What once was decided now no longer is

In all of this chatter about the "New NBA," especially that which Simmons has been doing, an essential fact has been ignored: the NBA referees are still dick-suckingly awful.

Basketball is a nearly impossible sport to officiate; the number of bodies flowing around the ball, as well as the subjective nature of many rules, mean that even if refs have a good angle, they might not make the right call. In a sport where split-second judgements are the norm, the refs should be the best of the best. No below-average official should officiate a single game of the NBA Playoffs, and especially not the NBA Finals.

Bad referees are an unavoidable point of the game. Forget players, try and figure out whether or not the ref will do a good job tonight. The point is that it is almost impossible for any referee to call a game consistently fair to both sides. One fan base or another will always be up in arms over a percieved gangbang by the whistlemen.

That being said, Game 5 was an egregious example of how not to referee an NBA Finals game.

The call Bennet Salvatore made for Dwyane Wade was exactly everything it should not have been: it was late, it was a bad angle, there was no contact, and it's the motherfucking NBA Finals.

That such a call was made is a testament to Wade's star power. In short, he has arrived at his destination; only a select few inspire 50 foot whistles with the mere miss of a shot.


True, Wade may be celebrating with a bottle of champaigne if the Heat prevail tonight, but he will be a false god. Those who look upon this championship must do so with the same asterisk that adorns all others before it: Referees were involved.