The entire 2011 playoffs seem to be some of the best officiating in years. I can't recall one game being decided by the officials like seemed to be the norm in years past. I hope it stays that way.

They have reversed the normal NBA playoff trend of calling only ticky-tack fouls and ignoring the muggings.

They effed a few calls towards the end, NBA needs viewers.

I don't know. I probably thought the same thing every year the Spurs won a championship. Somehow I doubt this is the case.

I'm still trying to figure out how Marion's getting his left arm hacked hard at the bucket wasn't a foul. Unreal.

I haven't seen any games that looked rigged this postseason. That's major improvement. I've seen a handful of games where the refs were just plain lousy, but both teams were hurt. One of the Mav/Thunder games was a joke. No team was penalized, but it was terrible officiating.

I still see way too many bad calls that are obvious. The LBJ double dribble, flop, and technical on Marion was atrocious. Especially since they let the Heat jawmouth repeatedly.

That could have cost the macs the game. Marion doesn't act like a fragile ***** like Lebron and Wade, so he refs ignored the foul.

That was all on Marion, he should've led into Lebrons body and gone to his left hand. He went up right handed and didn't secure enough contact.

It was Marion's fault that he didn't get fouled *enough*?

On one level, I get what you're saying... but at another, that's a pretty serious indictment of NBA officiating, isn't it?

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It was Marion's fault that he didn't get fouled *enough*?

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You are taught to take it up better in middle school. Left side lay up with left hand. Draw the contact. Especially when the defender is moving away from you. He played that poorly.

I think the refs have done a nice job....there have been some missed calls both ways, but they haven't blown the superstars as much.

Refs simply missed him getting hammered on his right arm, getting the foul called isn't his job. The fact that it sounds like it is is an indictment on the NBA.

Lebron's biggest failure in the finals has been his inability to get to the free throw line. I don't think the refs are missing a lot of calls, he just isn't being aggressive enough.

I agree that the officiating has been pretty good.

I'm not saying it couldn't have been called a foul, but in that spot he's got to make it a no doubter. Plus it should've been a left handed layup so you get the make even if you don't get the call.

Missing that foul is near inexcusable. If I did a high school game and missed a fast break foul like that I'd be ripped by an evaluator (if there). In 3 man crew, that means 2 guys missed that easy call. The call is easy because there's not that much traffic to hinder viewing of the substantial contact.

That said, overall I've been happy with how officials have generally stayed out of the business of deciding games. Lets see though once this goes back to Miami and the NBA wants a game 7... We'll see.

I have felt the star gimme-fouls have been going both ways. Overall I am happy they swallowed their whistles for the Finals, let the talent play dictate the result not the FTs/flops. Muggings are being called, see the Howard take down, so I am satisfied.

I think Bron Bron could be called for an offensive foul just about everytime he touches the ball. He really gets away with a lot of pushing off with his forearms.

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You are taught to take it up better in middle school.

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Not where I coached! It was all I could do to get my kids to spread the floor on offense, and by "spread the floor" I mean "don't run to the ball like it has the gravitational pull of a black hole." I was coaching 6th graders at a private school, though. We were probably about as bad as it gets.

BTW... can anybody explain to me how Bryan Cardinal wasn't set to take that charge when Dwyyyyaaaayyayayayayne hurt his hip? One of the TV idiots said something about Wade coming in from his side rather than his front, and *that* was why it was a blocking call. It must have been JVG who said it, I think, because his ignorance of the rules knows no bounds, and that was a really profoundly stupid thing to say.

That said, is there any way that wasn't a charge?

It was close because Cardinal looked like he was slightly leaning to his right. I thought it was a charge, and I also thought Lebron's charge on Chandler late was obvious (which one or two of the ESPN guys somehow managed to disagree with).

Refs have been OK. Dallas is getting the better end of it in the finals BY FAR.


Miami has been called for 20 more fouls than Dallas.

Dallas has shot 22 more free throws than Miami.

And the Mav should be shooting more, Miami hacks an pushes off more than any team I've seen.

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And the Mav should be shooting more, Miami hacks an pushes off more than any team I've seen.

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They also attack the basket more than Dallas does. Their whole offense revolves around tow guys driving. That usually translates into lots of FTs.

Refs blew the hack on Marion late in last nights game. Lebron nearly knocked his arm off while going for the layup.

refcalls.com

shows a game by game list of missed/bad calls. Miami seems to get better end of every game so far.

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Refs have been OK. Dallas is getting the better end of it in the finals BY FAR.

Miami has been called for 20 more fouls than Dallas.

Dallas has shot 22 more free throws than Miami.

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Surprising they have that many free throw attempts despite the fact that Dallas is a jumpshooting team. I have seen an unusually large number of fouls called while rebounding. They did miss Lebron's double dribble and Wade's traveling but they dont really pay attention to those two infractions too often.

Its an okay officiating job but you know that the home team always get the benefit of the calls so we shall see how it goes in Miami.

Ignore clay's stupidity which also knows no bounds.

Mavs have been on short end of calls in every game. Nothing major, just 3 or 4 calls overall. That's not that much. But when you consider the games have all been within a basket, it's huge.

Cardinal obviously took a charge. Quick tech on Carlisle. No tech on Wade. LBJ hack on Marion. Wade moving pivot foot 5 times. Chalmers knocking down Jet in open court without a call.

That's off top of my head and there are probably more. Those were obvious calls and all were missed or ignored.

Did they mess up on some plays that helped the Mavs? Yep, definately. But it NEVER equalled the help that the Heat are getting. That's night after night.

I'd be willing to bet that Miami has been called for twice the number of loose ball fouls than Dallas.

There have been a ton of loose ball calls (rebound calls), and its not ordinary.

Big thumbs up for Bennett Salvatore's absence.

Wow, Mavs fans' ignorance knows no bounds.

The Finals have been called pretty fairly. Game 3 was called very much in Dallas's favor but the Heat won anyway.

Regarding Game 5, Cardinal's foul was a block. You can't stand in one place and hit a guy and expect to get a charge when the guy is NOT going right at you...that's bad defense and he was rightly called for a block. He did his job on the play by injuring DWade, though.

It's interesting that NONE of you brought up the missed block/charge on the Lebron/Chandler play. There was 2:27 left in the game, Dallas was up 102-100 at the time. If that play is correctly called as a block on Chandler, and Lebron makes the and 1, then Miami is up 103-102 and the Marion/Lebron missed foul may never happen. Who knows, maybe the momentum shifts for the rest of the game and Barea/Kidd/Terry don't hit their 3s. You never know. That missed call may have gifted the series to Dallas....

clay/gunan01,

If are are being serious, I suggest you go read refcalls.com

Don't just throw out that "there are tons of this and that". Look at what actually happened. You can't deny that the Heat are getting roughly 4-6 more points per game than the Mavs due to the officiating.

It's not debatable.

The LBJ charge was the correct call.


edit for gunan

[This message has been edited by polish german (edited 6/10/2011 9:04a).]

Another stupid and unrelated post from clay.

Miami has committed more loose fouls, hence the whistles.

Nobody is counting fouls. People are counting missed calls. And Miami has lots of help from officials here.

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claym711

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Then on the very next possession, it was a tough call for ref Joe Crawford to make at real speed when LeBron James caught the ball as he was driving to the hoop, and was called for a charging violation on Tyson Chandler.

Chandler was established when James charged into him, and Chandler was in the restricted area (or on the line, which is the same thing). The key question is where was James when he “received” the ball? It’s pretty clear he received it in the lower defensive box area, so this was a good call.

The lower defensive box (LDB) is the area between the tip of the free throw circle, down to the end line, and out across the lane a couple of feet to some small hash marks along the end line that are hardly visible, but they are there.

The reason why the LDB is relevant on block-charge situations like this is because the rule makers understood that it would be impossible for a defender to get out of the restricted area quick enough if an opponent on offense received the ball real close to the basket. It would give the offense an unfair advantage. So that’s why they came up with a reasonable amount of space and grant the defender a “waiver” to legally be in the restricted area.

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from refcalls.

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It's interesting that NONE of you brought up the missed block/charge on the Lebron/Chandler play. There was 2:27 left in the game, Dallas was up 102-100 at the time. If that play is correctly called as a block on Chandler, and Lebron makes the and 1, then Miami is up 103-102 and the Marion/Lebron missed foul may never happen. Who knows, maybe the momentum shifts for the rest of the game and Barea/Kidd/Terry don't hit their 3s. You never know. That missed call may have gifted the series to Dallas....

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That was the correct call...

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Chandler was established when James charged into him, and Chandler was in the restricted area (or on the line, which is the same thing). The key question is where was James when he “received” the ball? It’s pretty clear he received it in the lower defensive box area, so this was a good call.

The lower defensive box (LDB) is the area between the tip of the free throw circle, down to the end line, and out across the lane a couple of feet to some small hash marks along the end line that are hardly visible, but they are there.

The reason why the LDB is relevant on block-charge situations like this is because the rule makers understood that it would be impossible for a defender to get out of the restricted area quick enough if an opponent on offense received the ball real close to the basket. It would give the offense an unfair advantage. So that’s why they came up with a reasonable amount of space and grant the defender a “waiver” to legally be in the restricted area.

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