In a string of tweets, the referees in the NBA strongly responded to a wave of criticism that players and even some owners have wielded toward them in recent days.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony said recently that he thinks referees nowadays have a quick trigger and that players and referees are not communicating.
But it was Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who seems to have sparked the response from the official Twitter account of the NBA referees. He said during a media session that leadership is “repeating the same mistakes” and openly wondered when was the last time a referee was fired in the middle of the season.
Cuban’s remarks were posted on the tweets the referees put out in response to all the recent criticism. All of them are below.
As a longtime member of the NBA's Officiating Auditing Committee, the comments from @MCuban can only be described as willful ignorance. He is well aware of the myriad ways referees are held accountable for their on-court performance, and also of the referees' exemplary record. /1 pic.twitter.com/lhghaavuKk
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 10, 2018
Two things are undeniably true:
1. NBA referees are experts in their field, who are correct more than 93% of the time – and that stellar percentage has continued this season. /2
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 10, 2018
2. NBA referees are held accountable and judged by the NBA (and by NBA coaches and players) every single time they blow the whistle – and when they do not – and are promoted and punished accordingly. https://t.co/NSMzZLeiNP /3
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 10, 2018
The NBA’s referees are professionals that have a lot of pride in their work, and they all work very hard to get calls right. At the same time, they are human and make mistakes.
They’re right that there are plenty of ways referees are held accountable in this day and age. They release their Last Two Minutes report where they often acknowledge that a call was missed, and now with instant replay and recording capabilities, casual fans can plainly see when calls are wrong.
The biggest issue is some of the rules that dictate what is and is not reviewable, and also the fact that the Two Minute Reports don’t change outcomes of games. So in a way, those are largely unnecessary, but the NBA instituted that practice for the sole purpose of keeping their referees more accountable.
For fans, its en vogue to complain about the referees. But they will make mistakes so long as they have jobs. Fans also have to understand that a game does not ever hinge on just one missed call. There are often other factors leading up to a moment that dictate a game more accurately.
Follow Us
Subscribe