If the Celtics get legitimately beaten tonight I will have no problem admitting that the Lakers were the better team and that they deserve their 16th championship. At times during this series they have clearly been the better team.
My hope is that we will see a great game with few whistles, because I am tired of always worrying about and/or focusing on the referees. I really, really am. I like fast breaks, teams trading baskets, and tough, physical play. There have been too many whistles, too many stoppages, and not enough “play on” moments.
Do I think we’ll be able to watch tonight’s game and not focus on the referees? No, I don’t. Here is why:
Some combination of the following six officials will call tonight’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Bennett Salvatore: Widely regarded as one of the worst officials in any professional sport.
Bill Kennedy: Was actually fined at the end of last season for an altercation with Doc Rivers.
Dan Crawford: Was absolutely terrible calling Game 3, a remarkable achievement given that Game 3 also featured Salvatore and Kennedy.
Scott Foster: Tim Donaghy’s unindicted co-conspirator.
Greg Willard: Um, I don’t know him.
Eddie F. Rush: Called the bogus 2nd technical foul on Kendrick Perkins during the Orlando series.
This is the biggest game of the NBA season, and these are the men David Stern puts forth to call it? Salvatore and Foster should both be unemployed. Kennedy and Rush having any involvement in this game is an insult not just to Celtic fans but to NBA fans everywhere.
We’ll know shortly who the three are. Unfortunately, the reality is that given these six choices there are no good options.
EDIT: The NBA has announced Scott Foster, Dan Crawford, and...Joey Crawford, a shakeup to the rotation. Joey Crawford is certainly better than Kennedy or Rush, but he is also the guy who once challenged Tim Duncan to a fight during a moment that can best be described as a psychotic episode.
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