It NEVER happens…. I challeneg anyone to show me proof where a team actually fouled someone when up by “3”…On paper it makes sense…but it rarely ever happens…..So lets stiop whining about this….had Gordon missed the shot…we would all be raving about ray’s clutch shooting and Pierces clutch shots in OT.

For the refs to be seen as backing one team over the other is very stupid of them. And the refs did cause this latest loss. Perk’s phantom offensive foul when he supposedly “hooked” the defender comes to mind, as it was at a critical point. Another phantom foul on Paul on the inbound. The phantom travel call on Ray. Several obvious maulings of Paul that went unwhistled. Etc., etc. The swing in lost possessions and production amounts to approximately 10-12 points, more than enough to have secured the win.

The fact that we could have played better and pulled out the win despite the refs does not change what they did, or what our reaction should be.

The disparity in calls last night was enough to make me think that there was more going on than the usual referee incompetence. It was too marked, too obvious. Yes, they missed a couple of calls that would have helped the Bulls, but those misses were hard to see and understandable as human error. The bad calls on the Cs were obvious, blatant, and ridiculous.

The notion among bloggers that one should not complain about refs — something about sucking it up and being a “real man”, etc., etc. — could not be more wrong. If we don’t talk about it, it will never change. The only way they are going to clean up their act in the NBA is if they get the message that we, the fans – the reason they exist – are getting fed up. The prospect of lost $$$ will force change. Nothing else will. Therefore, it is not only not wrong to talk about ref error and bias, it’s our duty.

What’s going on is that the NBA has not caught up with the disruptive technology of digital video. We (the fans) see every mistake they make now, unlike in the past. As a result, fans everywhere are unhappy and ticked off. If they don’t fix this referee problem, the NBA risks eventually going out of business, or at least a severe contraction.

The video technology to completely fix the NBA’s problems is here, fully installed, ready to go. Heck, many of us have it in our living rooms (DVRs). The NBA must fix the referee problem (using video technology), or risk continuing to lose fans, and ultimately, oblivion. I know that I have considered abandoning my interest in pro ball several times and have remained, for now, only because of the Cs. I also know that one day I will stop, out of disgust over the refs. And I am not alone.

Note: Video booth referees would not only clean up the human error problem, it would also reduce referee bias, because the on-court refs would know that someone is always watching over them.

It’s worth repeating: It is not wrong to talk about referee problems. It’s our duty, one of the few things we can actually do to help the game.

And one more thing:
Blogging is as pure an example of “the voice of the people” as exists today. If we don’t do this, if we shy away from telling the truth here, of all places… who’s going to do it? Nobody. The buck stops with us. WE ARE THE PEOPLE. We either stand up and tell the truth as we see it, or huddle in the corner in fear of appearing “unmacho”, or “whiny”. I say nuts to that.

Its situational. You dont let a team taht has been pulling these kind of shots out of their ass’ all series long get another chance. Crowed the 3 and give the 2 or fould right away. You dont foul all the time in this situation, but we knew gordon was getting the ball and had a good chance at making a prayer, like he has done time and time againg these playoffs.

Could care less means you care at least a little bit ;)

And whether it actually affected the game or not, this is just a horribly stupid move by a league that’s continually struggling with an image of actively influencing playoff series.

The refs rarely affect the game irreversibly. The losing team in a game in which the bad calls went disproportionately against that team can almost always pull the the game out by making a few extra plays. That doesn’t mean the team wasn’t disadvantaged. Some poorly called games affect both teams equally. Many don’t. Yesterdays refs put the Celts at a disadvantage, esp. in the 1st half with the non-calls on Pierce. Seems kind of silly to pretend that wasn’t so.

I’ve seen a few instances where bad refs decisiveley influence playoff games, where the disadvantaged team has no reasonable shot at overcoming the bad calls. They’re not that common but they do occur. Yesterday’s game wasn’t in that category, but the calls tilted toward the Bulls. Just hope they tilt the other way tomorrow.

Kennedy was on the floor for the Xmas game in LA.

Celts had 8 free-throw attempts the entire game.
NONE for KG, Perk, Rondo.

I have not felt screwed by the refs this season until yesterday. I thought there were alot of lame calls. The foul on Perk for having a wide stance, and the player tripping over his foot. The foul on Scal when Rose barreled into him. The breakaway foul on Scal. These really hurt us, and were at best questionable. All the questionable calls in the end were against us, or seemed to be.

How many times did foul over the back? I lost count but did notice that he was finally called for it in the first ot i believe.

I also mentioned this in a thead, but did anyone happen to notice ray getting pulled to the ground after a ft at the end of reg? He was going for an atnicipated rebound, but the ft was made. He should hav ebeen put at the line for that. this wasnt an accident either, it was blatant.

I meant how many times did noah foul over the back

You guys are a #2 seed playing a #7 seed. If you are as good as you seem to think, you should be putting Chicago away making the refs a non-factor. Quite trying to call the whole league fixed because you lost a game. Remember, saying this loss was tainted would go a long way towards tainting your wins…..

Have the Celtics ever actually just lost a game straight up or is there always some sort of excuse?

We know that a dangerous someone wants to kill Tony Allen. It is logical to assume that this person also has it in for the Celtics to some degree.

Now, did this dangerous someone make threats upon the ref and his Chicago based family prior to Game 4? Is this series truly crooked?

Remember what happened in Chicago in 1919.

i think the “conspiracy” is about making money – pushing series to 7 games as much as possible. or letting the home crowd influence calls too much. yes, we got away with a lot of physical play last year, but it was called pretty consistently both ways…except on the road in the playoffs last year, where we got called for touch fouls and the other teams got away with everything (at least atlanta and cleveland – the detroit and LA series were both pretty evenly called). i expect home teams to get more calls, but not egregious calls. that is precisely what happened for most of the playoffs last year, unfortunately, to most teams. and that is definitely happening to us this year. haven’t watched other games as much, but i’m assuming this might be the case again.

that this has been going on for so long that nothing will be done because they do not want to admitt this massive problem has been going on for decades now. They don’t want o admit that they let this happen for so long w/o doing enough about it.

A hint of scandal surfaces. Complete with some sloppy journalism. Come on Globe how hard is it to google or wiki this guy to get the facts right?
I agree with everyone who says the reffing needs to be improved. Too much talk from the front office and not enough action. Their inconsistency makes games much less fun to watch and my interest in non-Celtics games is fast declining. I can’t imagine paying for NBATV or league pass much longer.

He is from Chicago and he promised Stern a bailout if the Bulls win. We all know the NBA is financial trouble, so this is the league’s key to survival

Also, Ohio is a swing state, so Cleveland needs to be given the title too

Mass, reflexively liberal, has nothing with which to bargain

Laugh, but this theory has as much factual basis as anything else posted in this thread