A few questions for ref bashers

[sp6r=underrated]

1. Do you think game fixing is an active problem in the NBA?

Answer yes if you think it comes from stray officials or the NBA itself.

2. If you answered yes, why do you still watch the NBA given that games are fixed?

3. Do you think the average NBA ref is bad at the job?

4. If you answered yes, what basketball league has better refs than the NBA?

5. What do you consider an acceptable error rate for NBA Referees?

As a frame of reference, the GOAT shooter Steph Curry misses 1 in 11 free throws (9% error)

[KembaWalker]

1. Do you think game fixing is an active problem in the NBA?

Answer yes if you think it comes from stray officials or the NBA itself.

2. If you answered yes, why do you still watch the NBA given that games are fixed?

3. Do you think the average NBA ref is bad at the job?

4. If you answered yes, what basketball league has better refs than the NBA?

5. What do you consider an acceptable error rate for NBA Referees?

As a frame of reference, the GOAT shooter Steph Curry misses 1 in 11 free throws (9% error)

1. Yes, the evidence clearly pointed to Donaghy not acting alone. Even more recently Eric Lewis was swept under the rug

2. It’s entertaining

3-5. I don’t think it’s necessarily the refs who especially suck at their jobs but the league not being transparent about their own rules, constantly changing stuff on the fly month to month, different rules for the playoffs. Dumb challenge system, not fully utilizing their supposed state of the art replay center to give us accurate or timely reviews. The L2Ms on controversial calls throughout the season were constantly delayed, clearly the league trying to doctor them to appear less bad than they were ie throwing in some supposed bs that they claim benefited the team that clearly got scammed.

[Tony Franciosa]

the NBA is closer to professional wrestling than an actual competitive sport at this point in its history. legalized gambling isn't helping the credibility perception either.

[sp6r=underrated]

the NBA is closer to professional wrestling than an actual competitive sport at this point in its history. legalized gambling isn't helping the credibility perception either.

Why do you watch then?

[MrGoat]

1. Do you think game fixing is an active problem in the NBA?

Answer yes if you think it comes from stray officials or the NBA itself.

2. If you answered yes, why do you still watch the NBA given that games are fixed?

3. Do you think the average NBA ref is bad at the job?

4. If you answered yes, what basketball league has better refs than the NBA?

5. What do you consider an acceptable error rate for NBA Referees?

As a frame of reference, the GOAT shooter Steph Curry misses 1 in 11 free throws (9% error)

1. Yes

2. Game fixing isn't a perfect science and not all games are hit hard by it or at all. In his book Tim Donaghy even explains that the refs can't always manage to get the final result they want during a fix, they just help that teams' odds. It's not all games either. If all games were as fixed as Knicks Pacers last night I would stop watching

3. No. They know what they're doing, even when corrupt

4. I answered no

5. 5-10%, 50/50 calls are a thing. It's when they blow obvious calls or no calls and only for one team is when I'm bothered by it

[FarBeyondDriven]

1. Do you think game fixing is an active problem in the NBA?

Answer yes if you think it comes from stray officials or the NBA itself.

Yes. They're all in cahoots and understand their roles in this from commissioner, owners, coaches, players and officials. A rising tide (TV revenue increases salaries and increases values of franchises) raises all boats

2. If you answered yes, why do you still watch the NBA given that games are fixed?

why do people watch the WWE? Why do people enjoy re-watching TV shows and movies?

3. Do you think the average NBA ref is bad at the job?

they're not bad. It's intentional. Doing it so casuals won't notice takes skill

4. If you answered yes, what basketball league has better refs than the NBA?

all of them

5. What do you consider an acceptable error rate for NBA Referees?

10%

As a frame of reference, the GOAT shooter Steph Curry misses 1 in 11 free throws (9% error)

[FrobeBryant]

I don't believe anything is rigged just cause that would take a lot of maneuvering that would raise flags and I don't think the NBA is that dumb to bring negative attention to itself like that. That being said, I think the NBA refs are especially bad. So bad that it makes it look rigged at times. I don't know of the specifics but it just seems like there's a relatively younger group of officials that lack the experience needed to ref NBA players like there was 10 years ago.

[life_saver]

Being a ref is a very tough job in NBA...especially with what's considered a foul being a subjective thing, I can understand how hard it is for the refs to determine fouls in real time action..it's easier for us as audience to see due to slow motion replays but its hard in real time. Most of the fanbases think refs hate their team when in reality for the most part, there are bad calls happening for all the teams.

Only thing I'd ask for is maintaining consistency in calls...I don't want the refs to call the game differently in different quarters...just call the game same way consistently through out the game

[life_saver]

I don't believe anything is rigged just cause that would take a lot of maneuvering that would raise flags and I don't think the NBA is that dumb to bring negative attention to itself like that. That being said, I think the NBA refs are especially bad. So bad that it makes it look rigged at times. I don't know of the specifics but it just seems like there's a relatively younger group of officials that lack the experience needed to ref NBA players like there was 10 years ago.

exactly this...NBA doesn't need to rig stuff and also in this era of social media, the word would easily spread out with evidence if there is actual rigging.

[Mikistan]

I don't believe anything is rigged just cause that would take a lot of maneuvering that would raise flags and I don't think the NBA is that dumb to bring negative attention to itself like that. That being said, I think the NBA refs are especially bad. So bad that it makes it look rigged at times. I don't know of the specifics but it just seems like there's a relatively younger group of officials that lack the experience needed to ref NBA players like there was 10 years ago.

exactly this...NBA doesn't need to rig stuff and also in this era of social media, the word would easily spread out with evidence if there is actual rigging.

But social media does talk about the rigging...

[Edrees]

1. Do you think game fixing is an active problem in the NBA?

Answer yes if you think it comes from stray officials or the NBA itself.

2. If you answered yes, why do you still watch the NBA given that games are fixed?

3. Do you think the average NBA ref is bad at the job?

4. If you answered yes, what basketball league has better refs than the NBA?

5. What do you consider an acceptable error rate for NBA Referees?

As a frame of reference, the GOAT shooter Steph Curry misses 1 in 11 free throws (9% error)

1. No.

2. N/A

3. Yes but I can be persuaded otherwise if ref stats were tracked.

4. I don't watch other leagues

5. Any error rate is fine as long as the NBA calls out the ref for his mistake and/or holds him accountable for his mistake (have a photo or film session why his call was bad and how not to repeat it in the future)

As a frame of reference, we keep stats on GOAT shooter Steph Curry's free throws so we can track his error rate. Also if Steph Curry misses a critical free throw, he has to explain himself in the post game presser, with the media hounding him on it. Why doesn't the NBA log ref's error percentages or have them hold press meetings after so we can use that data and/or hear their response? That's all I'm asking. If their success rate is 90% like Steph Curry than I wont complain. My complaint is that we don't track it or have refs hold a press conference about what they can do better or what the reasoning behind the calls are

[life_saver]

I don't believe anything is rigged just cause that would take a lot of maneuvering that would raise flags and I don't think the NBA is that dumb to bring negative attention to itself like that. That being said, I think the NBA refs are especially bad. So bad that it makes it look rigged at times. I don't know of the specifics but it just seems like there's a relatively younger group of officials that lack the experience needed to ref NBA players like there was 10 years ago.

exactly this...NBA doesn't need to rig stuff and also in this era of social media, the word would easily spread out with evidence if there is actual rigging.

But social media does talk about the rigging...

I am not talking about random users on twitter saying its rigged. I am talking about people with actual evidence of convesations/communication happening within the league officials about instructions to rig stuff. I mean I watch other sports and you see these same rigging claims in other sports too. I have seen some NFL fans claiming refs are rigging to help the team with superstar QB...I have seen Premier League fans claiming refs are rigging to favor big6 teams..it happens in every sport

[ShaqAttac]

r u a ref

[MrGoat]

exactly this...NBA doesn't need to rig stuff and also in this era of social media, the word would easily spread out with evidence if there is actual rigging.

But social media does talk about the rigging...

I am not talking about random users on twitter saying its rigged. I am talking about people with actual evidence of convesations/communication happening within the league officials about instructions to rig stuff. I mean I watch other sports and you see these same rigging claims in other sports too. I have seen some NFL fans claiming refs are rigging to help the team with superstar QB...I have seen Premier League fans claiming refs are rigging to favor big6 teams..it happens in every sport

The NFL is worse than the NBA in that regard. It's actually why I stopped watching the NFL. You can call holding on pretty much every play and it's extremely easy to rig an NFL game with selective timing

[bisme37]

My general philosophy on the refs is they suck in both directions in every game and all me getting mad about it does is make me have a bad day. So I try to accept it as part of the game and move on.

[ropjhk]

1. Game fixing is a problem. I don't think the NBA is conspiring but I also don't think they seriously try to root it out. They would prefer to just sweep it under the rug. I think game fixing is a problem caused by individual refs and even players.

2. The NBA can still be entertaining.

3. The average ref is not bad but they could be so much better if the NBA was serious about enforcing consistency, transparency and reform.

5. It's not about error rate. It's about the things I mentioned earlier and showing fans that you care about the integrity of the game. The league comes out with regular half hearted attempts to improve the game and its officiating and they've all essentially failed. I've lost faith that the league is interested in fairness and integrity.

[sp6r=underrated]

r u a ref

No. But I do think fans on basketball are conspiratorial. And I'm certain many NBA fans have insane expectations for refs.

[Rendei]

The biggest problem for all the sports are the ref unions. Punishments for poor performance? Taking playoff spots away is the most they can do usually. They can't actually do it that way, though, so they "award" playoff spots to the better performers.

[Capn'O]

Fixed games might happen but I don't get the sense they regularly happen. Especially not in playoff environments that are aggressively monitored. I wouldn't be surprised at all if stuff like what Jontay was involved with to meet specific targets was more widespread. A late season Wizards/Pistons game, for example, would be a great one to work on.

As long as I have watched, home cooking has always been a factor. It's a major reason why home court is aggressively sought after in the playoffs. The human mind can't stay completely objective against an entire arena aggressively pushing a specific direction. There's a poster on the Knicks forum who is consistently pushing for mechanized reffing. We're probably ready, though that's a bunch of jobs down the toilet and people are going to be suspicious of the machines even if they're good.

Here's a NYT article from 2003 complaining about home cooking in 1968 and beyond.

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/11/sports/sports-of-the-times-what-calls-have-in-common-home-cooking.html

There's very little that's new.

[rand]

Those who think officiating is rigged by the league but that the league either doesn't do it all the time or sometimes fail to obtain the outcome they want in a particular match have devised a hypothesis which is almost unfalsifiable. Whenever an outcome occurs that seems to go against the claim that the league fixes results (or tries) which are commercially favorable, the conspiracy theorists could just claim that wasn't one the league wanted to fix or they tried to fix it and failed.

These theorists have no answer for why the league evidently decided to not even try to fix many results which would have been beneficial to them. For instance the Lakers lost Game 2 in Denver by two points while being -4 in FTAs. Lakers shot no FTAs in the final 3:55 (no fouls called against Denver of any kind in that final span) while Denver got three FTAs on foul calls which while correct could easily have been no calls if officiating was rigged.

Crooked refs should have been able to gift wrap that game for LAL if the league wanted it. Why on Earth would the league not want their most popular franchise with their most famous player to win this pivotal game?

Results from the past 25 seasons which contradict the conspiracy theory like Game 2 did are so plentiful that I could list dozens of prominent instances without breaking a sweat. What do the theorists say in return? Nothing. They just pretend like it's somehow irrelevant that there's this huge collection of results which contradict their theory. The NBA must have somehow wanted the LeBron-led Lakers to lose that series because reasons.