When George Hill stepped to the free-throw line in the closing seconds of Game 1 with the Cleveland Cavaliers down one to the Golden State Warriors, those two shots are plays he should make. Similarly, certain calls in real time are plays NBA referees should be able to make at a respectable rate.
The biggest difference is Hill doesn't get a do over on a missed free throw, unless an opposing player is guilty of a lane violation, which Draymond Green was…but wasn't called for.
On a crucial play down the stretch, the referees awarded themselves a do over, triggering a review of a called charge LeBron James took from Kevin Durant. Wherever you stand on the play itself, there is no question James was clearly outside of the restricted area, which should have meant the play was ineligible for review.
It was just one of several questionable plays from NBA officials in a playoff run full of them; often in the Warriors favor.
Basketball is a difficult sport to officiate. In a crowd of bodies moving as fast as NBA players do, it can be difficult to see if George Hill or LeBron James cleanly stripped Kevin Durant on multiple drives. Some margin of error should be expected.
But to lose control of a game in the final seconds of overtime, as the referees did in calling a flagrant 2 on Tristan Thompson, is problematic. Thompson's foul was later downgraded, but the situation could have been much worse with Draymond Green taunting the Cavaliers' center in a moment where tempers were needlessly elevated.
Ronnie Nunn, who was an NBA referee for 19 years and the head of officials for five years, joined BBALLBREAKDOWN to discuss the referee's performance, including: the uncalled flagrant foul committed by Draymond Green, why strips are difficult to call, and where the officials erred in positioning and procedure on the controversial review that overturned the Durant charge.
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