For years, there have been countless discussions about how the officiating in the NBA has changed. Analysts and fans have dubbed this era as soft because of how ‘untouchable' players have become when it comes to fouling. Often times, the simplest of contacts will automatically result in a foul, which has raised constant complaints even from NBA players themselves.
Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut was recently a guest at The Jim Rome Show where he explained the difference between officiating in today's game compared to list last stint in the NBA.
“You can’t touch anybody. Good defenders and defense has kind of gone out the window for scoring, which, you know, the NBA claims that the fans want to see more of. But a lot more of the scoring now is just a guy standing at the free throw line. So I’m not sure if that’s the right balance. . . It’s definitely changed, and you just have to adjust your game to it.”
Andrew Bogut's sentiments came at the heels of the Warriors' victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Rockets have called the attention of the league because they feel that the Warriors are being favored by the officials.
It is understandable why the league's officiating has changed over the past two decades. In the 1980s up to the early 2000s, extreme physicality between players was allowed. Elbows, knees, and to some extent, even punches were thrown by one player towards another just to prevent him from scoring. But aside from constant brawls, it's also been a cause for injuries.
So the league became more strict in terms of calling fouls. But it seems that they've overreacted. In today's generation, it's almost impossible to guard someone without being called for a foul.
The NBA has no plans to revert back to the old school physicality, but sometimes, they need to let the players just play the game without having to interfere in every petty contact they see.
Follow Us
Subscribe