I don't like the fact that NBA officials give favourable calls to the more prominent teams.
You'll have to excuse me if my bogus meter is on high right now. In the wake of Toronto's 104-101 loss to Atlanta, the officiating amongst other things was closely scrutinized. It's something I've said before about officiating and it holds true again. I wish the officials would call the game and not pay attention to personalities, the name on the back of the jersey, or the standings.
But games like the Atlanta-Toronto contest just give more credence to what I call the "circle theory" of officiating. Good teams seem to get calls that help them win games. They acquire the perception of being a good team and suddenly have earned those close calls. These teams seem to get the benefit of the doubt more often than not, while bad teams don't get calls and end up losing games. They acquire the tag of being a bad squad who, when it's close, don't get calls because they don't deserve them and continue to lose games. It becomes a matter of trying to move from the bad circle to the good circle and that's a tall order that takes time in the NBA.
There's a whole lot to look at in Toronto's loss from coaching and personnel decisions to, yes, the officiating. Should Triano have put the ball in Barbosa's hands at the end of the game? Should there have been a different play call? How do the Hawks get not one, not two, but three calls that see jump shooters fouled on three point attempts resulting in nine free throws? But the bottom line for Toronto is that there are no moral victories and it was a difficult loss to swallow.
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The bogus meter is still on high with this one too. After a tweet came out from LeBron James' Twitter account that seemingly took a shot at his former team following the Lakers' 112-57 beat down of the Cavs, James is now backtracking saying that it was something that was sent to him and he, in turn, sent it out.
Sorry, not buying it. Sounds like damage control to me.
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The Carmelo Anthony trade saga marches forward. Now, it sounds like Anthony is the one that's making it difficult for any deal to be consummated with New Jersey. There are reports that 'Melo may not sign an extension with the Nets if he is indeed traded to Jersey. New York is the desired destination for Anthony and it sure sounds like the longer it takes to get something done with the Nets, the more the prospect of a trade with the Knicks gathers steam.
