Does the NBA have an officiating issue?
NBA officiating has a very long history of misconduct and blatant biases towards teams and players.
Like Jalen Rose said on the ESPN halftime shows. Officials don’t like to hear this, but they are biased in deciding calls for certain players. Even Trae Young chimed in with a great point about officiating the play and not the player.
Can’t officiate the PLAYER officiate the PLAY
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 1, 2022
A perfect example of this is Chris Paul. Paul, who is the head of the NBPA, had some very controversial plays in their series against New Orleans. A smack with a clear intention of being dirty to the face of Herb Jones was called a flagrant 1.
A kick to the groin of Jose Alvarado went unnoticed. Last but not least, Paul was rewarded a foul after he elbowed Alvarado in the face causing blood and a chipped tooth. Even if it was a foul on Jose, the refs are still allowed to check for any extra intent.
Obviously, they did not, as their crew chief that game was none other than Kane Fitzgerald.
You can go on and on about players that don’t get a fair judgment from officials. How about when Boogie Cousins received two of the quickest consecutive technicals we have ever seen in a playoff game from Scott Foster.
There is a common denominator here, the officials have become some of the worst in all of professional sports.
I understand that athleticism, speed of play, and constant arguing from players can be overwhelming, but these officials don’t even try to use their resources or each other to make these tough calls.