On Basketball: Calls, or non-calls, overshadowing games
None of this is good.
It’s a bad look for James Harden, after a game where he took 15 free throws, to say he wasn’t getting favorable whistles. It’s counterproductive for the NBA to say there were three uncalled fouls against LeBron James in the waning moments of a Finals rematch. It’s troubling that referees are too often part of the postgame story.
This is Christmas week, an unofficial start date of the NBA season for casual fans who shift their focus from football to basketball.
Those new eyeballs are not seeing the league at its best.
Referees have been in the news plenty this season, especially this week. No one wants that. Fans pay to see triple-doubles, not double-technicals. The latest ref drama was Thursday night in Boston, where the Celtics rallied from 26 points down to beat Houston — but postgame talk was dominated by discussion of two late offensive foul calls against Harden.
“You never want to see a game end like that,” Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert said.
Boston loved the calls and Houston hated them and everyone else is likely split down the middle. Thing is, fixating solely on those two whistles robs the league of a chance to revel in what should have been considered a great basketball game.
The two calls against Harden came in the final 8 seconds, both pushoffs drawn by Boston’s Marcus Smart.
It is undeniable that Smart is a very good defensive player.
He also has a reputation among opponents for being a flopper.
On the first of the two late fouls, Smart appeared to grab Harden — who tried to get his arms free. Smart is a tough, strong guy, but when Harden made contact with him he dropped like a rock.
On the second, Harden pushed off and Smart fell again. This…
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