Refs - Boston@Detroit

[conneaut615]

Danny Crawford, Bob Delaney, Scott Foster

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html

[ElNono]

We're getting Joey for Game 4. Book it.

[xtremesteven33]

id rather have joey for game 4 than game 5

[Man of Steel]

We're getting Joey for Game 4. Book it.

That's exactly what I was thinking!:bang

[Russ]

We're getting Joey for Game 4. Book it.

The NBA is playing its cards very carefully -- waiting to spring Joey at just the right moment. :lol

[spurastic]

I'll rather have Joey on homecourt than away. Joey may get mobbed if he pulls the shit he did in the last game.

[pauls931]

Poor Detroit is screwed, but after watching the game, the played like crap, not even a ref could cause that poor excuse of a game to happen.

[easjer]

Eh, Joey worked out ok at home.

If the Spurs play well it doesn't matter who the officials are. Hopefully the Spurs are even more intimately aware of the must-win nature of the game than we fans are and come ready to play.

[ShoogarBear]

Just as long as it isn't Joey for Game 7.

[lefty]

id rather have joey for game 4 than game 5

I agree

[FromWayDowntown]

If this plays out the way it appears it will, the Spurs and Lakers will have Joey Crawford as the lead official for Game 4, Steve Javie as the lead official for Game 5, and Dick Bavetta as the lead official for a potential Game 6. That would also make it very likely, I think, that a Game 7 would feature Salvatore, Rush, or one of the Crawfords.

[PlayoffEx-static]

If this plays out the way it appears it will, the Spurs and Lakers will have Joey Crawford as the lead official for Game 4, Steve Javie as the lead official for Game 5, and Dick Bavetta as the lead official for a potential Game 6. That would also make it very likely, I think, that a Game 7 would feature Salvatore, Rush, or one of the Crawfords.

Do they do re-runs in one series, because we've had Salvatore already (Gm 1)? Or, do the refs also "shorten their rotation" for the playoffs?

[Ghazi]

Salvatore cost the Mavs a championship

[FromWayDowntown]

Do they do re-runs in one series, because we've had Salvatore already (Gm 1)? Or, do the refs also "shorten their rotation" for the playoffs?

At this point, there is some redundancy, but I would expect that the Spurs and Lakers will see all 6 of the crew chiefs (D. Crawford, Salvatore, Rush, J. Crawford, Javie, Bavetta) once before they'll see any of those officials again in this series.

The rotation of referees has shortened with each round, though. At this stage, there are about 18-22 officials still working; once we get past the Game 5's in this round, only the 12 officials who will work the NBA Finals will still be calling games.

[easjer]

If this plays out the way it appears it will, the Spurs and Lakers will have Joey Crawford as the lead official for Game 4, Steve Javie as the lead official for Game 5, and Dick Bavetta as the lead official for a potential Game 6. That would also make it very likely, I think, that a Game 7 would feature Salvatore, Rush, or one of the Crawfords.

So they have got even more motivation to go ahead and win game 4, game 5 and game 6, mirroring the 2004 Laker run with a backdoor sweep. Cause that group of officials in a game 7 in LA . . . well, they'd be better off not playing a game 7, even if it means fishing. It's that bad, imo. Though the crew chiefs for the next three seem ok.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm hoping I'm right about the rotation -- we'll see after midnight tonight, but the Dan Crawford assignment for tonight seemed predictable to me. I might live to regret thinking this, but I'd much rather have Joey Crawford at home and Javie on the road for what might be a pivotal Game 5.

[conneaut615]

I agree. One thing about Javie - he does not let a home crowd get to him.

[easjer]

I'm hoping I'm right about the rotation -- we'll see after midnight tonight, but the Dan Crawford assignment for tonight seemed predictable to me. I might live to regret thinking this, but I'd much rather have Joey Crawford at home and Javie on the road for what might be a pivotal Game 5.

I'd lay money on your being right.

And I further agree with JC at home and Javie on the road. We saw what happened last time JC was on the road with us - it wasn't pretty; whereas JC at home with us was much more even-handed. Better now, I think. Javie will be ok on the road.

[50 cent]

I'm hoping I'm right about the rotation -- we'll see after midnight tonight, but the Dan Crawford assignment for tonight seemed predictable to me. I might live to regret thinking this, but I'd much rather have Joey Crawford at home and Javie on the road for what might be a pivotal Game 5.

I was thinking the same thing. The reverse of that could be a very bad thing.

[polandprzem]

It looks like Joey will be a referee for game four and javie for game five (maybe even with bavetta)

[timvp]

If this plays out the way it appears it will, the Spurs and Lakers will have Joey Crawford as the lead official for Game 4, Steve Javie as the lead official for Game 5, and Dick Bavetta as the lead official for a potential Game 6.That actually would work out well for the Spurs if that's the rotation. The Spurs will have to face Joey at some point -- might as well be at home. You want Javie on the road. Bavetta at home in Game 6 isn't great ... but again, you want Bavetta at home.

Duncan, and Pop for that matter, have to not get caught up in the Joey hoopla. If Duncan comes out and lays an egg because he's whining all game to Joey, I'd be extremely disappointed.

[Trainwreck2100]

I say they hold Joey to game 5

[theMUHMEshow]

Danny Crawford, Bob Delaney, Scott Foster

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :bang

[FromWayDowntown]

For whatever it's worth, the rotation thing does seem to have worked out last year, with what we know about what happened.

Javie was the lead official for Game 1 of DET/CLE and then, as chance would have it, was the lead official for Game 4 of SA/UTH. Bernie Fryer was likely the lead officials for Game 2 of DET/CLE and then was also an official for Game 5 of SA/UTH.

Dan Crawford was the lead official for Game 1 of SA/UTH and then was the lead official for Game 4 of DET/CLE. Salvatore was the lead official for Game 2 of SA/UTH and then was the lead official for Game 5 of DET/CLE. And Ed Rush was the lead official for Game 3 of SA/UTH and the lead official for Game 6 of DET/CLE.

I found that it worked almost perfectly in 2006 as well. Bernie Fryer was the lead official for Game 1 of the WCF and then for Game 4 of the ECF. Joey Crawford was the lead official for Game 2 of the WCF and then for Game 5 of the ECF. Ed Rush (or Steve Javie) was the lead official for Game 3 of the WCF and Game 6 of the ECF. Bennett Salvatore did Game 1 of the ECF and Game 4 of the WCF. The lone exception to the rule was that Dan Crawford did Game 3 of the ECF and Game 5 (instead of Game 6) of the WCF, while Bavetta did Game 2 of the ECF and Game 6 (instead of Game 5) of the WCF.

[Budkin]

As long as Joey isn't reffing game 5, that's fine. Though he shouldn't be able to ref any fucking Spurs game.

[Avitus1]

Joey... fucking Joey.... I hate that guy... maybe he'll get hit by a bus on the way to SA.

[polandprzem]

J. Crawford
J. Forte
M. Wunderlich

[romad_20]

J. Crawford
J. Forte
M. Wunderlich

Great. Well I guess I would rather have Joey at home than on the road in game 5.