"Referees under review"

["James A. Hill" <jahill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

See "USA Today" article below.

Well here is the real problem with the officiating, Stu Jackson just doesn't
get it.

He thinks the verbal and physical attacks are what are bad for the game
while defending the incompetence of the officials he is responsible for.

Hello Stu?  Are you awake?  Improve the sorry excuse you have had for
referees for the past few YEARS (NOT DAYS!) and take responsibility for
"your" continued failure.  When the ref's don't just plain suck, the abuse
will end.  YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND ATTITUDE IS THE PROBLEM!   Hello? Hello?
Which part of this are you missing????

<Jim Hill, "paying" basketball fan, for now.


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2002-12-16-refs_x.htm


Referees will be under review after incidents
By Oscar Dixon, USA TODAY

After recent verbal and physical attacks on officiating crews, the NBA is
looking into the incidents.
"Some of the incidents that have happened over the last few days concern me
because they're not good for the game of basketball and not good for the
NBA," said Stu Jackson, senior vice president of NBA basketball operations."

Jackson said that the league reviews every call of every game and also has
observers at approximately half of all regular-season games. But the league
does not fine officials for missed or incorrect judgment calls  which have
prompted recent criticism.

Saturday: The officiating crew calling the Sacramento-Utah game had to
sprint off the court following the contest when angry fans pelted them with
water bottles and cups of ice. The incident was triggered when a foul was
called on Utah's John Ameche for pushing Chris Webber in the back after a
missed free throw with two seconds to play. The Kings won 98-96 after
Webber's two free throws.
Friday: After losing to New York, Miami coach Pat Riley said referees have a
hatred for him that hurts his young team. The Knicks shot 37 free throws,
the Heat 16.
Wednesday: Boston's Paul Pierce had his two front teeth knocked out after he
hit the floor against Phoenix. No foul was called and Hall of Famer and
current Celtics broadcaster Tom Heinsohn assailed the referees, calling them
ridiculous and arrogant. Phoenix shot 33 free throws, Boston nine. "You
cannot have one team in a pro game shoot 40 free throws and the other shoot
10 unless they never go past half-court," Heinsohn said.
Riley, Sloan and Heinsohn said what players and coaches want from officials
is consistency, though it is unlikely they will ever fully get it. And
though the league is using instant replay to review last-second shots this
season, Jackson said that's all it will be for.

"Using instant replay to access judgment calls by officials gets us into an
area where you are on a slippery slope," Jackson said. "If you use instant
replay to review a judgment call by an official at one point during the
game, the question then becomes where do you stop. During every game
officials make an overwhelming majority of correct calls. However, in every
game, in every sport, there are going to be calls that are either missed or
judgments  and later after the fact, proven incorrect. That's part of the
game. I don't know that will ever change from our standpoint."