Joey Crawford - NBA official

[kingfc22]

How does this guy keep his job? His ego can barely fit on the court. It's like every time he officiates a game he has to make it a point to let everyone watching know he is the main attraction. He T's up players with no regard all the time.

[stevew]

All the NBA refs are pretty lousy, but this guy is a major bitch.

[Karlifornia]

Any Pac-10 fans recall a white-haired official by the name of Richie Ballesteros? Far and away the worst ref in basketball history.

[MrBug708]

He hasnt gone through a UCLA basketball game in a few years without T'ing a Bruin player up

[Ragone]

He hasnt gone through a UCLA basketball game in a few years without T'ing a Bruin player up

Well he does have his good points..

[kingfc22]

If he really asked Duncan to fight, then this douchebag needs to get fired.

He's a joke for an official

[MrIllini]

I nominate Ted Valentine. What a douche.

[Groundhog]

If Duncan was on the bench, shouldn't that have been a bench tech? I guess the rules work differently in the NBA...

[stevew]

If he really asked Duncan to fight, then this douchebag needs to get fired.

He's a joke for an official

Exactly, let the cocksucker do WNBA games or something. If it's me, I throw Sheed out on principle or some asshat like Ricky Davis out of the game for looking at me funny, but TIM DUNCAN? C'mon, especially when he's on the bench, that's just silly.

[EagleFan]

Kind of reminds me of the baseball umpire Joe (?) West (not sure on the first name). Why do these idiots feel like they are the attraction. Just do your damn job and let everyone watch the game. A good umpire/ref is one that you don't remember after the game.

[miami_fan]

Joey Crawford has not changed for at least 20 years. This is nothing new. The only thing that is new is that his victim was Tim Duncan and not a Ron Artest or Rasheed Wallace.

[JeeberD]

but TIM DUNCAN?

Oh no, Mr I-get-bug-eyes-every-single-freakin'-time-I-get-called-for-a-foul doesn't ever do anything wrong.

His act would rub me the wrong way too if I was a ref...

[Atocep]

Oh no, Mr I-get-bug-eyes-every-single-freakin'-time-I-get-called-for-a-foul doesn't ever do anything wrong.

His act would rub me the wrong way too if I was a ref...


Indeed, he's definitely changed over the years. He used to not have any reaction at all to calls. Now he's as bad as anyone not named Rasheed Wallace about whining over every single call.

[Brian Swartz]

That's irrelevant though. You don't see Duncan saying the kind of things he said after the game ... I don't remember him ever reacting in this manner. Plus, giving him a T for joking with his teammates while ON THE BENCH about it is just absolutely absurd. I can't think of another situation where any player has been given a T in that situation.

[molson]

I agree on all the above, but damn, Basketball refereeing has to be the most arbitrary thing in the world. The foul/no foul call decision is so random that fans actually complain when one team gets more free throughs in a game the other team (as if fouls are supposed to be distributed equally, rather than have them based on actual game events)

[Atocep]

I agree on all the above, but damn, Basketball refereeing has to be the most arbitrary thing in the world. The foul/no foul call decision is so random that fans actually complain when one team gets more free throughs in a game the other team (as if fouls are supposed to be distributed equally, rather than have them based on actual game events)

Exactly

The NBA doesn't police its referees and they allow them to decide the outcome of games. Star players don't get fouls called on them late in games to keep them in the games and in the last 30 seconds the ref swallows his whistle. They call 5,000 technicals in the first month of the season and then back off when the players union threatens grievance.

Its a joke. Tim Duncan getting tossed from the bench is just another in a long line of examples of why NBA officiating is the worst of any major sport.

[Atocep]

That's irrelevant though. You don't see Duncan saying the kind of things he said after the game ... I don't remember him ever reacting in this manner. Plus, giving him a T for joking with his teammates while ON THE BENCH about it is just absolutely absurd. I can't think of another situation where any player has been given a T in that situation.


ESPN's Mark Stein was courtside during the game and, according to him, Duncan wasn't merely T'd for joking with teammates as its being made out to be. He was called for an offensive foul earlier in the game and had spent most of the game talking with Joey Crawford. Ginobili was called for a foul and Duncan made a comment to Crawford from the bench. That was the first T.

The 2nd came after a foul and Duncan immediately started laughing from the bench. According to Stein, he wasn't just joking with teammates, it was a reaction to the foul call and Joey Crawford was near the Spurs bench at the time. Probably didn't deserve it, but Duncan can't act shocked that it happened.

I lived in San Antonio for 3 years and watched plenty of Spurs games. If anyone thinks Duncan is the quiet reserved guy he's made out to be, I suggest you watch Spurs games more closely. He's constantly talking to the referees and complaining about calls. As I said, the 2nd T was questionable if in fact what Mark Stein says is true, but knowing Joey Crawford and knowing how Tim Duncan is, I'm not in any way suprised.

[Young Drachma]

I watched that game and he basically told Popovich after threw Duncan out that "Duncan knew he was doing."

But whatever. NBA refs the biggest joke ever.

[heybrad]

Just watched it on YouTube. That may be the stupidest ejection I've ever seen.

[Neon_Chaos]

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That's just ridiculous.

[MrBug708]

That was awesome...

[molson]

Looks ridiculous, but it's impossible to evaluate without knowing what was said. Wouldn't you stop whatever you were doing once you got the first T? The ref is an arrogant jackass, but Duncan might have been daring him to do it.

[heybrad]

Looks ridiculous, but it's impossible to evaluate without knowing what was said. Wouldn't you stop whatever you were doing once you got the first T? The ref is an arrogant jackass, but Duncan might have been daring him to do it.
Did you watch the video? They isolate on Duncan on the play where the second tech was called. He starts laughing. Crawford is on the other side of the court. Duncan didn't say anything. He was just laughing.

[miami_fan]

Joey Crawford makes a point of going after players. He makes a point of challenging the player personally which is why it is very possible that he would challenge Duncan to a fight. He reminds me of an umpire in baseball who after calling a close pitch for a third strike would follow the batter back to the dugout waiting for a reaction to toss the batter. But hey don't take my word for it. Read Joey Crawford on Joey Crawford.

http://www.referee.com/more/Samples/non_subscribers0504/free_joecrawford.html

Being Joe Crawford
By Jim Arehart, Referee associate editor

"I remember like it was yesterday. The Phillies were playing at the end of the season and nobody cared about the game. I never saw my father during the season except when he came to Connie Mack Stadium. My father’s behind the plate. He told me to come down and stand and wait for him by the umpire’s locker room: ‘Be there by the bottom of the eighth.’ The umpires used to have to walk up the Phillies’ dugout to get to their room. I’m just standing there waiting. My father had a beef in the ninth inning with a pitcher. The game gets over and all I hear is, ‘You f–-ing a–-hole! You f–-ing j–-off! You motherf––-!" I could hear that it was my father talking, screaming, and it’s getting closer. I could hear the click of the spikes. They’re coming closer and closer.

"I’m going, ‘Holy sh–!’ right? Really shaking. My father forgot that I was standing there. I see them come up, and now they’re holding my father back because he was going after the pitcher or the manager or whoever it was. So now he sees me all of a sudden. …" Joe Crawford pauses. He’s staring at a wall.

"I was, like, a 10-year-old kid at the time. Those kinds of things stayed with me." He pauses again and smiles. "So when I came into this (officiating), I’m saying, ‘You gotta be aggressive, you gotta be aggressive, you gotta be aggressive.’"

Flash forward 15 years or so to the late ’70s and Joe Crawford, the son of a major league umpire, is an NBA referee, young, fiery and quick with the "T." He’s working two-man stuff with veteran guys like Earl Strom, Jake O’Donnell and Joe Gushue, old-time NBA gunslingers, learning at their knee. Crawford got a reputation: For officials, he became the guy you wanted to go to war with, someone who’d have your back and take care of business. For coaches, players and league management, he became the guy handing out all the technical fouls, throwing guys out of games, a hothead, a real red-ass.

"It was a different era," Crawford says, reflecting on what became an infamous temper. "I’ve gone overboard and I’ve gone cuckoo, but what it’s always boiled down to is I just don’t appreciate players or coaches disrespecting my profession. I want them to respect my profession. I don’t know if they do. I hope they do because I respect the hell out of theirs."

He’s got Philly gravel in his voice but there’s nothing ironic about his words. "I don’t know anything about coaching or general managing or owning. I don’t know anything about it, and that’s the fascinating thing about our profession. They get to rate us, they get to yell at us, they get to take shots at my profession. But they don’t know about my profession. They don’t know a thing about it."

Crawford is intensely protective of his line of work but he’s not limited by it. A self-professed "degenerate sports junkie," Crawford will watch any game, any sport, anytime, anywhere. He admires the athletes, he’s impressed with the coaches, but he has an absolute reverence for the officials, high profile or not. Talking sports, he rattles them off – NFL referee Bill Carollo, NHL official Jay Sharrers, NCAA men’s basketball ref Jim Burr – Joe Crawford doesn’t know them personally, but he’ll tell you where they worked last month. Ask him what game, any game in history, he would have liked to have worked, and he says, "You know, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game would have been good, but real history to me would be when Jake O’Donnell hands out his 1,000th technical. I would love to be there for something like that."

Maybe it has something to do with growing up in the celebrated Crawford family. His father, Shag, was a legend in umpiring circles, serving in the NL from 1956-75, and Joe’s older brother Jerry is currently one of the major league’s longest-tenured and most respected umpires.

So how did Joe end up in basketball officiating with those baseball bloodlines? "Don’t get me wrong," says Joe, "I’m addicted to baseball, but basketball … there’s something about it.

"Even in high school, I knew I wanted to be an NBA referee. I wasn’t the best student, but I didn’t think I’d need to be. I just wanted to referee. When I got out there and actually started (officiating), I just couldn’t get enough of it. But, again, with me it was a very difficult thing because my temper was always getting in the way.

"You’re 18 or 19 years old and you’re going into these bar leagues, and back then when I started it was one man. So you’re out there working these games and these guys you’re working are older than you, and they’re just coming out of college. I’d go in there and I’d battle, throwing people out and all that. The temper thing was difficult. Still to this day it’s something I battle. But it got to the point a few years ago when I said, ‘I’ve got to do something about this.’ Sometimes you really just have to take a good look in the mirror. I knew that my temper was my weakness and that it was going to really deter or destroy me. I had to do something about it and find the reason why I do what I do."

About eight years ago, after an altercation with a coach in which Crawford says he "flipped out," Joe decided to investigate anger management counseling.

"As a referee, you experiment in what works, and I didn’t know what worked other than to be aggressive. To be honest with you, my father wasn’t home, and that may have contributed to the (temper) problem. When I would go to the ballpark as a kid, that’s when I was with him. In going to those sessions and talking to the professionals, they said that’s what you relate to as a kid, how your father interacted with people.

"I was such a fan as a kid, the umpires and everything. When I talked to my father, I’d ask, ‘Dad, did you throw anybody out?’ I always wanted to hear about that stuff."

Crawford says he learned that he was taking things too personally when players and coaches mouthed off, learned that they’re only yelling at the shirt, not at him. It was an epiphany, but one he continues to struggle with.

"That’s fine if it’s just a shirt they’re screaming at," he says, his voice rising a little. "But to me it’s still a respect factor. They don’t respect my profession as much as I respect it. But I really don’t like having that kind of reputation. I’m not real proud of it. I don’t want the players and coaches to fear me, because I really respect those people. I really do. I really respect them as professionals and what they’ve accomplished."

The intensity in Joe’s voice softens a bit and he smiles again. "I’ve done pretty good with it. I still have flashbacks when I want to go at somebody, but it’s gotten a lot better."

Though he might be best known to your average sports fan for his fiery style on the court, Joe Crawford has another side well known to his peers and the people who’ve met him.

"No b.s., Joe’s just a real, real guy, as genuine as they come," says NBA ref Bob Delaney. Duke Callahan, another NBA official, says, "Joe’s Joe, you know? And I love him for it," a sentiment echoed by NBA ref Mark Wunderlich, when he says, "Joe’s an a–hole, but I love him."

"I am an a–hole," insists a smiling Crawford.

Although you could probably find a couple coaches or players to agree with that, his fellow officials have a lot of affection for the man (see sidebar). One in particular, Joe took a shine to. When Steve Javie entered the league 18 years ago, Crawford saw something familiar in the fiery rookie with the NFL officiating father.

"I was his crew chief his first year," remembers Crawford. "It was still two-man and we were in Utah, one of those games where you went in there as the gunslingers. And he was banging away. We got in the locker room at halftime and I looked at him and I said, ‘I was nuts, but you’re really nuts.’"

Crawford and Javie developed a close friendship, with Joe offering the benefit of his experience. "Joe was and is my mentor," says Javie. "I still remember one of the first games I did with Joe in Detroit and our boss, Darell Garretson, was there observing. After the game, Darell said we were going to go back to the hotel and watch the tape. I started thinking of all the plays I missed and that it was going to be open season on me, the youngster. Instead, Joe, with all humility and objectivity, pointed out all of his mistakes while watching the tape and made me feel so much at ease with my own. He showed me that night that even the best officials make mistakes and not to be afraid to do so. He also showed me if you can own up to your mistakes it will make you a better referee in the long run. I will never forget that tape session. Probably the most informative night for a young referee anxious to learn and get better."

At home, too, Crawford is far removed from his oncourt persona. He’s been married to Mary for 32 years and the couple has three children, Amy (28), Megan (26) and Erin (23).

For 27 of those years, Joe, like his father, has spent a good chunk of his time on the road and much of the responsibility for the household has fallen on Mary. Says Joe, "My mentor Joe Gushue said – and he used to say it in a Philly way – ‘The biggest key to this job is to have a good old lady,’ which meant your wife, and I’ve had that big-time."

"Everybody always asks me, ‘How do you live with him?’" says Mary. "On court he can be loud and obnoxious, sure, but at home he’s quiet. At home I’m the boss. And I think it’s because he’s never wanted to come home and be the bad guy. He gets enough of that at the games. His girls can get away with anything around him."

Crawford has three granddaughters, but only one grandson. "Our five-year-old grandson, Christian, he idolizes Joe," says Mary. "Everything Joe does, Christian tries to imitate. He tries to referee and he’s got a whistle just like ‘Pop.’

"When Christian stays with us, he’s got to sleep with Joe and me. This may be too much information, but Joe sleeps in his undershorts and last time Christian was here, I was getting ready for bed when I hear all this screaming laughter coming from the bedroom. I go in there and Christian’s taken off his pajamas because he wants to sleep just like Pop. I’m covering him up all night thinking he’s cold. Christian wakes up the next day and says, ‘Pop should really sleep in pajamas.’"

Romping with the grandkids? Does that sound like the same 24-year-old kid who broke into the league in 1977, who wouldn’t take any crap from anybody? Maybe Joe Crawford is mellowing.

Remember that big flap in Dallas last season? When he tossed Coach Don Nelson, and then threw Assistant Coach Del Harris a quarter later? It was all over the papers at the time. Joe Crawford says it’s the one call, actually series of calls, he wishes he could have back.

"It caused me a little problem," says Crawford. "(Nelson) walked up to halfcourt during a timeout and just stood there. I hit him with a ‘T.’ The anger management was kicking in and I just stood there, said in a low voice, ‘Go back to the bench.’ He said he wasn’t going back. I hit him with another ‘T’ and ejected him. When I look back on that, I thought (Nelson) was screwing the game up for me and my partners, and he was trying to intimidate my profession, and that’s what I ejected him for. But it’s not all about my profession. It’s about the game. The more I’m around this, the more I’m figuring this out that it’s just not about the officials, us in our little world.

"I had a dialogue with my employer after that game. I said, ‘So what did you want me to do? Wait 10 minutes until he calls me a no good motherf––-? And my employer said yes. When I left that meeting and really sat down and thought to myself, I said, ‘I can do that. I have no problem with that.’ See, because now (the NBA) has a reason to really fine the hell out of the coach, and instead I threw him out and threw Del Harris out because he was, in my opinion, disrupting the game. It may sound strange to you, and it does sound strange to a lot of our referees on the staff, but after listening to my employer, I really believe I should have done what they said. I should have waited and let (Nelson) become the aggressor, really become the aggressor, then I could have handled the situation and given (management) something to work with. You have to give them a reason to support you. I don’t know if, looking back on it, if I gave them a clear, concise reason to back me."

Is this the same Joe Crawford who once hit Cleveland’s Brad Dougherty and Larry Nance with two technical fouls each in less than a minute? ("I still can’t go to Cleveland without hearing about that," says Crawford.) Time and introspection have definitely mellowed the man.

To hear Mary talk about the legendary "Joe Crawford temper," it’s almost endearing: "I always pray he doesn’t throw anyone out of the game," says Mary, laughing. "I always say, ‘Please, no more, don’t start,’ because, you know, he can get on a roll."

Crawford is at the top of his game these days. He’s still only 52 and wants to continue officiating until he’s at least 59. Crawford has 27 seasons under his belt, same as Jess Kersey and Bernie Fryer. Only Dick Bavetta, with 28, has more. Of the current staff, Crawford has worked more playoff games (233) and Finals games (32) than anybody. When he does finally go out, he’ll be remembered as one of the best.

"I’ve got an agreement with (NBA ref) Sean Corbin," says Crawford. "I said, ‘Sean, I want you to do me a favor. Tell me when I don’t have any more relevance. That’s when I’ll retire. I don’t want them to just put me on the games because I have a good reputation and I’m an easy assignment and nobody is going to bitch. I want it that I still have relevance, that I’m still able to do the job, I’m still able to run up and down the floor. That’s the only reason I work out these days. I gotta keep up with these young guys.

"When that day comes, I’m gonna be pissed. I’ve always been a realist and I’ll accept it." Joe Crawford breaks into another wide smile. "But I figure I’ll be pissed for about a year."

[st.cronin]

The officiating is probably the biggest reason I don't watch the NBA. Its the only major sport where the officiating is actually BETTER at the college level.

[Atocep]

Did you watch the video? They isolate on Duncan on the play where the second tech was called. He starts laughing. Crawford is on the other side of the court. Duncan didn't say anything. He was just laughing.

Read what I posted about Mark Stein's comments. The video is in-line with everything he said. Joey Crawford has been way more out of line than he was here, IMO. Yes it was bizarre, but you need to take into consideration how Tim Duncan is during games. He was knowingly getting under the skin of an official with a short fuse. He knew what he was doing and now he's playing the "Innocent old me" act he's perfected.

Joey Crawford is an ass. Tim Duncan is an ass. I hope they're both fined for this because they both deserve it.

[heybrad]

Read what I posted about Mark Stein's comments. The video is in-line with everything he said. Joey Crawford has been way more out of line than he was here, IMO. Yes it was bizarre, but you need to take into consideration how Tim Duncan is during games. He was knowingly getting under the skin of an official with a short fuse. He knew what he was doing and now he's playing the "Innocent old me" act he's perfected.

Joey Crawford is an ass. Tim Duncan is an ass. I hope they're both fined for this because they both deserve it.
I did read what you said and Stein's comments seem to support the first technical which I have no problem with. Now throw in the article above to get some insight into Joey Crawford. He has to go on the offensive, so he sees a guy laughing on the bench and T's him up.

That's the attitude you want in a ref? Get them before they get you. It's totally absurd.

[flere-imsaho]

He was knowingly getting under the skin of an official with a short fuse.

That's the problem, IMO. Officials with short fuses shouldn't be working professional (or even collegiate, or heck, even any level) games. A short fuse means you're quicker to throw away objectivity for subjectivity, and that's not what officiating is about.

[BrianD]

Hard to know what to say from that replay. Duncan was showing up the ref with his reactions, but that wouldn't normally be enough for a T. The context of the rest of the game is important though. If Duncan had been working on Crawford the whole game, Crawford may have just had enough. The first T should have been a warning and if Duncan kept it up, the second one isn't surprising. It sure looks like the ref went too far, but we can't see everything that happened.

[Atocep]

That's the problem, IMO. Officials with short fuses shouldn't be working professional (or even collegiate, or heck, even any level) games. A short fuse means you're quicker to throw away objectivity for subjectivity, and that's not what officiating is about.

I agree, but the NBA isn't going to do anything about it. Joey Crawford has been this way for years and players know it. There hits a point where you, as an individual, have to adjust accordingly.

[Karlifornia]

The offensive foul call on oberto was the worst part. WTF?

[Easy Mac]

I thought that was Will Smith on the bench.

[14ers]

The offensive foul call on oberto was the worst part. WTF?
The coach, or owner should of pulled the team after this foul. It would of sent a huge statement to the NBA and would have been a major show of support for your best player.

[JeeberD]

They were still playing for the second seed...there's no way they would have forfeited a game that important.

[molson]

The coach, or owner should of pulled the team after this foul. It would of sent a huge statement to the NBA and would have been a major show of support for your best player.

There's no reason to start a war with the refs. Duncan needs to just shut the hell up, and put the team ahead of his pride.

[Gary Gorski]

Maybe if the players didn't bitch and whine after every single call the refs wouldn't have to officiate the way they do. I honestly have no problem with him tossing Duncan because Duncan was showing him up. Duncan knew what he was doing and if I were an official I would not like the fact that some guy is on tv laughing and making a joke out of every call that I make. Duncan's got the nice guy rep working for him but he's as big of a crybaby as anyone in the league. He makes faces all the time when he doesn't like a call and if he wants to sit on the bench and act like he's 12 making fun of the officials I have no problem with tossing him.

The crying over fouls is the worst thing in the NBA and the league really needs to do something to address it. I think they need to come up with some kind of internal system that reviews each game and assesses fines to the players for any negative demonstration of a call. And by the same measure they should have those people review the games for calls the officials clearly missed or intentionally called to piss off a complaining team and have some system of punishing them as well - maybe keeping a points system that would allow the best officials to do the playoffs and high profile games. I agree the worst call in that video segment was when Josh Howard flew into Oberto - what you get is the players getting chippy with the refs and then the refs blatantly screwing the team that is pissing them off by calling ticky-tack fouls or making completely wrong calls just to piss them off even more. None of that makes for entertaining basketball.

The officials in the NBA have made themselves part of the game especially with their method of operating under one set of rules for star players and another for everyone else. Being as its so subjective they need to be willing to listen to player and coach complaints. But the complaints need to come in brief one-on-one discussions and not players making comments from the bench or putting on some drama act.

[TroyF]

Maybe if the players didn't bitch and whine after every single call the refs wouldn't have to officiate the way they do. I honestly have no problem with him tossing Duncan because Duncan was showing him up. Duncan knew what he was doing and if I were an official I would not like the fact that some guy is on tv laughing and making a joke out of every call that I make. Duncan's got the nice guy rep working for him but he's as big of a crybaby as anyone in the league. He makes faces all the time when he doesn't like a call and if he wants to sit on the bench and act like he's 12 making fun of the officials I have no problem with tossing him.

The crying over fouls is the worst thing in the NBA and the league really needs to do something to address it. I think they need to come up with some kind of internal system that reviews each game and assesses fines to the players for any negative demonstration of a call. And by the same measure they should have those people review the games for calls the officials clearly missed or intentionally called to piss off a complaining team and have some system of punishing them as well - maybe keeping a points system that would allow the best officials to do the playoffs and high profile games. I agree the worst call in that video segment was when Josh Howard flew into Oberto - what you get is the players getting chippy with the refs and then the refs blatantly screwing the team that is pissing them off by calling ticky-tack fouls or making completely wrong calls just to piss them off even more. None of that makes for entertaining basketball.

The officials in the NBA have made themselves part of the game especially with their method of operating under one set of rules for star players and another for everyone else. Being as its so subjective they need to be willing to listen to player and coach complaints. But the complaints need to come in brief one-on-one discussions and not players making comments from the bench or putting on some drama act.

I agree with much of this. The key part is the making sure the officials are ruled on. I know you said that, but the fact is it usually only hits one side. So the players get hammered and fined out the ass and the refs face no public criticism. (indeed, even saying the refs sucked will get you slapped with a 20k+ fine)

NBA refs call the game about 80% of the time. They make decisions the other 20%. The funny thing is how Duncan got into it with one. I take you back to last year, game 7 between the Mavs and Spurs. The second half of that game was reffed as poorly as it could be. The game was "managed". No way the Spurs were getting blown out on their home floor in a game 7.

Of course the Mavs then also got hammered with the DWade lovefest in the finals, where Wade went to the line repeatedly. Over and over and over again.

You can't convince me that a lot of the calls the refs make are clear cut decisions. Someone drives, dunks, gets clearly fouled and there isn't a call with two refs within 10 feet of the play. Sorry, those aren't mistakes and they hurt the quality of the game.

Tell the players to stop bitching. Tell the refs to start calling the games fairly and that if they don't, they are going to lose their jobs.

Thing is, this has been going on a long time. This starts at the top. Stern "fixed" the game by preventing Kevin Durant and Greg Oden from playing in it this year, but lets the officials continue to act in this mannter? Ridiculous.

[BrianD]

You can't convince me that a lot of the calls the refs make are clear cut decisions. Someone drives, dunks, gets clearly fouled and there isn't a call with two refs within 10 feet of the play. Sorry, those aren't mistakes and they hurt the quality of the game.

Tell the players to stop bitching. Tell the refs to start calling the games fairly and that if they don't, they are going to lose their jobs.


I don't disagree with you, but this isn't an easy thing to fix. The way the game is played now, there is a ton of contact all over the court. Post play is brutal, rebounding is organized chaos, etc. The fix to this situation is to make the refs call EVERYTHING so that there is no interpretation on the "level of contact". I don't see the players or fans being happy about this.

[Gary Gorski]

I don't disagree with you, but this isn't an easy thing to fix. The way the game is played now, there is a ton of contact all over the court. Post play is brutal, rebounding is organized chaos, etc. The fix to this situation is to make the refs call EVERYTHING so that there is no interpretation on the "level of contact". I don't see the players or fans being happy about this.

I disagree. You don't need to call everything but you do need to call all blatant fouls and need to call the game evenly. Look at the foul called on Oberto in the video - that is clearly a case of the referee getting the back of his partner who has been pissed off by the Spurs. The league can review the game, note that the official clearly made the wrong call and penalize him. Whether its money or a points system so he drops in the referee rankings and therefore could miss out on officiating big games or playoff games there needs to be some policing of the officials.

You're right, nobody will be happy if the officials call 80 fouls in a game because they called every single bump. But they don't need to. The players need to stop being a bunch of drama queens every time they get called for a foul or don't get a call when they miss a shot and need an excuse and the NBA needs to find officials that can simply referee the game and not be anything other than a name on the score sheet when its over. Anytime we know the referee for anything other than because he gets praise for such an outstanding job it is a negative. The refs should be nameless and faceless to fans - nothing more than three people in striped shirts who make sure the game is played evenly and fairly. The thing is that starts with the players. If I had to listen to a bunch of millionaire crybabies whine and bitch at me for 48 minutes a night over the course of multiple seasons I'd probably be pretty bitter too and would make calls to intentionally piss off the ones I hated the most. If the players just shut up and play I think the refs would be far more fair and would be more intent on calling the game rather than watching the guys or teams they don't like to try and pick on those players while missing obvious calls which in turn pisses off the players, coaches and fans.

[Atocep]

The way the NBA allowed the game to evolve in the mid-late '90s along with its NBA Live style sliders that are applied seperately to each class of player has made the game even harder to officiate. The NBA has no one to blame for this but themselves.

NBA officiating isn't as simple as calling fouls as you see them. If it were, I would understand the "there's a ton of contact all over the court arguement". Instead you have to take into consideration how good the player is and how long he's been in the league before you blow the whistle and officials are supposed to do whatever they can to keep star players in the game. This is akin to the fixing of games by NBA referees. Add to that the fact that rule interpretations have changed several times in the past 10 years and you see the reasons why a lot of people don't take the NBA or its officiating seriously.

[BrianD]

I disagree. You don't need to call everything but you do need to call all blatant fouls and need to call the game evenly. Look at the foul called on Oberto in the video - that is clearly a case of the referee getting the back of his partner who has been pissed off by the Spurs. The league can review the game, note that the official clearly made the wrong call and penalize him. Whether its money or a points system so he drops in the referee rankings and therefore could miss out on officiating big games or playoff games there needs to be some policing of the officials.

You're right, nobody will be happy if the officials call 80 fouls in a game because they called every single bump. But they don't need to. The players need to stop being a bunch of drama queens every time they get called for a foul or don't get a call when they miss a shot and need an excuse and the NBA needs to find officials that can simply referee the game and not be anything other than a name on the score sheet when its over. Anytime we know the referee for anything other than because he gets praise for such an outstanding job it is a negative. The refs should be nameless and faceless to fans - nothing more than three people in striped shirts who make sure the game is played evenly and fairly. The thing is that starts with the players. If I had to listen to a bunch of millionaire crybabies whine and bitch at me for 48 minutes a night over the course of multiple seasons I'd probably be pretty bitter too and would make calls to intentionally piss off the ones I hated the most. If the players just shut up and play I think the refs would be far more fair and would be more intent on calling the game rather than watching the guys or teams they don't like to try and pick on those players while missing obvious calls which in turn pisses off the players, coaches and fans.

There are a couple of problems here. Calling the blatant fouls correctly is one thing, but calling the game evenly without calling everything is easier said than done. If the rules aren't black and white, calling them is up to the discretion of the refs. How much contact is ok? When does "good hard play" become against the rules? Giving the refs that much ability for interpretation is asking for trouble, and it allows personal feeling in.

Asking the players to "just shut up and play" is an unrealistic fantasy too. In a system where a certain amount of contact is ok, players need to exaggerate the contact if they want to get fouls called. Players also know how to work the system and believe something is only illegal if you get caught. Any time you get one player willing to over-act to get a foul called, you are going to get another player upset that the over-acting worked. Basketball coaches and players also have very easy access to the refs, so working the refs all game is part of the strategy.

Put this all together and you have a tough situation for everyone. I do agree that there are thing that could be done to make NBA officiating better, but I believe that is just one step of many that needs to be taken.

[Crapshoot]

ESPN breaking news says Joey Crawford has been suspended indefinitely...

Edit: Story: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2840587

[Atocep]

Joe Crawford was suspended indefinitely today. A shining example of the NBA trying to protect its image despite the fact that they are the one's responsible for allowing officiating to deteriorate to the point its at today.

[heybrad]

I would bet this has more to do with the fight challenge than the calls themselves. Apparantly multiple sources heard it. There's no defending a ref trying to start a fight with a player.

[Gary Gorski]

There are a couple of problems here. Calling the blatant fouls correctly is one thing, but calling the game evenly without calling everything is easier said than done. If the rules aren't black and white, calling them is up to the discretion of the refs. How much contact is ok? When does "good hard play" become against the rules? Giving the refs that much ability for interpretation is asking for trouble, and it allows personal feeling in.

You're always going to have personal feeling unless you come up with robot officials. As long as an official is consistent then there's no problem. If official A doesn't blow the whistle on physical post play when Duncan is defending say Andrew Bynum with 4:00 to play in the 1st quarter then he shouldn't blow the whistle when Bynum is doing the same to Duncan with 2:00 to play in the game and the Spurs down by 2 at home. As long as each ref is consistent with how he calls the game I don't think there is a problem.

Asking the players to "just shut up and play" is an unrealistic fantasy too. In a system where a certain amount of contact is ok, players need to exaggerate the contact if they want to get fouls called. Players also know how to work the system and believe something is only illegal if you get caught. Any time you get one player willing to over-act to get a foul called, you are going to get another player upset that the over-acting worked. Basketball coaches and players also have very easy access to the refs, so working the refs all game is part of the strategy.

Yes, working the refs is fine - but do it on the side, one-on-one during a stoppage in play (and the refs need to make themselves accessible for this and not hide in areas where coaches and players can't talk to them). There's no reason why Tim Duncan needs to pop his eyes out and do his best Bill Laimbeer impression every time there is a call he doesn't like. The overacting to get a call isn't a big deal - its the reactions to the calls that are the problem. The officials take their job seriously and don't like to be shown up in front of millions of people on a nightly basis - I don't think that's hard to understand and I don't think its that hard for a player to be unhappy with a call and simply accept it and continue on playing the game without the "who me?!?" theatrics.

[stevew]

Well, at least that's a good start.

[BrianD]

You're always going to have personal feeling unless you come up with robot officials. As long as an official is consistent then there's no problem. If official A doesn't blow the whistle on physical post play when Duncan is defending say Andrew Bynum with 4:00 to play in the 1st quarter then he shouldn't blow the whistle when Bynum is doing the same to Duncan with 2:00 to play in the game and the Spurs down by 2 at home. As long as each ref is consistent with how he calls the game I don't think there is a problem.

It is a lot easier to be consistent when there are discrete rules to use. When dealing with "physical post play", how does one draw the line? Hopefully a single offical will use the same standard the whole game, you can't tell me that Duncan's actions aren't going to help shift that line a bit.

Yes, working the refs is fine - but do it on the side, one-on-one during a stoppage in play (and the refs need to make themselves accessible for this and not hide in areas where coaches and players can't talk to them). There's no reason why Tim Duncan needs to pop his eyes out and do his best Bill Laimbeer impression every time there is a call he doesn't like. The overacting to get a call isn't a big deal - its the reactions to the calls that are the problem. The officials take their job seriously and don't like to be shown up in front of millions of people on a nightly basis - I don't think that's hard to understand and I don't think its that hard for a player to be unhappy with a call and simply accept it and continue on playing the game without the "who me?!?" theatrics.

I think the overacting to get a call and the reactions to the calls are related. If one person has to overact to get a call, the other guy is going to be upset that he got called for a bad foul. We have refs making calls based on "too much contact" and we've got players who believe there was "not enough contact" and who want to make sure that more mistakes are avoided.

[14ers]

There's no reason to start a war with the refs. Duncan needs to just shut the hell up, and put the team ahead of his pride.
But, that is exactly what Tim Duncan did after the first Technical. He shut his mouth and stayed seated on the bench the whole time. I didn't see him talk or try to argue with anyone after he received his first Technical.

[miami_fan]

It will be hard to do this but I will try. Good job David Stern. You made the right call.

[BrianD]

But, that is exactly what Tim Duncan did after the first Technical. He shut his mouth and stayed seated on the bench the whole time. I didn't see him talk or try to argue with anyone after he received his first Technical.

He still had some pretty big reactions to calls. If that is what got him the first T, it stands to reason that it would get him a second one. When you get two egos that are that big in a battle of wills, it probably isn't going to be pretty. As it turned out, both of them lost.

[TroyF]

He still had some pretty big reactions to calls. If that is what got him the first T, it stands to reason that it would get him a second one. When you get two egos that are that big in a battle of wills, it probably isn't going to be pretty. As it turned out, both of them lost.

Thankfully, the ref lost more. It's his job to avoid having an ego and calling the game fairly. When his ego gets out of wack, something is seriously wrong.

As far as how tough it is to judge the refs. . . BS. Yes, there are 50/50 calls. There are differing interpretations of contact. But find me a pee wee ref who couldn't have saw that Oberto "charge" and not laughed their asses off at how bad it was. Watch a clip of Carmelo Anthony doing a two handed dunk on a break, where Lebron hits both of his arms at the peak of their jump and tell me any sober person in America wouldn't say that was a foul.

There are enough clear cut calls that are "missed" that you could punish refs for making those decisions.

[BrianD]

Thankfully, the ref lost more. It's his job to avoid having an ego and calling the game fairly. When his ego gets out of wack, something is seriously wrong.

As far as how tough it is to judge the refs. . . BS. Yes, there are 50/50 calls. There are differing interpretations of contact. But find me a pee wee ref who couldn't have saw that Oberto "charge" and not laughed their asses off at how bad it was. Watch a clip of Carmelo Anthony doing a two handed dunk on a break, where Lebron hits both of his arms at the peak of their jump and tell me any sober person in America wouldn't say that was a foul.

There are enough clear cut calls that are "missed" that you could punish refs for making those decisions.

There is no doubt that there are plenty of calls missed by the refs. What is less clear is why those calls are not being made. There is traveling on most every play, there is contact that is not called, and there are fouls clearly made by stars that are given to other players who have less fouls. I would suspect this comes from the league and not the refs, but I can't say for sure. I believe that both the refs and the league needs a serious overhaul.

[Logan]

He should've been fired just because he's a 60-something year old guy named "Joey."

[daedalus]

I want a ref to call carry as it should be called. A 60 turnover-per-side day would make me giggle. :)

Back on topic, however . . .

1) Yes, I agree. More players need to STFU and play. I know, I'm exaggerating. As someone said, it's hard to do that. But as was said before (as well), they can at least do so without acting the ass. Not that they were my favourites (former Lakers fan here) but (from the times when I saw them) Jordan and Bird did their bitching and moaning (and trash talking) in a (seemingly) casual and conversational tone. Did they have their asshole tantrum moments? Sure. But, for the most part, a lot of what I saw were done hidden in conversation appearance. (By contrast, I was frequently annoyed by many of my own Lakers and their whining -- particularly Kareen and Magic who could be quite . . . dramatic about their complaints.) I dug that, even as I knew they were bitching, moaning and attempting to work the referee. They got their venting done and the referee got to go back at them without being shown up.

2) On the other hand, so WHAT if what Duncan did was a direct "taunt" to Crawford? GET THE FUCK OVER IT. You took the fucking job, now deal with the shit that comes with the fucking job. If Duncan stood in the middle of the court and made gestures to show up Crawford for all to see, then I would hop aboard the "he knew what he was doing and he deserved the ejection" bandwagon so damn fast, it'd creak under the weigh of my fat ass. But he didn't. He was on the damn bench and sufficiently "out of sight" (in my opinion, at least) to not be showing up Crawford for all to see. The only analogy I can come up with is how the more professional umpire (read: NOT Bob Davidson) would overlook batters and catchers bitching and moaning and griping all day about the ball-strike calls. AS. LONG. AS. THEY. DON'T. TURN. AROUND. TO. ARGUE. And once they turn around and get all animated, then it's early shower time. End of.

[stevew]

I dare you to look outside and find even one ref not wearing his shirt 3 sizes to small, and his cock hanging out. Welcome to Hollywood.

[Groundhog]

I dare you to look outside and find even one ref not wearing his shirt 3 sizes to small, and his cock hanging out. Welcome to Hollywood.

LMAO. I love this new feature of FOFC.