Game 4 Referees

[Beaverfuzz]

Danny Crawford.

[stnick2261]

If you're curious, I think the likely Game 5 crew chief is James Capers. There are 7 chiefs working in this round (Foster, Mauer, McCutchen, Crawford, Callahan, Capers, Davis). 5 of those have already worked this series and aren't likely to be in a Game 5, leaving only Mike Callahan and James Capers as crew chiefs who haven't worked in this series. Callahan is working tonight in Portland, so process of elimination says Capers. It could be someone else, but to get there, the league would either have to dramatically shake up its usual methods of assigning crew chiefs to playoff series or pick a brand new crew chief for these playoffs late in Round 2; each of those things seems unlikely.

Harder to guess the crew, but it seems most likely to come from a pool of the following candidates: Pat Fraher, Ron Garretson, John Goble, Jason Phillips, and Sean Wright. If I had to guess, I'd posit that Goble is one of them, since he's worked a couple of games in these playoffs on Capers' crew (including Game 4 of Spurs/Grizzlies). Again, there are a few other options, but to get to those, the league would either have to change up its usual methods of assignment or put a very inexperienced official (like Bennie Adams with 2 career games past the first round, Kane Fitzgerald (1), Courtney Kirkland (1), Josh Tiven (2)) on a very high stakes game, which would be unusual.

Thanks FWD, I always appreciate your input. I know you know more about the refs than I do.

Like I said in the OP, Crawford favors the losing team to keep games close (no blowouts with him around) and allows games to get physical. Zarba can't keep up with the pace of a playoff game and will flat out guess (and he can't possibly be wrong). I fully believe David Stern would do everything he can to fix games. I don't see that in Silver, but I don't put it past him to strategically arrange refs with tendencies... as long as we don't get Scott Foster as crew chief. If anyone was to fix a game, Foster would be it. He has 8 pages devoted to him in the FBI investigation into the NBA ref scandal with Tim Donaghey.

[Mouth is Bleeding]

There were so many little sneaky backstabbing bull calls THAT WE DONT SEE ALL YEAR AT ANY POINT CALLED AGAINST US but sure enough suddenly they are here making life a lot more tough and unfair than it should be.

[FromWayDowntown]

For whatever it's worth, my guess is that Foster has Game 6 of this series (to ensure he doesn't work twice in the same site) and that either McCutchen or Crawford has Game 7 (same).

[Obstructed_View]

Spurs were being physical

Now that's funny. Go back and watch the game. Leonard, Manu and Kawhi were chucked to the ground several times in the game every time they tried to move without the ball.

[FromWayDowntown]

Like I said in the OP, Crawford favors the losing team to keep games close (no blowouts with him around) and allows games to get physical.

The cynical part of me thinks that Danny Crawford has become the modern day Bavetta -- there to try to help extend a series when he can. The physicality thing has long been part of the deal with Crawford and the Spurs of the early Duncan era used to just eat that up. Now, that preference tends to cut against the Spurs, who get pushed around way too much, I think.

Zarba can't keep up with the pace of a playoff game and will flat out guess (and he can't possibly be wrong).

I just think Zarba is overrated by the league and his ascendance to a Finals official has empowered him to act as though he's infallible. To me, the fact that Zarba (and a few others) are Finals officials in the NBA says a lot about the quality of officiating in the middle of the pack.

At the top end, the officiating can be quite good. Monty McCutchen is reviled in a lot of places (including here) but he's probably the best game caller around and (from all that I read about it) is consistently considered by players and coaches alike to be the best official in the game. Callahan is almost always right; Mauer is generally pretty good; Marc Davis (despite Game 2 of this series) has become a very good official if you watch him over a period of time. Even Foster and Crawford, when they just decide to call balls and strikes, can each be very good as well.

But when you get beyond that group, there's a lot of mediocrity among the more veteran officials -- guys like Zach Zarba, Ed Malloy, John Goble, Jason Phillips, Sean Wright and Bill Kennedy. A generation ago, officials of that quality would have been done with their seasons by the middle of the second round. Now, they're fixtures in the Conference Finals and Finals. Malloy in particular epitomizes that group to me; he's strangely considered to be very good by the NBA, even though there seems to be a broad consensus among knowledgable fans that he is frustratingly bad (or at least wildly inconsistent).

I fully believe David Stern would do everything he can to fix games. I don't see that in Silver, but I don't put it past him to strategically arrange refs with tendencies... as long as we don't get Scott Foster as crew chief. If anyone was to fix a game, Foster would be it. He has 8 pages devoted to him in the FBI investigation into the NBA ref scandal with Tim Donaghey.

I don't really think the officials are instructed to obtain particular outcomes from games; I just think that a lot of them aren't particularly great and of those, many are fully willing to be swayed by a home crowd or to give deference to superstars without any particularly principled standard -- that is, they're willing to be wildly inconsistent in the belief that they should protect particular players and particularly when those players are playing at home.

[james evans]

Getting the Thunder in the bonus in the first 2 minutes... Every quarter

Every time we go up big, the thunder go in the bonus. The thunder help us out when they turn the ball over. As soon as we go up 10, they start driving the lane, hitting the floor and adams start to tangle and hit the floor. Every game wince game 1.

[SouthernFried]

Duncan got 4 fouls in the first half of the game.

That has never happened before in his NBA career.

[FromWayDowntown]

Duncan got 4 fouls in the first half of the game.

That has never happened before in his NBA career.

To be fair, he's also 40 years old, his diminishing athletic ability at the pinnacle of the game is increasingly apparent, and he's playing against ridiculously athletic players. And, it's fairly clear that the benefit of the doubt that he has historically gotten on certain plays is less certain now than it used to be. Still, the fact that it's never happened doesn't mean that it was wrong to have happened (though, on the other hand, I'm also not saying all of the calls on him were correct).

[DPG21920]

All I care about is consistency. When you call a foul for Durant, call the same contact for Kawhi. When you call Tim for challenging shots or grabbing, call it on Ibaka/Adams. I don't care if it's called tight or loose, players can adjust to that, they cannot adjust to inconsistency and favouritism.

[UZER]

Adams is grabbing and holding on every rebound. Then when someone does it right back, they call a foul.

Also, when he sets picks, he is throwing the chicken wing a lot bumping players off their path, then when Kawhi tries to run through, they call a foul.

I hate players that are extremely physical and knock people around like bowling pins, but then fall to the ground every time you give them resistance back and they get the fouls called. It's frustrating to watch.

[FromWayDowntown]

All I care about is consistency. When you call a foul for Durant, call the same contact for Kawhi. When you call Tim for challenging shots or grabbing, call it on Ibaka/Adams. I don't care if it's called tight or loose, players can adjust to that, they cannot adjust to inconsistency and favouritism.

No doubt.

[polandprzem]

Danny used to be my favorite ref just about 10 years ago or so, but now I feel that there are not many great characters in refs society.
Although McCutchen seems to be really good I do not like some of his calls esp when he Ted up Henderson vs Warriors

Javie is gone and Joey is gone - you can say all you want but they were pretty good. Joey ego sometimes prevailed but overall find a guy that have the guts to blow g2 situation ...



Capers - well it is what it is

[FromWayDowntown]

No matter what you think of the Game 4 officiating, at the end of the day the Spurs were within 5 at about the 3 minute mark (in a game where they couldn't make 3's and didn't move the ball well) and then just melted down from an execution standpoint. A lot of credit for that goes to the Thunder, but even playing poorly and (perhaps) getting a bad whistle, the Spurs had a chance to win in OKC in a game the Thunder absolutely had to have.

Play better late and its a 3-1 series.

[TheGreatYacht]

For whatever it's worth, my guess is that Foster has Game 6 of this series (to ensure he doesn't work twice in the same site) and that either McCutchen or Crawford has Game 7 (same).

Jesus Christ.

The NBA literally watches who's the most blatant and tiest refs of them all and then rewards them with important games. Sucks that at this point in the playoffs, all these refs start to call every game.

Dan Crawford, Ken Mauer, Scott Foster, Marc Davis, Ed Malloy, Tony Brothers, Bill Kennedy, Monty McCutchen. They're all "highly respected" and the worst at the same time.. Definitely fi$hy.

[TheGreatYacht]

If this doesn't tell you who the league is favoring, I don't know what will.

[spursistan]

Last night you truly got the feeling the league wants to extend this series as their POs have been an overall stinking snoozfest..

[FromWayDowntown]

If this doesn't tell you who the league is favoring, I don't know what will.

Except Foster has already called 2 games in this round and home teams have won both.

[FromWayDowntown]

McCutchen in Game 5 -- stunning. I have studied the assignments of officials in playoff games as far back as 1986 and I can't think of a single time (outside of the end of a Finals series) where an official got 2 games in a series in such quick succession.

I got Goble and had Phillips on my short list.

[polandprzem]

McCutchen in Game 5 -- stunning. I have studied the assignments of officials in playoff games as far back as 1986 and I can't think of a single time (outside of the end of a Finals series) where an official got 2 games in a series in such quick succession.

I got Goble and had Phillips on my short list.

I'm gonna look what McCutchen gonna do now

[FromWayDowntown]

Since McCutchen has Game 5, I don't think he has Game 7.

I'll stick with Foster for Game 6 and Crawford for Game 7, but I'd also guess that Mike Callahan is in the mix for Game 6, which might push Foster out of the rest of the series.

[MultiTroll]

McCutchen in Game 5 -- stunning. I have studied the assignments of officials in playoff games as far back as 1986 and I can't think of a single time (outside of the end of a Finals series) where an official got 2 games in a series in such quick succession.

and what is the McCutchen / Spurs playoff history?

[VBM]

Since McCutchen has Game 5, I don't think he has Game 7.

I'll stick with Foster for Game 6 and Crawford for Game 7, but I'd also guess that Mike Callahan is in the mix for Game 6, which might push Foster out of the rest of the series.

If the Spurs lose tonight, it won't matter who refs Games 6/7. Spurs seem to shut down if they lose a Game 5 at home after being tied 2-2. Can't remember the last time they won a Game 6 on the road under those cir stances.

[FromWayDowntown]

and what is the McCutchen / Spurs playoff history?

McCutchen: 16-11 overall, 9-3 at home, 1-2 at home in conference semis, 3-0 v. OKC
Goble: 3-3 overall, 1-0 at home, 1-0 v. OKC
Phillips: 4-7 overall, 2-3 at home, 1-2 at home in conference semis, 0-1 v. OKC

[FromWayDowntown]

. Spurs seem to shut down if they lose a Game 5 at home after being tied 2-2. Can't remember the last time they won a Game 6 on the road under those cir stances.

Pretty narrow set of cir stances there.

Off the top of my head, the times the Spurs have been tied 2-2 going into a home Game 5 and the results of Games 5 and 6 in those scenarios:

2014 WCF v. OKC (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
2014 WCFR v. DAL (won Game 5 at home, lost Game 6)
2013 WCSF v. GST (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
2013 NBAF v. MIA (won Game 5 at home, lost Game 6)
2012 WCF v. OKC (lost Game 5 at home, lost Game 6)
2006 WCFR v. SAC (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
2005 WCSF v. SEA (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
2004 WCSF v. LAL (lost Game 5 at home, lost Game 6)
2003 WCSF v. LAL (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
2003 WCFR v. PNX (won Game 5 at home, won Game 6)
1995 WCF v. HOU (lost Game 5 at home, lost Game 6)