IT'S 'OFFICIAL': ZEBRAS A JOKE - New York Post

[goldengreek]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05152009...oke_169429.htm



WERE you as mystified as I was by Ben Gordon's 2-point field goal early in Game 7 (Bulls-Celtics) being upgraded to a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter? Though a mistake had been righted, NBA law clearly prohibits such a change unless executed after the first timeout following the shot.

Has TNT's army of analysts ever provided us with a plausible explanation for the rule-breaking decision by the three referees who had received executive permission?

The above confusion was compounded in Game 5 (Celtics-Magic) when Ray Allen's toe-on-the-arc second quarter (3:33) 2-pointer was incorrectly judged to be a trifecta. If the league had sanctioned crew chief (huh?) Monty McCutchen, Mike Callahan and Bill Spooner to make a similar reversal, Dwight Howard's second free throw with time running out of the bottle (five seconds) would've been for a 89-89 tie; instead, the Magic trailed 90-88 and he was forced to miss intentionally in hopes of recovering the rebound.

So, aside from the refs' blunder altering the game's dynamics and affecting Orlando's strategy as its players were coming unhinged psychologically in the final 5½ minutes, there weren't any major ramifications.

Of course, the Magic's cause might've been bolstered a bit had this clueless crew gotten the Celtics' 24-second violation accurate. There were 36 seconds left when Rajon Rondo was forced to heave up a three that grazed nothing but net. The initial call was accurate. However, after huddling with his two partners, McCutchen, as crew chief (huh?) overruled.

From what I've been able to ascertain, there was no trigger, no reason, other than the doubt of three abundantly uncertain officials that would've allowed them to review the shot on replay.

So, since Kendrick Perkins had lucked into the rebound, the Celtics regained a possession they maintained for 52 straight seconds (two misses, two offensive boards), concluding in an Eddie House free throw (87-85) with eight ticks remaining.

By the time these playoffs are finished, referees will be responsible for more wins than the eventual champion.

Nonetheless, I'm sure it's comforting to the Magic to learn why the refs were permitted to inflate Gordon's field goal but forbidden to reduce Allen's.

A league office official yesterday was kind enough to clarify:

"The play involving Ray Allen's 3-pointer was a judgment call by the officials. The period in which the officials are allowed to review had passed, so it was no longer reviewable later in the game."

The Game 7 three was indeed reviewed within the time period after the play. Hence the comment issued at the time in response to the change:

"There was a miscommunication between the crew chief (Steve Javie, who was teamed up with Greg Willard and McCutchen) and the control truck during the review in the first quarter. At halftime, the referees became aware of the error. Once they received confirmation from the league office they had the authority to make the change, it was made."

In other words, the NBA did not break its own rule, it merely bent it in order to rectify a wrong when there was still plenty of time. That's a good thing.

Too bad it's not a constant.

Too bad common sense isn't more prevalent, though, as one reader emphasizes, "There's nothing common about sense."

Too bad McCutchen and his partners expressed doubt when they were on target yet sensed no suspicions about something so obvious as a foot fault on the perimeter.

Too bad there's so much stuff the refs aren't seeing, so many guessing games being played.

Hopefully, refs are learning from their own mistakes and those of fraternity members. Next time the refs don't know whether a shot is a two or a three all they've got to do is voice doubt and the play is automatically reviewable.

In fact, that might be the way to go after every call.

As far as the league's quick admission that referee Mark Wunderlich was wrong when he failed to acknowledge Antoine Wright's deliberate foul-to-give that Carmelo Anthony brushed off and rose for a game-winning 3-pointer, numerous column contributors maintain justice was not served.

"Remember the George Brett pine tar game," a reader named Rich evokes. "Baseball stepped in and made the Yanks and Royals replay the game from the point of Brett's home run. And that was just one of 162 games, not a playoff game. The NBA showed no guts. Here's one lifetime fan who has lost all respect for the league. And I don't care if Dallas or Denver had won."

Perhaps in this day of cutting back, we should go back to two referees, seriously advocates a veteran coach. "There are few who think that the three-ref system has improved anything. It is a challenge for anyone to name the top 10 referees; once you get to six, the names really get hard to come by.

"By going back to the two-ref system, 20 of the worst can go back to college or high school officiating and a lot of money and grief will be saved. In the two-whistle system, the refs took more pride in the game's process. Any longtime fan can tell you how they knew the refs of the 1960s-80s era (prior to the 'not-my-call troika') were in charge of the game and commanded respect.

"Of course, there were those who were better than others, but the bottom three was often pruned each year and life went on. And there was no fear of second-guessing when they got back to the hotel room from others who are paid to criticize and have the advantage of replays and various camera angles to tell them they were right or wrong.

"Veteran refs helped the newcomers along before the reign of terror that the young refs are put through these days that stifle their development."

[goterps74]

Which translates to

Just start the Lakers vs Cavs ratings bonanza already!