Re: Referees

["Jim Meninno" <jim_meninno@hotmail.com>]

>From: jmc@ptc.com

>Most other refs are OK, and Tommy's just a bit paranoid.  The fact >that the Celtics take the fewest free throws of any team is largely >due to their lack of ball and player movement, which leads to few >drives to the basket, and defenders being in position rather than out >of position when the Celtics do attempt to drive, which leads to more >clean strips, and fewer fouls.  

I heard Tommy mention recently that, at their current pace, the Celtics will end up shooting the fewest number of free throws per game in league HISTORY.  I think that any rationalization you can come up with about not taking the ball to the hole enough falls short of explaining that.  Especially when you condsider that their faster pace produces more posessions than other teams and more opportunities to get fouled.  Personally, I think the disparity is caused because they play such aggressive defense that the referees equalize the game by allowing the other team's aggressiveness.  I used to be on the other side of this issue in the late '80s, when it was the Pistons that were hacking everybody in sight and getting away with half of the calls. I think it is just a fact of life.  If you play a very aggressive defense, the refs expect you to be able to take it from the other team too.

>Another part of it is that Antoine has complained so much on every >call for his first 2+ years in the NBA that no ref wants to give him a >break, and since he's taking so many of the team's shots, that leads >to few fouls for the team.  This is Antoine's own doing, and maybe a >bit of ML Carr's doing. No rookie should be allowed by his coach to >complain to the refs at all, in the interest of saving that rookie's >reputation. 

I hate to say it, but it is the norm for players to complain to the refs.  Maybe the refs don't like the way Antoine does it, but it seems to me that there are very few plays in a game where some player isn't complaining.  If you listen for it you will hear "where's the foul?" , or something like that, play after play, all game long.  What gets me is that you can see it working against the Celtics, as the player who complained gets a call a minute later.  All it seems to earn the Celtics are technicals for Antione.  It's all a matter of respect, which is something the Celtics need to earn.  As soon as they can change their perception to a team that is on the rise, they will start getting more and more calls.  It also doesn't help that they have a lot of young players.  This is the thing that bothers me most about the Celtics play this year.  It is going to make it that much harder for them to establish this respect next year.  It would be much better if they could start laying the groundwork for that now, and not wait until November.  They MUST finish strong, so that the talk around the league is that they're finally turning the corner, not that their rebuilding is "in ruins".

Jim

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