NBA Referee Joey Crawford Suspended

[lickface]

I mostly read everyones responses here and either laugh or cry, but today I have something to say. For anyone who was actually watching the game and saw the foul call on Oberto you either had two different reactions. 1) You screamed your head off and threatened the TV with bodily harm, or 2) You laughed that maniacle laugh we all carry inside us and say WTF?!?! I think Timmy reacting how he did on the bench was justified on how the game was being called. Sometimes you got to laugh at the situation and say "what the hell"....

[judaspriestess]

]"I've since had referees tell me they felt the younger officials tend to be intimidated by Cuban and all the referee scrutiny he maintains with former officials on his staff and regular reports to the league."
From the Sam Smith article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18064691

This suspension also serves notice to mark cuban who is just as much to blame for his regular bullshit antics at every game and how he tries to intimidate the game and I am not simply referring to the Spurs, this jerk does it with every team.

[degenerate_gambler]

I thought Jack O'Donnel was the first ref to be fired for shit like this. That guy was such an asshole.


agreed...jess kersey, john vanak, jack madden, jack madden, ed middleton sucked but o'donnell took sucking to another level.

[IX_Equilibrium]

Good news for all NBA fans :fro


Don't you come jump on this bandwagon now sport! :devil

[ratm1221]

]"I've since had referees tell me they felt the younger officials tend to be intimidated by Cuban and all the referee scrutiny he maintains with former officials on his staff and regular reports to the league."
From the Sam Smith article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18064691

This suspension also serves notice to mark cuban who is just as much to blame for his regular bullshit antics at every game and how he tries to intimidate the game and I am not simply referring to the Spurs, this jerk does it with every team.


:blah

blah, blah, blah

[ZONACAT]

Let me just say as a Mavericks fan, I am very pleased that Stern came down hard on Joey "No, I'm the Star" Crawford. It's just a shame that the league didn't fire him.

See you in the Conference Finals.

[ponky]

]"I've since had referees tell me they felt the younger officials tend to be intimidated by Cuban and all the referee scrutiny he maintains with former officials on his staff and regular reports to the league."
From the Sam Smith article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18064691

This suspension also serves notice to mark cuban who is just as much to blame for his regular bullshit antics at every game and how he tries to intimidate the game and I am not simply referring to the Spurs, this jerk does it with every team.

get the fuck over mark cuban, he had nothing to do with this, fucking weak

[degenerate_gambler]

get the fuck over mark cuban, he had nothing to do with this, fucking weak


yeah i don't think cubes has a dog in this fight.

[judaspriestess]

get the fuck over mark cuban, he had nothing to do with this, fucking weak


I'm not the msnbc commentator who wrote the article, moron, so maybe you should tell him that. truth hurts though, so you get the fuck over it. Re-read my post s-l-o-w-l-y. No one said mark cuban is to blame for this incident, but he can not also get away with his primadonna antics either.

[ratm1221]

get the fuck over mark cuban, he had nothing to do with this, fucking weak

Just ignore her. There are those that will try and turn every thread into something about Mark Cuban.

[ALVAREZ6]

:lmao ESPN poll:


1) Was the NBA right to suspend Joey Crawford?
87.8% Yes
12.2% No

2) Was Crawford right to eject Tim Duncan?
90.2% No
9.8% Yes

3) What would be the appropriate punishment for Crawford?
49.7% Suspended through playoffs
17.6% He should be fired
14.1% Suspended for remainder of regular season
8.8% A warning
7.3% Suspended through playoffs and part of next season
2.5% Nothing

4) Do NBA referees have too much control over a game's outcome?
78.6% Yes
21.4% No

5) Do you believe NBA referees hold personal grudges against certain players?
72.2% Yes, but only a handful of bad refs
19.3% Yes, most all of them
8.5% No

6) Who would win in a fight?
88.4% Tim Duncan
11.6% Joey Crawford :lol:lmao

was this a true poll?

[ratm1221]

I'm not the msnbc commentator who wrote the article, moron, so maybe you should tell him that. truth hurts though, so you get the fuck over it.

Someone stole your pacifier today? :p:

[judaspriestess]

Just ignore him. There are those that will try and turn every thread into something about Mark Cuban.


Its ignore HER thats why I'm a priesteSS, not that you would know any better.

[degenerate_gambler]

:lmao

was this a true poll?


maybe those 11% thought joey would cheap shot timmy and run up and bite his nuts before he knew what was going on.

[ponky]

I'm not the msnbc commentator who wrote the article, moron, so maybe you should tell him that. truth hurts though, so you get the fuck over it.

the truth, dumbfuck, is that mark cuban already alluded to what he thought about this incident in his blog. he's gotten fined in the past for writing shit about the refs and basically said that he's learned that if you can't be honest in writing about the nba and its officiating without getting slapped with a fine then it's best not to say anything...translation: if he was honest about this incident and the officiating, he'd be fined


msnbc commentator didn't write the bullshit that followed his quote, which is what i'm referring to, try to keep up

[ratm1221]

6) Who would win in a fight?
88.4% Tim Duncan
11.6% Joey Crawford

Yeah.. I liked that too. Funny stuff.

[ponky]

Its ignore HER thats why I'm a priesteSS, not that you would know any better.


:lol :lol :lol alright, that's pretty funny but still, doesn't negate the fact that you're a dummy obsessed with mark cuban

[ponky]

http://www.indernagra.com/joey_crawford.gif


:lol

[mardigan]

get the fuck over mark cuban, he had nothing to do with this, fucking weak
Maybe not this immediate incident no, but Cuban has changed the overall landscape of ref-ing. His constant threats and sending tapes into the offices changed the world of ref-ing por vida

[ponky]

dang, they are going off on espn's the last word! trashing stern all up and down the floor

[ponky]

Maybe not this immediate incident no, but Cuban has changed the overall landscape of ref-ing. His constant threats and sending tapes into the offices changed the world of ref-ing por vida


which is one of the reasons that spurs fans have been bombarding him with emails asking him to comment about this incident. anyway, you are right, he has had an impact by highlighting the officiating but he's also done other stuff to impact the league, marketing, sports health, etc...everyone just focuses on one annoying aspect while he's toned down that side of him this season

[judaspriestess]

the truth, dumbfuck, is that mark cuban already alluded to what he thought about this incident in his blog. he's gotten fined in the past for writing shit about the refs and basically said that he's learned that if you can't be honest in writing about the nba and its officiating without getting slapped with a fine then it's best not to say anything...translation: if he was honest about this incident and the officiating, he'd be fined


msnbc commentator didn't write the bullshit that followed his quote, which is what i'm referring to, try to keep up

dumbfuck? thats pretty small penis of you but not a surprise, but thats ok, a typical dumbing down of the thread and your teams owner is an asshole. you are just to small minded to read the article attached and actually READ the point being made. I don't take mark cubans blog as gospel but you go right on ahead. this is dumb and you are a fuck, now moving right along......

[ponky]

dumbfuck? thats pretty small penis of you but not a surprise, but thats ok, a typical dumbing down of the thread and your teams owner is an asshole. you are just to small minded to read the article attached and actually READ the point being made. I don't take mark cubans blog as gospel but you go right on ahead. this is dumb and you are a fuck


:lol i don't have a penis so thank you! anyway, bringing cuban into this whole incident with duncan/crawford is lame as fuck. you wanna bitch about cuban, bitch about cuban but don't throw fake fuel to the fire like it's actually relevant. while the article is recent, the statement by sam smith is not, it's played out and been used by sam smith before....sounds like he needs to get over it. cuban's blog certainly isn't gospel but it's relevant enough that the same league that suspended crawford sees fit to regulate what he says on his blog which is why i mention it.

[picnroll]

And if Kobe was doing as he was being escorted out by security after being ejected from the game on National TV...I'd say he was acting unprofessional and should (and most likely would) get suspended for at least one game.


I'm saying if the reasoning Stern is giving is becuase Crawford didn't meet "the standards of professionalism" than I don't think Duncan did either.

Nice Try. I'm not a biased homer fan like you.
Kobe's inaapproiate behaviour and escorting tends to be more related to courtrooms.

[mardigan]

which is one of the reasons that spurs fans have been bombarding him with emails asking him to comment about this incident. anyway, you are right, he has had an impact by highlighting the officiating but he's also done other stuff to impact the league, marketing, sports health, etc...everyone just focuses on one annoying aspect while he's toned down that side of him this season
Oh, and dont get me wrong, Cuban is a great owner, he might annoy the shit out of me, but that doesnt make him a bad owner. He turned that team around when no one cared about them. He has helped the NBA in many ways and seems like a solid person away from the court. It just sucks that anytime he is around the court he makes me hate him with a passion :lol

[cheguevara]

http://www.indernagra.com/joey_crawford.gif

:lmao

[SpursWoman]

http://www.indernagra.com/joey_crawford.gif



Awesome!


:lmao

[angel_luv]

Users:
1774 (177 members & 1597 guests)


kori the site is dying :sad


Inagra I love your crawford sig! :lol

[mavs>spurs2]

Anyone else think that suspending him for the entire postseason was a little harsh? He was in the wrong, but I kind of expected something more along the lines of a fine or a few game suspension.

[ponky]

Oh, and dont get me wrong, Cuban is a great owner, he might annoy the shit out of me, but that doesnt make him a bad owner. He turned that team around when no one cared about them. He has helped the NBA in many ways and seems like a solid person away from the court. It just sucks that anytime he is around the court he makes me hate him with a passion :lol

hey, it pisses me off when he gets too close to the team and sometimes acts like too much of a fan but i'm forgiving because of all the stuff he's done for the mavericks, even if i wish he would sit a bit farther away from the team during games.

[ponky]

Anyone else think that suspending him for the entire postseason was a little harsh? He was in the wrong, but I kind of expected something more along the lines of a fine or a few game suspension.


lol, you're asking that here?!?!?!??! try espn

[aaronstampler]

:lol i don't have a penis so thank you! anyway, bringing cuban into this whole incident with duncan/crawford is lame as fuck. you wanna bitch about cuban, bitch about cuban but don't throw fake fuel to the fire like it's actually relevant. while the article is recent, the statement by sam smith is not, it's played out and been used by sam smith before....sounds like he needs to get over it. cuban's blog certainly isn't gospel but it's relevant enough that the same league that suspended crawford sees fit to regulate what he says on his blog which is why i mention it.

The point, Ponky, is that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things and Cuban consistently picks the wrong way. Popovich aired his grievances about the matter privately to the league. He did not go crying about it to the media after the game. He didn't say the league was rigged. He didn't embarrass Stern or try to bully him.

If the exact same thing happened to the Mavs, Cuban would have reacted way differently and perhaps as a result Crawford would not have been suspended. Because the Spurs FO and players acted like adults, they got it handled in an appropriate way.

If Cuban wants to give himself a pat on the back for why Crawford got suspended, he can go ahead, but he had nothing to do with it unless he ordered AJ to put Dirk and Howard back into the game in the 4th.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

lol, you're asking that here?!?!?!??! try espn


do you think it was too harsh ponky?


I think they did it mores o to avoid anymore controversy as oppose to just b/c he challenged TD to a fight. the las thing the league needs is more ref. conspiracy theories like last year

[cheguevara]

Anyone else think that suspending him for the entire postseason was a little harsh? He was in the wrong, but I kind of expected something more along the lines of a fine or a few game suspension.

purposefully changing the course of a professional game and costing that team the 2nd seed of the Western Conference .

He does not belong on the court. Imagine if he screwed up again in the playoffs, NBA would be kaput.

It is less of a punishment and more of a precautionary measure.

I am sure NBA has emailed all refs, "for this playoffs, DO NOT FUCK UP!!!"

[ponky]

The point, Ponky, is that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things and Cuban consistently picks the wrong way. Popovich aired his grievances about the matter privately to the league. He did not go crying about it to the media after the game. He didn't say the league was rigged. He didn't embarrass Stern or try to bully him.

If the exact same thing happened to the Mavs, Cuban would have reacted way differently and perhaps as a result Crawford would not have been suspended. Because the Spurs FO and players acted like adults, they got it handled in an appropriate way.

If Cuban wants to give himself a pat on the back for why Crawford got suspended, he can go ahead, but he had nothing to do with it unless he ordered AJ to put Dirk and Howard back into the game in the 4th.


sorry, i've read your blog articles, you hate cuban, i get it

[ponky]

do you think it was too harsh ponky?


I think they did it mores o to avoid anymore controversy as oppose to just b/c he challenged TD to a fight. the las thing the league needs is more ref. conspiracy theories like last year

no, i don't think it was too harsh, i've never liked joey crawford and felt like he was the prime example of an official with a god complex who has too much control. he wiped away any opportunity (NOT guarantee) you guys had of securing the second seed and his actions were wrong in that game. i agree, the playoffs are starting, this IS the last thing anyone, including the spurs org, needs hanging over their heads before the playoffs.

[picnroll]

Anyone else think that suspending him for the entire postseason was a little harsh? He was in the wrong, but I kind of expected something more along the lines of a fine or a few game suspension.
You're kidding right? Look at the guys on the Mavs who whine pretty constantly led by Dirk and Howard. You want to run the risk of Dirk getting kicked by grumpy old Joey when he throws one of his tantrums for not getting a call on a flail?

[Extra Stout]

Anyone else think that suspending him for the entire postseason was a little harsh? He was in the wrong, but I kind of expected something more along the lines of a fine or a few game suspension.
The precedent I think was set with Jake O'Donnell. If an official demonstrates that he cannot be objective in his treatment of players, then he cannot continue in the league.

[mardigan]

do you think it was too harsh ponky?


I think they did it mores o to avoid anymore controversy as oppose to just b/c he challenged TD to a fight. the las thing the league needs is more ref. conspiracy theories like last year
I can see it both ways. One way it almost seems like the loyal, out of touch company worker that has been there forever was let go because he couldnt grasp the present times, which is sad, the guy has been a good ref for a long time. On the other hand though, when you are integral cog to a huge machine, you cant be changing the games like he seems to do.

[dallaskd]

good. hes a horrible ref and has anger problems. horrible call vs duncan.

[mardigan]

Btw, they are going to interview Stern on PTI in a little bit

[hater]

You're kidding right? Look at the guys on the Mavs who whine pretty constantly led by Dirk and Howard. You want to run the risk of Dirk getting kicked by grumpy old Joey when he throws one of his tantrums for not getting a call on a flail?

LOL very well put

[spursfan09]

Yay! lets see who else Tim can suspend by laughing!

[Cherry]

:elephant :lol :elephant :p: :elephant :lol :elephant :p: :elephant :lol

[peskypesky]

AWESOME!!!!

I was beginning to worry that the NBA would overlook this Crawford bullshit.

Justice is served..... :)

[Sec24Row7]

http://www.lasraicesranch.com/images/misc/crawfishing.jpg

[alamo50]

I hope this doesn't make Timmy any less pissed coming into the playoffs.

[aaronstampler]

Speaking of gone fishin' I'll be interested to hear what the Chuckster has to say about this on Thursday.

[FromWayDowntown]

Speaking of gone fishin' I'll be interested to hear what the Chuckster has to say about this on Thursday.

Will TNT be on the air on Thursday if there are no NBA games that night?

[DarrinS]

You're kidding right? Look at the guys on the Mavs who whine pretty constantly led by Dirk and Howard. You want to run the risk of Dirk getting kicked by grumpy old Joey when he throws one of his tantrums for not getting a call on a flail?


And, the fouls are a lot harder when your going into the paint against 7 footers. As opposed to getting grazed while shooting a fall away jumper. If you've ever sat close to the basket, you can actually hear the slaps.

[aaronstampler]

Will TNT be on the air on Thursday if there are no NBA games that night?

ah shit, I forgot. Reg season ends tomorrow. My bad. I guess they'll bring it up eventually. Saturday? Sunday?

[Das Texan]

fuck you joey!

[mavsfan1000]

Why isn't Dan Crawford suspended yet? He has been a terrible ref as well.

[makedamnsure]

hahahaha this is the highlight of my day

[slayermin]

Well, I guess that's it. I can't believe he was suspended for the rest of the year.

I think Joey Crawford is one of the best refs in the game. It will be a shame if his career ends this way.

[FromWayDowntown]

Why isn't Dan Crawford suspended yet? He has been a terrible ref as well.

I'd disagree with you on that one. I think Dan Crawford might be among the top 3-4 officials in the game.

More to the point, however, Dan Crawford doesn't pull bullshit antics like ejecting players who are laughing on the bench. In fact, Danny Crawford might be among the most thick-skinned officials in the game; like Dick Bavetta, he rarely doles out technicals to anyone. In part, that's probably because he gets fewer complaints from players (because I think he's among the more consistent officials) and in part, I think that's because he gives players and coaches plenty of leeway to talk to him about whatever issues they have.

This suspension isn't about whether Joey Crawford makes unpopular decisions; this is about Joey Crawford deciding that he's bigger than the game and detracting from the NBA product by putting his personal perception of disrespect ahead of the game itself. Danny Crawford hasn't ever done anything remotely close to that.

[BIGRED21]

About Time! Who The F*ck Does Joey Think He Is? Fans Attend The Games And Watch At Home To See The 'teams' Play! Nobody Gives A Sh*t About Who's Calling The Game! Joey Crawford Is An Excellent Official But That' All! Enjoy Your Vacation Joey And Don't Come Back! Now Who's Laughing You Rat Bastard!

[cheguevara]

Stern is full of shit. He is saying Crawford was suspended because he called the 2nd T on TImmy!?

that's BS. howcome he did not mention about the accusations from Duncan that he told him "do you want to fight?". why is he hiding this?

IMO, he does not want to mention this because it would be an embarrassment to the league that their top official says this + he would have needed to fire Crawford.

Because if Duncan's accussation would have been false, Duncan would have been fined more $$ and even suspended a few games.

does anyone know if Stern or anyone mentioned the "do you want to fight" rumor. is it true??????

[exstatic]

props to Cuban for making the league more accountable for refs. I understand why you hate him, it's very easy to do so. But give the man credit for making referees more visible and accountable.
Um, David Stern has run officials (Jake O'Donnell) LONG before Cubes was on the scene. :rolleyes I'm sure the ultimate attention whore would love the credit, though.

[exstatic]

I am not clear as to why Spurs fans are so excited about no Joey Crawford. Do you really want more Bavetta and Nies?
No. We want less YOU.

[samikeyp]

Hasn't Crawford screwed the Mavs in the past as well?

[exstatic]

So I guess he is done for good in the league. Guy seems like he has too much pride to come back
Stern is a Godfather. He knows that if he fires Crawford, he becomes a martyr figure, so he cuts his ball off in public, and knowing his huge ego, hands him some rope. Joey ties it around his neck, and jumps off the cliff.

Actually, if he were a Godfather, there would be one Family in NY, and they'd be listed on the NYSE and making tons of money.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Another bang up job from my favorite idiot poster. Pay yourself on the back mijo, job well donei wouldn't mess with him
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3762/mavsfan1000guncb5.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gif

[mardigan]

i wouldn't mess with him
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3762/mavsfan1000guncb5.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gif

Omfg! I had no idea who I was messing with :lol

[5ToolMan]

ROFLMMFAO!


I was going to start a poll on the over/under on the number of posts it would take before someone posted this exact thing!

:lmao

You underestimated the ignorance of MavsFan if your over/under was over 10 seconds.

[Obi-Wan-Ginobili]

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/734/joeybf0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Who wants to fight?

[5ToolMan]

Why isn't Dan Crawford suspended yet? He has been a terrible ref as well.

Dan Crawford is far and away the best ref in the league. The Mavs Fans hate him because he calls the game as it is supposed to be called. This hurts the Mavs against teams with tougher inside games and stronger defenses. And it does not reward the Mavs with FT's for cheap flops and out of control drives like Dirk, JHo and Terry thrive on.

[nacho]

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/ref-gun-1.jpg

[T-Pain]

i wouldn't mess with him
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3762/mavsfan1000guncb5.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gifhttp://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smilol.gif
isnt this guy the same guy all thugged out in mavs shit?

[clubalien]

You're twisting this around so you can make people sound hypocritical.

Tim Duncan getting ejected and looking a ref in the face while calling him a "fucking piece of shit" is not typical for a Spurs game. This is FAR different than saying something is BS.
i totally agree YELLING "fucking piece of shit" is worthy of an ejection from the game, but getting a tech for smiling is stupid.

[boutons_]

April 18, 2007

Referee Who Ejected Duncan Is Himself Suspended

By LIZ ROBBINS, NYTimes

Just days before the start of the playoffs, the N.B.A. indefinitely suspended one of its top referees, Joey Crawford, for inappropriate behavior during Sunday’s San Antonio-Dallas game when he ejected Tim Duncan.

Duncan, who had been whistled earlier for a technical foul, was ejected by Crawford late in the third quarter for laughing from the bench after his teammate Frabricio Oberto was called for a foul. Duncan left the court and muttered an obscenity at Crawford, and yesterday the N.B.A. fined Duncan $25,000 for doing that.

“Joey Crawford’s handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of N.B.A. referees,” Commissioner David Stern said yesterday in a statement. “Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted. Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities.”

After the Spurs’ 91-86 loss, Duncan told reporters that he believed Crawford had a vendetta against him.

“Before he gave me the two technical fouls, he made a call and I was shaking my head, and he walks down and stares at me,” Duncan told The San Antonio News-Express. “He says, ‘Do you want to fight? Do you want to fight?’ I didn’t say anything to him there, either.”

Crawford was interviewed by a pool reporter after the game and said that Duncan had been “complaining the whole time.”

“And then he went over to the bench and he was over there doing the same stuff behind our back,” Crawford added. “I hit him with one and he kept going over there, laughing, and I look over there and he’s still complaining. So I threw him out.”

In an interview yesterday on the ESPN program “Pardon the Interruption,” Stern dismissed the notion of a vendetta and said Crawford did not show remorse when they spoke on Monday. Stern also indicated that Crawford may not want to come back next season.

“He doesn’t think he did anything wrong,” Stern said. “Probably, he doesn’t wish to work in the N.B.A. anymore. It’s our plan to talk about the future.”

Crawford, in his 31st season as an N.B.A. referee, has been a fixture, having officiated more playoff games (266) and more N.B.A. finals games (38) than any other active referee.

Stern was upset that Crawford had not heeded his admonition from an incident in 2003. Crawford was called into league offices to discuss how he gave four technical fouls to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals with Spurs. He had ejected Don Nelson, who was the Mavericks’ coach at the time, for standing by the scorer’s table in apparent frustration, and later ejected Del Harris, the Mavericks’ assistant coach.

Stern considered Crawford’s behavior grandstanding and warned him that he would not tolerate another such incident. Crawford returned to referee two N.B.A. finals games that year between the Spurs and the Nets.

“He’s been specifically asked by me to change his conduct and he wasn’t able to do it,” Stern said on ESPN. The indefinite suspension, Stern said, was a result of “our earlier interaction where Joey knows our views on, shall I say, his loss of control. You just can’t keep doing that.”

Messages left at the National Basketball Referees Association to reach Crawford were not returned yesterday. Lamell McMorris, a spokesman for the association, declined to comment. Duncan and Spurs officials declined to comment.

Billy Hunter, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, has been critical of the league’s giving referees powers to discipline players’ behavior.

“In my view, Joey Crawford clearly went over the line in this instance and some level of discipline was warranted,” Hunter said yesterday in a statement. “At the same time, I think part of the problem lies with the new rules regarding technical fouls and the lack of consistency with which those rules have been applied.”

Crawford was not the first referee the N.B.A. suspended this season.

Rodney Mott, in his ninth season, was suspended three games without pay in January for directing an obscene gesture and using inappropriate language toward a fan in a game in Portland.

Crawford, with his bald pate and expressive face, is one of the more conspicuous referees in the game. He is known for his emotional style and comes from a lineage of high-profile officials. His brother, Jerry, is an umpire for Major League Baseball. His father, Shag, was also a major league umpire.

Yesterday, Stern did not consider Crawford’s pedigree, but rather how his behavior affected the image of the game.

[Fernando TD21]

4) The fallout from this will be interesting in regards to how other refs view the Spurs. Will they be tougher on Duncan and the Spurs because they had a hand in taking down a ref? Will they let the Spurs get away with more because they don't want to get disciplined by the league? Hopefully it's neither and the Spurs just get a fair shake, but human nature will make a ref react to a Duncan situation different now.
I'm worried about the implications of that too.


props to Cuban for making the league more accountable for refs. I understand why you hate him, it's very easy to do so. But give the man credit for making referees more visible and accountable.
Duncan did more against the bad refs in one week, than Cuban did his whole life. :madrun


About the $25000 fine: I expected more, around $50000. But considering the situation and Duncan's history and reputation I think it was ok. He got a 50% discount for being Tim Duncan.

[Fernando TD21]

now that everything is past, let's laugh with Tim:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Fernando_M/th_duncanheadquarters.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Fernando_M/duncanheadquarters.jpg)
(click on the picture to see it in the original size)
Inspired on SpursTalk posts.

I only did this with the purpose of humour. Not recommended to Spurs haters. :lol

[boutons_]

An NBA Whistle-Blower Exposed

By Michael Wilbon
Wednesday, April 18, 2007; E01

Commissioner David Stern needed to do something. Six months after making it a point of emphasis that referees crack down on excessive player behavior, the NBA simply could not let one of its referees, Joey Crawford, slide for throwing Tim Duncan out of a game for laughing after Crawford said to him, "Do you want to fight?"

The NBA's behavior campaign, which has been in effect for about two years, wouldn't have a shred of credibility if Stern had just given Crawford a warning. This wasn't the first time Crawford had run amok. He was already working under a zero-tolerance warning after a technical-foul assessing spree in a playoff game four years ago.

But not many of us saw this coming. Stern suspended Crawford indefinitely, which is a stunner.

Stern said that Crawford didn't particularly think he'd done anything wrong, and might decide on his own to be done with officiating NBA games for good -- which is another stunner.

Crawford isn't just another zebra. He's probably the most well-known NBA referee among basketball fans, the son of famous former baseball umpire Shag Crawford and the brother of current MLB umpire Jerry Crawford. The Crawfords are America's first family of officiating. And Joey isn't just good at officiating basketball games; he might be the best. He's been reffing NBA games for 30 years and has worked every NBA Finals since 1986.

But Sunday in Dallas, Crawford crossed the line with Duncan. Don't get me wrong, Duncan isn't innocent. He seems almost devoid of personality, but he's a whiner, plain and simple. Even so, "Do you want to fight?" isn't the response you want from a referee during a game. Duncan then said something completely benign to Crawford in protest of a foul call to earn one technical, and while on the bench was laughing visibly a few minutes later. Crawford hit Duncan with a second technical, which calls for automatic ejection.

Duncan's offense?

The laughter. ABC's microphones caught Crawford telling Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich that Duncan's unpardonable sin was laughing at him. You could read Crawford's lips as he said the words "making a mockery." Duncan, incredulous, left the floor and uttered a profanity, which earned him a $25,000 fine. The episode isn't subject to interpretation because it was captured on camera from multiple angles. Crawford was making the case that Duncan's belly-laughing was an attempt to show up the referees. But Stern indicated that that excuse would not fly, that this had nothing to do with enforcing the early-season point of emphasis to assess technicals to players who slam the ball on the floor or run the other way pulling their jerseys over the heads.

And there's something perhaps more bothersome, depending on how cynical you are.

By throwing Duncan out for no good reason, Crawford, no matter how unintentionally, gave Dallas an advantage the rest of the game. The Mavericks, with the No. 1 overall seed already wrapped up, had planned to play their starters only half the game. The Spurs were still fighting Phoenix for the No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the second round of the playoffs, and a win against Dallas would have forced the Suns to win in Houston and perhaps beat the Clippers, too.

Without Duncan, the Spurs lost the game and a chance at the No. 2 seed.

This matters because the NBA -- unlike MLB, the NFL and the NHL -- constantly and with great resentment fights the perception that some larger force (uh, the referees, league office and network partners) tries to influence the outcome to get favorable playoff matchups. Already, people in basketball circles have been openly rooting for a Suns-Mavericks Western Conference finals because those teams have played the most entertaining basketball the NBA has seen in the past two years.

The Mavericks are almost a lock to get that far. The Suns, however, would have to go through the Spurs, a three-time champion with star players widely perceived as utterly boring on and off the court.

So now, if the Spurs and Suns are forced to a Game 7 to see which team advances to the conference final to play Dallas, guess where the game will be played?

Phoenix.

The conspiracy theorists were already at work before Duncan could get from the bench to the locker room after being tossed.

I covered the game for ABC and as soon as I finished listening to Duncan in the locker room and turned my cellphone on, I had four voice mail or text messages suggesting the usual. Two were from recently retired NBA players who quickly noted Crawford's role in helping ensure the Suns home-court advantage. Yes, NBA players talk about "conspiracies" all the time, about who prefers what matchups and why. It's a constant part of the postseason chatter, though nobody ever produces a speck of evidence that would support these allegations. And of all the referees in the league, Joey Crawford (because of his perceived toughness and independence) would be about the last name involved in such chatter.

But the appearance of impropriety can be damning.

And while Stern didn't address that yesterday and probably won't in any on-the-record discussion, it's one of several reasons why he had to do something decisive.

Stern has proven to be quite the sheriff over the last couple of years, some would say unnecessarily so. I would say necessarily so (this is consistent), whether we're talking about the dress code for players or the crackdown on on-court whining. The NBA, in fighting for its slice of the sports and entertainment pie, had better make sure its product is seen as a competition and not exhibition subject to any degree of interference or predetermination. Crawford's suspension doesn't need to be forever but he certainly needs to demonstrate he understands that challenging a player to a fight, then throwing him out of a game for laughing, is reason for him to be chased from the court as well.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

The Mavericks are almost a lock to get that far. The Suns, however, would have to go through the Spurs, a three-time champion with star players widely perceived as utterly boring on and off the court.

God it's little media article comments like that that piss me off.

Seeing disciplined basketball is NOT boring, and it's the media that perpetuates that label. Call the Spurs "More Exciting" since the addition of Parker and Manu, and you'll get the dumber sheep marginals to warm up to the Spurs.

There's a lot of consensus that the Spurs ARE exciting to watch. Take your pick, out of the 30 or so teams. There's only about 4 to 6 good teams? And YOU WOULDN'T pick a Spurs game why?? if the Spurs are STILL boring to watch. Then there's about 25 other teams MORE boring. It's a damn self-fulfilling prophecy. :pctoss

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

As for that article, I may play around with conspiracy theories in the heat of the moment during really bad officiated losses. :lol But if they were REALLY true. Spurs would have only won one Championship. That article is merely milking the last of the whole Crawford-Duncan controversy.

I think the Suns lost their last two games because well...just to rub it in the Spurs faces. Suns fans, I'll even admit they may had done it subconsciously. Since D'antoni for God knows why still had been playing his starters.



So now, if the Spurs and Suns are forced to a Game 7 to see which team advances to the conference final to play Dallas, guess where the game will be played?

Phoenix.

Where was Crawford last year, when we gained our Game 7 homecourt advantage over Dallas?

[IX_Equilibrium]

An NBA Whistle-Blower Exposed

By Michael Wilbon
Wednesday, April 18, 2007; E01



Would you provide a link for this?

[boutons_]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702036.html?nav=hcmodule

[spursfan09]

Well, I guess that's it. I can't believe he was suspended for the rest of the year.

I think Joey Crawford is one of the best refs in the game. It will be a shame if his career ends this way.

Well maybe if he wasn't challenging Tim Duncan to a fight it would of ended yet.

[spursfan09]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041702036.html?nav=hcmodule

I still don't understand how people think of Tony, Manu and Tim as boring. Any team would kill to have those 3 players on thier team and they know it.

[hater]

heheheheh

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a324/Fernando_M/duncanheadquarters.jpg

[duncan228]

Wasn't sure where to put this. Duncan speaks about Crawford and getting a "fair shake" from refs the rest of the way.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/04/18/spurs.duncan.ap/index.html

EDIT: Nevermind. I found it posted twice already in another thread. Sorry Kori!