Do you know how dumb you guys sound? Refs hate us We lost because of the refs We won because the refs finally called it fairly Every single bad call is against us Every single call against our opponents is legit Same story every game, just blame every failure in your lives on the refs while you're at it.
In my sport I've been a player, coach and ref. I tell my players to expect bad calls. The refs are human and make mistakes and have biases like the rest of us. What you can't do is let the refs decide the game. You have to play hard and decisively enough to minimize the role of the refs. As fans it is OK and expected that we complain about the refereeing but as players once they start to believe that the game is rigged that is toxic. How often have we seen a player complaining to a ref that a foul wasn't called on their shot while the other team drives down to the other end to score on a squad that is essentially one man down. Refereeing, bad refereeing, is part of the game and a part that players can't control. The more they let that get into their heads the harder it is to win.
There's zero doubt in my mind the NBA will do anything for that Clippers vs. Warriors series as evidenced by the referees. We might play so well that we still win, there's only so much we can do, but I wouldn't be surprised with a Dwight double-technical ejection leading to him missing the WCF 1st game if we make it, some phantom fouls late in the 4th and plenty of non-calls for us on offense and touch fouls defensively.
I can definitely confirm that before Game 7, I had privvy knowledge that Adam Silver told the refs to fix this game so that the Rockets could win. They didn't realize I was there when they met in secret, but I was right there. Hidden in plain sight. They didn't see me.
and we get the phantom call on JJ Reddick that we would have FREAKED about if it was called against us
That phantom call wasn't even a phantom call. Touching a shooter on the arm is a foul. It was, however, an incredibly weak foul that probably shouldn't have been called. Either way the Rockets were utterly dominant throughout the game (Clippers never lead) and it's a firm and reasonable expectation that the Rockets would have still won that game regardless of a so-called phantom foul.
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