I dont know what that *** Stern told his goons this season, but this is the most ridiculous season of officiating I have ever seen. Every single ticky tack foul is being called to the point where it is making the games unwatchable. They are not letting the players play basketball. And the worst is the new rule where if a player even shrugs his shoulders after a foul to say "What did I do", they are called for a technical. I say Stern needs to be smacked in the teeth with a brick.
Officials have done a good job this year, IMO. The new ruling on technicals has worked great. Much less whining than in years past.
Agreed. This isn't the sport I fell in love with in the early 90's. A lot of games are just simply unbearable to watch when the officiating is controlling the flow of the game. Yesterday's Rockets/Sacramento game was good because they weren't giving the game away on petty trash calls but the league has been trying to develop super stars by padding stats for too long now. I'm basically entirely disinterested in watching games the Rockets don't play in because I think the association is so manufactured. NBA aint too much better than WWE. The NFL is where its at.
I have witnessed a decline in complaining, which has been pleasant and sometimes funny. I remember a bs foul on Lowry where he didn't gesticulate or move at all, but you could see the disbelief in his eyes.
The officials in last night's game were the best I've seen in a long, long time. They weren't calling any touch fouls, and they didn't even flinch when players were flopping, including the usual falls from Kevin Martin and Lowry. Physical, up and down game. Great referees... anybody know the names of those guys? One was a former player, a lanky black dude...?
i just don't like the inconsistency. at one moment they are letting them play and the next they are calling tick-tack fouls. if you're going to let them play then let them play the WHOLE game.
the new technical rule is just another way for stern to manipulate the outcomes of playoff games, and extend series to make more money.
In addition to the complaining they've CLEARLY also gone after players that excessively try to draw charges, legitimate or not. Of the Rockets I've seen this year that normally draw charges, only Battier and Lowry seem capable of getting calls nowadays. Hayes and Martin in particular cannot buy a charge no matter how legitimate their case is. This could be both a good and a bad thing. Bad thing obviously because the Rockets love drawing charges, but good in that the NBA has sort of wiped under the rug an even bigger officiating change than the one giving out techs for whining--they've basically asked teams to go back and play "real" defense, the one you know where you try to block the ball. Morey and co. have to adapt, but when they do I think it'll be for the best for the Rockets because it means we'll have more athletic players like Jordan Hill and Terrence Williams getting significant playing time. It's time for these Rockets to stop being undersized and underrated. Let's get properly sized and properly rated!
I don't think the whining has ever ruined my viewing experience. Kobe is still able to run to the refs and yell at them after every non-call, so why can't the rest of the league? In my opinion, the emotional tech rule along with the reviewable clear-path foul rule is too inconsistent. It is just another way for the NBA to rig the games and turn this into pro wrestling.
The technical BS was horrible early on, but it looks like they found a good point where they still account for a little bit of the "heat of the moment" to play out.
stern wants the players to robots and he's trying to take all the emotion out of the game. imagine if in football, players weren't allowed to shove each other after the play. imagine if in baseball, coaches weren't allowed to rant their heads off at the officials. it'd be boring as hell, like watching a bunch of blank slates. this rule is one of the worst rules I have ever seen and can ruin this sport. seriously. you take the passion out of the game and you are killing the spirit of the player.
You mean the one where Yao used to stand inside, get punked by the out of control offensive player, and get called a foul?
Whenever the Mavericks win, we should all think "WELCOME TO NAZI GERMANY, LEBRON" or whoever they beat. Actually that's tasteless and you should all be ashamed. Stop thinking this.
