This post is a response to"NBA action is fantastic, except for the constant griping". I don’t rely on player access for my living, so I’ll take this on.

The thesis

For those whomusthave the tl;dr version, the writer of the story complains that the ongoing tiffs between officials and other Association principals are setting the NBA game on a rocky course. I’m not sure I disagree with him, but as a Blazers fan who’s watched far too many five-on-eight games and I’m too often too furious.

问题的剖析

• Even three officials with a panopticon at their disposal cannot get all the calls right.
• After subtracting human frailty, it appears to remain that officiating favors theatrics over substance.Exhibit A:James Harden.
• It’s been said that the NBA is a league of stars, and that part of the officals’ job is to let those guys play… but at the tipoff, the fans buying merch and tickets and beer and cable packages are cheering their teams, not just the stars.
• Officials appear to respond to this team-first reality by favoring some teams over others. It depends on the matchup, the crew, and surely other factors out of view, but too often the refs turn into the Three Blind Mice or a trio of nervous cops, as the circumstances reflect.

These problems lead to…

…A huge perception problem. In short,there’s too much of WWE in the NBA.

Guys, leave the soap opera to the talent, and leave the ball to the ballers. Pro wrestling offers its own peculiar and beautiful form of ballet, but so does pro basketball, and the two varieties of art couldn’t be more different.

Professional basketball doesn’t need to be played to a script. The cap rules and the character of the officiating should reflect that fact.