Does anyone know how many times NBA refs blow the whistle during a game, and how many shots a team takes by comparison? I'm just trying to determine the importance of the refs in relation to the two teams on the floor (compared to, for instance, football).
Early calls are often crucial for the way the game develops. Last night the refs made a bunch of early calls against the Warriors inside D, and you knew right then that the Jazz would be able to go to the basket all night. So in effect the game was decided, or at least heavily tilted, by early calls. Same thing the night before with Amare in early foul trouble. Is that a problem? Yes, because the same and far more serious fouls were not called later in the game...
Combine this with the flopping circus the NBA has become, where drawing a foul is as important as scoring a basket, and one could easily make the case that the officiating decides almost any close playoff series.
But let's not blame the refs. The teams should adjust to the officiating. Right? Fair enough, as long as the refs are consistent. But the officiating for these playoffs has been totally inconsistent from game to game, and within the games themselves.
[/end rant]
Early calls are often crucial for the way the game develops. Last night the refs made a bunch of early calls against the Warriors inside D, and you knew right then that the Jazz would be able to go to the basket all night. So in effect the game was decided, or at least heavily tilted, by early calls. Same thing the night before with Amare in early foul trouble. Is that a problem? Yes, because the same and far more serious fouls were not called later in the game...
Combine this with the flopping circus the NBA has become, where drawing a foul is as important as scoring a basket, and one could easily make the case that the officiating decides almost any close playoff series.
But let's not blame the refs. The teams should adjust to the officiating. Right? Fair enough, as long as the refs are consistent. But the officiating for these playoffs has been totally inconsistent from game to game, and within the games themselves.
[/end rant]