The NBA Refs Make the NBA More Like Pro Wrestling Than Sport

Don't get me wrong, basketball is my favorite sport, but enough is enough with these refs. Are you kidding me? These NBA Finals are almost torture to watch because of all the blown calls. In fact I am done watching these playoffs because it is so bad. I don't know if the fix is in or it is just incompetence, but this is horrible. If Joey Crawford is the best the NBA has to offer, then I think it is time to get some new refs. College basketball never calls games this horribly.

The no call of Lebron on Durant in Game 2 was horrible. Almost as bad was last night when Lebron cleared with his elbow three times and a foul was called...on Harden. WHAT????

Why do I dislike Joey Crawford so much? I think the better question is why do we know a refs name? You only know the bad ones? Crawford has had some absolutely terrible calls throughout the years, here are some of his worst. These aren't just bad calls, these are horrible errors.

Joey Crawford is so bad, there is a petition online to get him banned from being an NBA ref. Sign it here.

During the Tim Donaghy scandal, Donaghy said that he would tell bookies which team to bet on based on the refs assigned to that team one of them was Joey Crawford against the Spurs. That is just crazy right, well watch these two instances.

The 1st one was Brent Barry and while it was not the worst call ever, I cannot believe that officials at the highest level would miss it, how do you miss that call? Barry was clearly fouled by Fisher. Then there is the Duncan video below that where Tim Duncan was ejected while he was on the bench. He was on the bench. Come on! There was absolutely no reason for Crawford to make those calls.

Next up, is a "foul" where Joey Crawford said Marcus Camby was choking Steve Nash. Why don't you look at where Nash was and look at where Camby was. No way Nash was getting choked.

That foul was bad, but have you ever seen a referee take out a player and then call a foul to cover up his error? Well, if not, you will in a second.

Then there is the Perkins technical when Perkins did nothing wrong other than go straight up. It should have been a foul on Jones.

Then there is the Kenyon Martin ejection for a normal foul. What is wrong with Crawford?

If the NBA wants to eliminate conspiracy theorists, the 1st step has to be the removal of Joey Crawford from NBA games. Having him do the most important series of the year does not help. Especially, given the fact that he is the head ref. There are many more instances of Crawford abuse throughout the years, the guy has to go.

-Noland

Why the Spurs Title Window is NOT Shut

Recently, the Spurs looked like an unstoppable machine. They hadn't lost a game in 50 days and started 10-0 in the playoffs. Then the Thunder came in, hungry and ready to win. Oklahoma City was younger and more athletic and they played like the best team in the NBA and won 4 straight games to win the series. After the series the inevitable questions about whether the Spurs run had ended started creeping up again, just like any other time the Spurs get knocked out. The simple answer to that question is no.

First off, the officiating was beyond terrible. I am not one to try to get into this too much, but Joey Crawford SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED to ref Spurs games. Perhaps he should not be allowed to ref any game. The first thought in the mind of any Spurs fan when they see Joey Crawford reffing the game is, why is this turkey reffing our game. Crawford is the guy who gave Duncan the double technical from the bench. He is also the guy who Tim Donaghy (the guy who fixed games) talked about with his bookies. Donaghy told the bookies to pick against the Spurs when Crawford was the ref. You can look it up. It is horrible that Crawford can referee the pivotal Western Conference Final matchup. I don't think it had a large impact on the outcome, but it had an impact. It is also clear that the NBA is doing everything it can to get the Heat and Thunder in the NBA Finals. Just despicable. Here is Duncan and Popovich talking about the loss.

Anyways, back to the Spurs. It wasn't all about the officials, the Spurs looked bad in at least two games this series. However, they aren't done. How can you suggest a team that won 20 straight games and 10 in the playoffs is done? These sports writers kill me with this one. They have the greatest power forward of all time. They have a PG that nearly won the MVP (and probably should have). They have the greatest coach in the league, who is fresh off a coach of the year award. Sure changes have to be made, but those changes will be made and the Spurs will be right back in the thick of it like always. Tim Duncan will not go out like this.

-Noland