NBA Officials Muck It Up

If you've watched the NBA playoffs this year or any of the last three years for that matter, you will hopefully agree with me when I say the officiating is horrible. Whether it stems from pure and simple incompetence or the vague rules of the NBA that frequently rely on judgement calls, there is no doubt that poor officiating and inconsistent enforcement of the rules have impacted the outcomes of games during this current installment of the NBA playoffs.


From the non-call at the end of game 4 in the Spurs vs Lakers series to several poor calls in the Celtics vs Pistons series and what I can only assume were many others in games I didn't see, officials are deciding outcomes of games. They may not completely override the players abilities and talents, but they have nudged results one way or another. A major part of the problem is inconsistencies in how the game is called by the officials in the same game. What is a foul on one end of the court is simply hard nose defense on the other.

The second major problem is that a majority of the calls are judgement calls. There is a certain amount of uncertainty in how the call will be made from one official to the next. Charging, moving screens, goal tending, flagrant fouls, it is all discretionary. It's at the discretion and the judgement of the referee. Like no other sport, the officials can influence the outcome of the games.

Don't get me started on personal bias either. Superstar players get preferential calls and non-calls while hardworking second tier players don't catch any breaks. Additionally, players like Rasheed Wallace, love him or hate him, get a reputation and then officials are quick on the technical whistle because of it, whether the particular incident is worthy of a T or not. From Jordan to Kobe to Lebron star players are pampered and given white glove preferences.

This week the NBA came out and admitted that the end of game 4 of the Spurs and Lakers game was officiated poorly and the call that could have sent the game into over time was blown. What did they do to rectify the situation, nothing. They issued an apology. Additionally, the NBA came out and said they are going to start fining and penalizing players who flop. Their is a certain subset of players who could win academy awards and Oscars for their performances and the stunt work they do in flopping and flailing to the floor. This is another area where poor officiating has allowed blatant cheaters and actors to influence the outcome of contests by taking "fouls" that were non-existent at best.

Until the NBA can get it's officials to call the game consistently and enforce the rules across the board, the game and most importantly the fans will continue to suffer.