NBA refereeing is becoming a problem; Sunday’s 143-142 overtime victory over Sacramento served as a prime example of this.
The coach of the Kings, Mike Brown, was removed in the fourth quarter for protesting calls. He was one of the few head coaches who felt empowered to speak out against the officiating after it happened, and he had strong opinions about what he considered to be uneven officiating.
Following Sacramento’s defeat, Brown displayed recordings from his laptop that he described as “inconsistent officiating” at a press conference.
“The referees are humans, and they’re going to make errors, but you just hope that there’s some sort of consistency and some sort of interaction between the refs,” said the official. “I had constant communication with the referees tonight; they were excellent. But you guys saw it there, as far as consistency goes. I felt that tonight’s consistency was lacking.”
On January 9, following the Toronto Raptors’ 132-131 defeat by the Los Angeles Lakers, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković criticized the officials of the game.
“The officiating tonight is just ridiculous,” he declared, describing it as “outrageous.”
“It’s unfortunate. Disgrace to the umpires. It’s a disgrace that the league permitted this. They get twenty-three free throws, while we get two in the fourth quarter. “Rajaković was fined $25,000 by the NBA for insulting the officials in public.”
On November 6, following a 108-107 loss to the Miami Heat, head coach Darvin Ham of the Lakers voiced his displeasure with the officiating.
According to ESPN’s David McMenamin, Ham stated, “I’ve been around a long time.” All we want is harmony and regularity. That concludes it.
The Golden State Warriors were defeated 120-114 by the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in a game played on Christmas Day. But on possession after possession, two-time MVP Nikola Jokić stumbled and flailed his way to the free-throw line, ruining the game. He made a career-best 18 of 18 from the free throw line.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stated, “I have a problem with how we are legislating the defense out of the game.” “Players can now bullsh*t their way to the foul line.”I wouldn’t have wanted to see the second half of that game if I were a fan. It was repulsive.”
Taylor Jenkins, the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, chastised referees earlier this season following the team’s 133-109 defeat to the Utah Jazz on November 1. During the game, the Jazz attempted 29 free throws to Memphis’ 13 attempts.
“That was one of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen,” he commented. “… [explicit] atrocious.” Jenkins was fined $25,000 by the NBA for insulting the officials.
There are numerous instances this season that point to an expanding issue in the league. The integrity of the game is being impacted, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver needs to take action.
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