NBA Fact or Fiction: Is questionable officiating costing your favorite team?

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NBA Fact or Fiction: Is questionable officiating costing your favorite team?


Ben Rohrbach
Senior NBA writer

Fri, Jan 12, 2024, 5:09 PM GMT-3·5 min read



Each week during the 2023-24 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether the trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward.


This week's topic: You have every right to be upset about NBA officiating


It has been a wild season for all of you big-time fans of NBA officials.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković gave referees $25,000 worth of criticism following a 132-131 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in which his team shot 21 fewer free throws than its opponent in the fourth quarter.

"What happened tonight, this is completely B.S.," Rajaković said, 38 games into his first season as a head coach. "This is shame. Shame for the referees, shame for the league to allow this. ... They had to win tonight? If that's the case, just let us know, so we don't show up for the game. Just give them a win. This was not fair tonight."

Two months ago, Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins welcomed the same fine for the same complaint, describing "interactions right now with the officials" as "complete disrespect" and calling a loss to the Utah Jazz, "One of the most poorly officiated games I’ve ever seen. Record it. I’m fine with it. F***ing atrocious."

NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić might agree with that "disrespect" sentiment. Both were ejected earlier this season amid dubious circumstances. The same Lakers who benefited from the free-throw disparity Tuesday have objected to officiating all season. They filed an official complaint in early November, and LeBron James spent his 39th birthday publicly ripping the referees for (correctly) confirming via replay that his foot was on the line for what would've been a late, game-tying 3-pointer.


"Stevie Wonder can see that, champ," James said of a still frame that showed space between his toe and the line (before he rolled his shoe into the line). "They said it was out of their hands. The Secaucus whatever over there in the replay center, somebody over there eating a ham sandwich or somebody made the call."

James raised the issue again earlier this week, when officials made several controversial calls in the final seconds of the Boston Celtics' 133-131 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Indiana's Buddy Hield caught Celtics wing Jaylen Brown's head on a block attempt, prompting a whistle, only for officials to reverse the call upon review. The NBA's last-two-minute report confirmed that ruling but determined that Boston center Kristaps Porzingis was incorrectly called for a similar shooting foul that decided the game on its next possession.

"I think that needs to be investigated," Brown said. "Cost my team a game. Of course I’m pissed about it."

This is shame. F***ing atrocious. Stevie Wonder and ham sandwiches. Investigations. These are spectacular rants and might even be hilarious until you realize that calling the integrity of a sport into question is serious business. You know just how serious it is when the Lakers and Celtics reach an agreement on its veracity.

What better time, then, to revisit The "Sleepless Nights" Index, our annual review of the league's last-two-minute reports, prompted by the National Basketball Referees Association's admission that its members had lost sleep over a controversial call at the end of a (you guessed it) Celtics-Lakers game last season.

(We should probably mention that Eric Lewis, the official involved in that controversial call, retired this past summer, closing an investigation into an alleged burner account and potential bias. Pay no mind to the involvement of Ben Taylor — a target of Toronto's criticism before — in the Raptors' latest incident, right?)

Who among those furious with officials has a right to be? Folks, here's the updated "Sleepless Nights" Index, a table of each team's close games, the amount of incorrect calls or no-calls in those games, the number of those calls that went in favor of each team and the percentage of favorable calls that each team received:


TEAM..................................L2Ms...........IC/INC.............IN FAVOR.............%IN FAVOR

Nuggets...............................13................15....................12.........................80%

Timberwolves.......................10................12.....................9..........................75%

Kings...................................9.................11.....................8.........................72.7%

Pacers.................................11................12.....................8.........................66.7%

Mavericks............................11................14.....................9.........................64.3%

Bucks.................................14................16....................10........................62.5%

Wizards...............................9.................13.....................8.........................61.5%

Hawks................................14................15.....................9.........................60%

Clippers..............................10................17....................10........................58.8%

Thunder..............................12................12....................7..........................58.3%

Cavaliers............................10................7......................4..........................57.1%

Raptors..............................16...............18....................10.........................55.6%

Jazz...................................11...............17....................9...........................52.9%

Hornets..............................13...............16....................8...........................50%

Pistons...............................10...............16....................8...........................50%

Warriors.............................18...............26...................13..........................50%

Grizzlies.............................10...............14...................7............................50%

Knicks................................8................10...................5............................50%

Trail Blazers.......................13...............24...................11..........................45.8%

Heat.................................12...............16...................7...........................43.8%

Suns.................................17...............23.................10...........................43.5%

Bulls.................................15...............21..................9............................42.9%

Rockets.............................12...............26.................11...........................42.3%

Spurs................................10...............12.................5.............................41.7%

Celtics..............................16...............18................7............................38.9%

Lakers...............................17...............18.................7.............................38.9%

Magic.................................9................16.................6.............................37.5%

Nets..................................15...............12.................4.............................33.3%

Pelicans.............................12...............15.................5.............................33.3%

76ers.................................9................18.................4.............................22.2%


A few observations:


The defending champion Nuggets have received 80% of the NBA's self-admitted incorrect calls or non-calls from the last two minutes in their favor. Break out the tin foil hats, folks: It's conspiracy theory time.

Dallas is the only large media market to receive more than 60% of these calls in its favor — just in time for Mark Cuban to sell his Mavericks. Hmm. And have you stopped to consider that the league might now rig outcomes to favor smaller markets, just to throw us off the scent? Kidding, of course. Or am I?

Seriously, though, 25 of the 30 teams are within two calls — or a single last-two-minute report — from a 50-50 split on calls in their favor, including the aforementioned Raptors, Grizzlies, Lakers and Celtics.

There is no evidence, year over year, that any one team is being deliberately helped or hurt by whistles.

The Sixers have a serious gripe with how they are being called in close games. They have also taken 96 more free throws than their opponents in 36 games, so maybe officials are just fallible like the rest of us.


Determination: Fiction. You're probably just mad the bad call didn't go your way this time.


Bob
MY NOTE:  So we're 24th out of 30.  Not good.  What is good is that, despite that handicap, we still have the best record in the league.  I would argue our numbers would be better if the call on Jaylen that was overturned on review hadn't been overturned.  The L2M report says it was the right call, I still disagree.  Buddy Hield came from behind Jaylen, directly across the top of his head, to reach the ball.  Contact with Brown's head with defense like that was inevitable, it was bad defense that was bailed out by the refs and the league in the L2M.  That should have gone in our favor, which would raise our numbers up to 8 right out of 18 (44.4%).  The fact that the league upheld a bad reversal in the L2M report doesn't mean it's right.

And as far as Philly getting such a raw deal a whistle gets blown every time someone even gives Joel Embiid a hard look.  What they've not been getting in L2M breaks they had been getting for the first 46 minutes of every game.  There's no official, publicly-released review of the propensity of refs to send Embiid to the line.

How many bad calls are made in the first 46 minutes of games that change the whole game and often make the L2M moot?


.

The guys I had burgers with at Keens Steakhouse with last night, you commented on FB, we’re saying how bad the reffing is now; what a complete sh!t show it is in the NFL and NBA.

On Jaylens reversed call, how pathetic and moronic is that? As LBJ points out the refs looked at replay and still got it wrong, then the Secaucus morons eating a ham sandwich even got it wrong again….???? WTF…????

Total blasphemy and a total sh!tshow!!!!!!!!

I know I am biased, I admit that right up front. But after a while it gets sickening watching some of these supposed professional referees call games. There is no doubt in my mind that the Celtics have hurt themselves by not playing nice with these guys. For a guy like Tatum who goes to the hole fifteen times a game at least, and gets so few calls, it is obvious, they are sending him a message. I cannot watch a game with Embid, it is foolish what happens with him. And, Cowens, you quoted LeBron, and then what happened in that Toronto game, 23 fouls in the 4th quarter??? come on, something is wrong. I believe the training of these guys is so off . half of them do not understand defense, or play nice with who they like. There, I have said it. Play the darn game and let's start keeping track of the ref's who blow the most calls They do not mind making a fool out of a player, what makes them so innocent? Done for the day, have to save my energy for tonights game, going to be interesting

When I drove cab in Boston in 1976-77, I once dropped off a fare at the old Boston Garden, and then picked up some NBA refs on a Sunday afternoon following a game. Six refs (I don't know why there were so many at one game) piled into my Checker cab. Two in front alongside me, four in the back. The fare was to Logan Airport. They basically stiffed me on the tip. That experience has colored my opinion of NBA refs ever since.

Worcester, NOW I hate them more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL Rosalie!

Speaking of a joke, last winter my son from Portland, Maine bought tickets online to take my grandsons to see the Celts play on a Saturday night. Booked a hotel in Boston to stay over. Only trouble is, the game was played in New Orleans! To make matters worse, the game was not being broadcast on their hotel TV.

So this year I asked if we could all go to a game together in Boston to see the Celts play Houston. My gal wanted me to join her for a memorial service for a friend of hers who's passed away, but I did not really want to go. I said, "OK, if my son can get tickets to the game afterwards."  I called him and - afraid of what had happened the year before - he checked to see if it were a home game. I've been swamped with work and did not look into it myself. He got back to me and said the game was in Houston, so I decided not to go to Boston this weekend. Kathleen, knowing I am somewhat of an idiot, found out the game IS in Boston but did not get upset with me. As for my son, he's even more swamped with work than I am, so I can understand his confusion. Still, it will be a family joke for years to come. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Worcester. I know the feeling!!! A few years ago, when I was going through that though stretch and was in the hospital for 3 months, I was watching a game on tv. A male nurse came in to check on my and commented "oh..you are a Celtics fan?" All of a sudden it dawned on me that there were 2 tickets sitting on mu bureau for the game I was watching!! a Christmas gife from my son, he was so wrapped up in worrying about me and his father that he forgot he bought the tickes $400 blown away!!! I just looked at the nurse and said "yes........I think I am looking at someone who is sitting in my seat!!!" We all do it at some point in our life!!! time marches on!!

One of the most overdone, nonsensical arguments in sports.

Fast moving games officiated by the human eye will have bad calls. In the highest levels of any sport these poor calls are in the minority. Replay availability in most sports has cut down on errors determining the outcome of games even further. Add to that the fact that you don’t get to the level of officiating a professional sport without rising through the ranks as one of the best in your trade.

Have bad calls ever changed the outcome of a game? Certainly, but very rarely.

The answer is generally universal. Quit bitching and score more points.

For the most part it is the refusal of fans and players alike to accept a blown chance. I know, for example, when I played, I never struck out looking unless it was a bad call. Yeah, sure. Jason Tatum, as much as I believe he is among the best in the game is a prime example of the wrong way to deal with officiating. The guy needs a new stat invented for minutes spent whining about a call.

When robotic devices call the games it won’t be an issue, I guess. But do we want the human element removed from officiating? Be careful what we wish for. Minor league baseball is already experimenting with electronically called balls and strikes. Now who do fans and players blame?