Bulls won... but the refs were inexcusably terrible.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

You could make the case that when players start complaining, it's really more like they're working on excuses for losing.

But this doesn't apply to non participants. They have every right to complain. This losers mentality stuff is garbage. And saying there were bad calls on both sides is so generic, it's not even worth saying. And though it might be true, that doesn't mean it's even.

I think cleveland making 8 more three pointers than the Bulls made things more even than the refs.

It's a silly theory to be sure, but it's the one I'm going with.

 

[2323]

So your thought that I always think the refs are right is wrong.

I think you'll always tailor what you say around your generic mantra that referees don't decide games. You might mention something was a bad call but I think you'll always be conservative with your commentary with this mantra in mind. There's a general lack of honesty in doing this. It's also ridiculous to push this mantra. You're obviously wrong about this. The referees affect the betting lines. This was something that came up during the Donaghy stuff. The macro level data shows that referees do have an impact on games. Sometimes it's negative toward specific teams and sometimes the way they call a game allows for playing styles that drastically favor teams. If this were not true, they'd have no affect on the betting lines.

 

[2323]

I think cleveland making 8 more three pointers than the Bulls made things more even than the refs.

It's a silly theory to be sure, but it's the one I'm going with.

Saying the Cavs kept close with threes doesn't invalidate what was said in the op.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

So one game they call too many fouls, the next game they don't call enough fouls.

Could it just be you've already built it into your head that the refs are against the Bulls?

I feel the same thing is complained about with certain hockey fans.
They complain when the game is slowed down when too many calls are made, and complain when the refs put the whistles away.
You never really hear someone complimenting the refs on a game called just right, which is probably never to most fans. How many fouls/penalties are just the right amount?

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I think you'll always tailor what you say around your generic mantra that referees don't decide games. You might mention something was a bad call but I think you'll always be conservative with your commentary with this mantra in mind. There's a general lack of honesty in doing this. It's also ridiculous to push this mantra. You're obviously wrong about this. The referees affect the betting lines. This was something that came up during the Donaghy stuff. The macro level data shows that referees do have an impact on games. Sometimes it's negative toward specific teams and sometimes the way they call a game allows for playing styles that drastically favor teams. If this were not true, they'd have no affect on the betting lines.

Ok.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Saying the Cavs kept close with threes doesn't invalidate what was said in the op.

Ok.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

How many fouls/penalties are just the right amount?

As a guy entering his 11th year as a referee the general rule is no fouls should ever be called against your team, and everything should be called against the other team.

 

[RamiTheBullsFan]

As a guy entering his 11th year as a referee the general rule is no fouls should ever be called against your team, and everything should be called against the other team.

I'm not usually the one to "*****" about calls. I'm really not. There have been games in the past where the Bulls got the unfair calls in their favor.

But, in this game, the officiating was clearly terrible, and it went Cleveland's way. I'm not even pulling the "LeBron gets all the calls" card (wouldn't be a hard card to pull seeing as how he could do no wrong in the eyes of the referees tonight). I'm just saying that the officiating really almost cost the Bulls the game.

Loser's mentality... I call bullshit on that. First off, they won. But the way the game was called was concerning. The truth is that, win or lose, the Cavs were nearly given a win that they should have easily not been able to attain. That's how many more terrible calls went in the Cavs' favor. Not homerism. Truth.

 

[RC_Skinny22]

I´m all for physical play in the playoffs, but LeBron should have had 4 fouls at halftime!

And that´s not with debatable calls, there were 4 CLEAR AS F*** fouls...

 

[ZOMBIE@CTESPN]

Lebron gets the Jordan treatment that is basketball

 

[Scoot26]

Officiating was terrible. Rose has been robbed of two layups in this series due to goaltendings not called. Yesterday's would have been an And 1 too.

Offensive foul on LeBron should have been called.. equally Rose did not get that call in Game 1 when he drove in such a style. So bullshit treatment again.

Kinda thought this superstar stuff has kinda died off in the NBA. This series is definitely proving otherwise.


Has the NBA come out with their officiating report yet?

 

[Novak]

That foul on Rose at the end of the game doe... Had the Bulls not won, we'd be clamoring for someones head on a platter.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Officiating needs to continually improve. When the game is close and it's the playoffs, refs can't miss the James fouls on Butler's shot and then trying to steal the ball from Rose and also then call Butler for essentially being no more physical than James. Players have to bear down and focus more with the game on the line. Refs should do the same.

 

[DrGonzo]

I feel the same thing is complained about with certain hockey fans.
They complain when the game is slowed down when too many calls are made, and complain when the refs put the whistles away.
You never really hear someone complimenting the refs on a game called just right, which is probably never to most fans. How many fouls/penalties are just the right amount?

True, but at least call the game with some consistency. Last night it looked like role players were getting whistled for touch fouls one minute and marquee players were being allowed to do whatever they wanted the next. I got a bad feeling in the first period when Mirotic was literally body-slammed to the floor on two consecutive possessions with no call. It was like they were saying anything in the paint is legal, but then a few minutes later it wasn't. Made a good tough playoff game a little less great, though I am still savoring the win and Rose looking very good.

 

[Toast88]

The refs were bad; there's no denying that. But overall, they were bad on both sides.

Most egregious:

--LeBron's reach-in on Rose

--Butler traveling on that second to last shot under the basket.

--Goaltending on Rose's shot

--Butler clunked on the 3

--Foul called on Cavs even though they cleanly blocked Rose during 4th quarter.

The refs weren't against the Bulls. But they did suck.

 

[Naptastic]

Complaining about the Referees is not loser mentality. Its the second round of the playoffs, shouldnt they also be at the top of their game? Last night had no consistency for fouls called, and blatant ones were missed. If its physical, great. Dont call anything, but you cant later called ticky tack fouls just to turn around and miss ones that can bee seen in the nosebleeds.

Calls can change games, and no game should be decided by the referees. Last night was horrible.

 

[RoseMVP1]

The first half i didn't mind as much cause it was being called both ways. I had a problem with the end. Jimmy clearly got fouled on that 3 and even more clearly, lebron basically raped Rose and none was called. Another horrendous call I didn't see anyone mention is that Lebron drive where Jimmy clearly tied it up but they called a foul on him.

 

[The Hawk]

It is beyond naive to think that officials do not intentionally influence the outcomes of games. They do and have done it for years. Yeah a team that is sort or "programmed" to lose can win, but it takes something extra-ordinary to do it. No sport as so much variance in what is and isn't a foul and in which so many fouls are called in the average game. Even baseball in which there are 150 or so pitches thrown by each team, has an umpire whose calls are subject to monitoring by a high definition camera behind him. But basektball, on one trip down the court one guy gets hammered and nothing called and on another trip, a guy gets touched and goes to the line.

 

[ursamajor]

Butler was amazing though. How he turned Thompson around when he hit the brakes at 4:08, is hilarious.

[video=youtube;AuCNgN16qO0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuCNgN16qO0[/video]

 

[ursamajor]

Why is Rose getting the Javie/Iverson Treatment?

With how aggressive Rose has been, it is absolutely impossible for Rose to not have have drawn a shooting foul through 2 1/2 games (his first trip to the stripe this series came in the 3rd quarter of game 3) unless the refs are intentionally swallowing their whistles.