting +20% on 50-50 calls. I wonder if anyone is trying to collect data on this. Does GS get a similar edge?

I thought the Bulls got at least +10% the other night, maybe more. Home opener, new team, help build local support? I don't buy "home cooking" unless it is a league policy, the refs are never at home.

What is new this year on the calls? Aside from stepping out of bounds in the corner I haven't noticed much.

[jrmzt]

I do believe in superstar calls but I don't know about the rest. The whole thing about superstar calls is that its bad business if a superstar for a team, no matter which team, has to sit early in the game with 2 fouls in the 1st quarter or 4 before the half which severely reduces audience interest. So it is good TV if the best players are slugging it out on the court the same way the NFL protects the "skill" positions like WRs or QBs simply because they get the most media and fan attention. Noone would bother watching the Saints if Brees was out for the year.

Thats just my take.

[DERRENMATTS]

I do think there is such a thing as preferencial treatment. I think the refs (and the NBA) do try to influence a game a certain way. But ultimately, its the players who will determine the game -- but the refs came make the game a lot closer (or farther), depending on what they're trying to do (cover the point spread or not).

[joshrblabber]

As much as I detest it, preferential treatment of Superstars in our culture is a given, and it's not just basketball. Wade, LBJ and Trump are all good examples - these guys can get away with anything. We just have to deal with it.

But more insidious is the refs influence on certain games, and by influence I mean the percentage of 50-50 calls that go one way. Do home teams automatically get +10%? How do you explain games where the foul shots are 40 to 5? Does the defending championship get a +20% every night? Do certain players and/or teams go in and out of the league dog house? Do particular refs have specific bias? There must be scouting reports on refs. Has anybody seen them?

[FLCeltsFan]

I have been watching refs and taking notes on them and how they affect Celtics games as I have done Official Reports for the Game previews. It does seem as though the Cavs get preferential treatment, at least the times I have watched them. LeBron commits at least 3 or 4 offensive fouls per game that aren't called. Also he travels a lot that isn't called. I followed the Thunder when Perk was traded and they got away with a lot also... There again, it's the superstar thing and the players who play with them also get some calls.

I don't know if you read Tim Donaghy's book but he told stories about how they would make bets with each other about who could go the longest without calling a foul or how many technicals they could give, etc. He said that they do have their pet peeves and players, teams and coaches they don't like.

There are times when refs do seem to call a game one sided. There are other times when you don't even notice them because they make the right calls and aren't whistle happy. I think it depends on the ref, the team and the game.

Also home court does figure into some wins because at times the refs will be influenced by the home crowd's cheers and jeers and sometimes the crowd can influence the refs either consciously or subconsciously.  

[Roadrunner]

When BOS had a historic 5-year run, Pierce-KG-Allen (well sans the last 2-years w/ Allen), I knew all the refs by name.