Celtics fans hate the Lakers. Lakers fans hate the Celtics. And even if the players are somewhat indifferent, the fans probably hate each other. But there's one thing on which Celtics and Lakers fans should agree during the NBA finals.
The officiating through three games has been sub-par at best.
Contact that I wouldn't call a foul in a pickup game often is a foul in the NBA's championship series. Even when there's no contact, it's sometimes a foul. For possibly the first time in his career, Rasheed Wallace had good cause to freak out after he was whistled for a foul in the second half.
The poor performance by the officials is not limited to foul-no foul. Even when they go to instant replay, they screw it up. Late in Game 3, Lamar Odom and Rajon Rondo went after a rebound. Odom controlled it initially, then lost it out of bounds. To make sure Odom was the last to touch the ball, the refs reviewed the play. Upon further review, clearly the ball went off Odom, but that's because Rondo hacked his arm. I understand a foul cannot be called after watching the replay, and it shouldn't. But the Celtics got the ball!
Obviously some calls are missed, and that's part of the game. But when the refs review a play, they should review every part of the play. Penalties can't be reviewed in the NFL, but I'm pretty sure if, while reviewing whether a cornerback got both feet in bounds on an interception, if said cornerback dragged down the receiver by his facemask before making the pick, the cornerback's team wouldn't get the ball.
The build-up for this series was immense, and so far, it hasn't come close to another Celtics-Lakers classic. The games haven't been particularly well played on either side and none of the first three was very entertaining.
Hopefully the refs will, as so many parents shout during their kids' games, let them play for the rest of the series and we can actually see some good basketball.
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