Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 10:00 am  |  99 responses

Did Game 4 Refs Favor Bulls?

Well, Chicago blew it at the line anyway.

by Marcel Mutoni

The Bulls-Celtics series is clearly the best and most exciting First Round matchup going. Three of the four games have been classics.

According to some in the Beantown media, however, the Bulls have given the Celtics all they can handle due to more than just great basketball.

The Boston Globe has a “source” claiming that two of the referees who worked Game 4 may have been on the Bulls’ side of things:

An NBA source pointed out before the game that two of the referees were Chicago natives (Bill Kennedy and Dan Crawford). Kennedy also was involved in an incident with Rivers during the Bulls’ St. Patrick’s Day win in which both were fined by the league for jawing.

The source also said that after the game family members of both referees departed wearing Bulls gear.

It’s a throwaway item at the end of the column, sure, but the implication is clear.

Should the Baby Bulls dethrone the defending champs, I can’t wait to see what other excuses (and conspiracy theories) the hoops scribes in Boston manage to come up with.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Comments
  • slamfan4life

    like this didn’t happen to the bulls when they played in Boston….

  • thatsthetruthruth

    In boston, all roads lead to insignificance.

  • Sdfigits

    As a celtic fan I am just enjoying the strange amount of hate emanating towards anything B-town related. I’m not saying that the Globe is necessarily correct, HOWEVER, if we went by journalistic integrity than someone might notice that Mutoni just so happens to be the one posting this article, the avowed laker fan. The avowed laker fan whose stance on the controversial (no)call on Brent Barrys call was that yes, it was a foul and no, he didn’t care because the lakers won. I’m not intending this factoid to be a personal attack, just a reminder that every story has multiple sides and nuances, so at least make an attempt to be intelligent and insightful or just realize that you are going to be treated like the fool you are percieved to be by anyone with a shred of partiality or wisdom.

  • Brian

    The C’s need KG back so he can set moving screens without getting called for it. There is no player in the L who gets rewarded more for doing nothing than Pierce. He takes one step to the left and they call fouls for him.

  • Brian

    Was the Globe’s source Tommy Heinsohn?

  • http://jakeandamir.com tealish

    I just don’t know why you don’t go through Ray for that game-tying 3.

  • Jumpman3224

    For a team that supposedly prides itself on being physical…they seem to complain a lot about refs and lack of calls when they lose. I realize this is from the BG and not the celts, but didn’t it seem like Doc would be on the podium after every loss (this season) complaining about the refs and then get slapped with a fine. Just play the game. Make a few more shots or stops that you didn’t earlier and calls at the end wouldn’t seem so important.

  • joe

    @tealish: You must have been reading my mind when i was watching that possession

  • http://sfdjilf.com Jukai

    Sdfigits: Actually, Mutoni’s reasoning was that on the previous play leading up to the no-call foul, Kobe had missed a shot that then bounced off Duncan’s foot but was given to the Spurs anyway. And he was right.

  • BostonBaller

    Mo Charlo I just like messing w/ people. I wasn’t offended by your comments mainly b/c The Globe (owned by the Times?) are at times really biased and NO Tommy H was not their source or they would have put a hit out on the refs. lol

  • Diesel

    Tealish – how the hell do the bulls let him tie the game with a 3 again?! I’m glad the Bulls won, but I think the win is masking a lot of inefficiences from Game 4. Don’t leave Ray alone! Make anyone else but him beat you on a last second shot.

  • http://slamonline.com Russ Bengtson

    Maybe if the Celtics are worried about the officiating they should play better so it doesn’t come down to overtime periods and last-second shots. You’re the defending champs, folks, play like it. Or wit it. Either way.

  • Josh D

    Wasn’t Crawford the guy who ejected Tim Duncan for luaghing?

  • Rich

    I knew this was gonna come up. Pierce seemed like he was getting hacked the whole game, but EVERYONE knows he flails his arms around more than anybody. And like someone else said, the Bulls got NO CALLS in Boston, NONE! And the Noah technical foul call in Game 2 was totally dumb. He didn’t even say anything. And what’s up with BIG BABY flopping worst than Varejao. Now that was funny. Thank God for instant replay.

  • Rich

    Clockwork, I’ve been waiting on a Bill Simmons article all day!!

  • josh

    just be glad that the series is tied up

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Celtics/Bulls Game 4 Recap

  • Trevor

    cdef28, I know perkins had alot of stupid fouls that got him into foul trouble but I thought it was kind of ridiculous to foul someone out in such a crucial part of the game over a ticky tack foul like that.

  • Diesel

    Trevor, moving screens take an extra few seconds to get around. Giving a shooter like Allen all the time he needs to win a game or send it into overtime. A foul is a foul, no matter what point in the game.

  • http://www.slamonline.com John D

    I just think it’s really weird that they’d schedule two refs from Chicago for a Bulls playoff game. But Stern is extremely arrogant about things like that. Which is why he kept on scheduling Joey Crawford to do Spurs games even after the incident with Duncan. He feels that any ref should be allowed to do any game, because if they can’t handle it, then they shouldn’t be NBA refs in the first place. I generally like Stern, but he can be really stubborn about things like that. I’m in no way saying that the refs cost the Celtics the game. The Celtics’ lack of execution took care of that. But the whole scenario just seems weird to me.

  • CCough

    Diesel, you keep talking about moving picks. Perkins and Davis been getting called for it all series. Not one time has Noah or Miller been called and they lean that hip everytime. 4x Pierce went to the hole and got fouled with NO CALL. Even the national tv announcers were saying it. The funny part is that Ben Gordon popped a hammy and won’t even play next game, so good luck next year!

  • Coach Master

    Ben Gordon heard a “pop” and later grabbed his groin? Coincidence?

  • K-Nasty

    The best team will still win this series.

  • Diesel

    CCough – your players are old. Losers like you kept arguing “pierce didn’t have a good game yet, that’s why you won” Well your 3 best players all scored in the 20′s and you still lost. I’d say good luck next year, but we all know your team’s best days are behind them.

  • vtrobot

    i just didn’t like the clear path foul. that’s a pretty lame new rule and it better be really obvious that it’s a clear path if you’re going to call it since it could result in a 4-point swing for one team. and they could have called the foul during the previous game when someone landed on pierce as he was hitting a three. other than that, the poor referring has been fairly equally bad for both teams.

  • kwame

    i would just like to point out to all you with short memory…the celts had 2 7 games series last yr…in their first 2 series….and won it all…soooo

  • Diesel

    Seriously? I’ll admitt I’m a Bulls fan and although I’d like the Bulls to win this series, I’m guessing the Celtics will. But if you honestly think you have any shot at winning it all again, most likely going through the Cavs and Lakers to do so, you’re crazy.

  • http://basketball-reference.com nbk

    the celtics wont even beat philadelphia let alone Orlando in RND 2, this series against the bulls IS their championship

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    Both teams are getting screwed in the series. Just like every other series going on.
    Suck it up porkchops!

  • playboy

    haha if any ref favoring is going on, how bout the cavs averaging over 20 free throws more than detroit. Rasheed dint go to the free throw line the whole series. of course slam isn’t going to mention it, when they’re constantly on lebrons balls the whole year.

  • http://slamonline.com Mike

    If any of guys didn’t know………IT’S THE PLAYOFFS!!!!! Your not going to get bailed out like the regular season. This is men, not women and children!! GO LAKERS!!

  • Esco

    Who on the Pistons played aggressive enough to deserve going to the line to make up the difference in free throws? Unless you award Stuckey and Bynum 10 extra free throws each, then what you’re saying makes no sense. Nobody on the Pistons put up enough of a fight. You don’t get to the line by not showing up to play.

  • Enigmatic

    I was at the game yesterday and believe me, the refs were getting NO LOVE from the Chicago crowd. If they were helping the Bulls out, they just fooled all 21,000 of us. They missed calls for both teams and made terrible calls for both too. Shut up and play.

  • http://www.Slamonline.com CP34MVP

    Uhm.. Boston Globe. Duh.

  • CCough

    Of course Celtics fans know that we aren’t gonna win it this year. Losing KG and Powe killed us. We pretty much down to 2 big men, because Mikki Moore is a waste. But, I will say that Chicago ain’t much better because they played 7 players last game. Only Cleveland can beat us, maybe Orlando – we’d smash Philly.

  • Fitzy

    I’m not saying the refs were playing favorites, but that is kind of stupid for the nba to allow homegrown boys to ref their team

  • http://www.twitter.com/TheDiesel Anton

    It’s AI’s fault.

  • http://fjdklsf.com Jukai

    Playboy is a confused individual. Why would Rasheed go to the line? He only took jumpers.

  • http://fjdklsf.com Jukai

    Anton, it’s actually T-Mac’s fault.

  • jay

    Steve Javie just tripped Kobe. Is there a Utah connection??? Is Javie a Mormon??? La Times get on it.

  • http://www.basketballjerseyworld.com nba-jersey-king

    @jay… hahaha nice one

  • anonymous

    playboy, I have a question for you. Did you actually watch the Pistons/Cavs series or not? Or did you just read the box score? I’m a Pistons fan and I admit it, the reason there was such a huge disparity in free-throws was NOT because of refs’ bias toward the Cavs. It was because the Cavs kept attacking the basket and the only way to stop them (LeBron in particular) was fouling them. The Pistons, instead, weren’t aggressive, rarely attacked the basket and tried jump shots all the time. That’s not the way to draw fouls. So, no wonder there was such a big free-throw disparity.

    Do you guys even watch the games or just read the box score?

  • cdef28

    Trevor it was not a ticky tack foul. It was a legit illegal screen.

  • TO

    Ha, this is a joke…if anything Boston has been favored by the refs in this series

  • donlaker

    i still have some faith in the celtics they are not dead yet , they have to buy kg a little more time(2 round possibilities) the cavs are hungry just like the lakers . so at this point it is a toss up on who wants it more…………
    and javie tripping kobe , was funny because everybody at steve javie’s next house party will have a hd dvd (gift) of him sticking his foot out and having kobe still get2 the basket

  • ClydeSays

    I’ve seen some pretty blatant no-calls against the C’s this series. The Salmons foul on PP at the 3pt line, the charge taken by Scal and the forearm to the head on Davis.

    But I always think if the game is close enough to be determined by the refs, you haven’t done enough as a team to win.

  • Ryan

    Pooh got game. =D

  • http://www.droseroy.com airs

    clydeSays, all of those things you referenced to were good calls.
    salmons got all ball.
    scalabrine didnt get there in time.
    and they did call the “forearm to the head” on miller as a tech.
    its all subjective, but…
    they were blatant all right.

  • odinthor

    I don’t believe the refs are biased but rather that they are inept. In baseball you don’t care if the umpire has a large strike zone or a small strike zone as long as he is consistent on each pitch. Over the last several years I think that the refs haven’t been consistent at all … and it seems like many are making bad calls. Again, I don’t think they are looking to sway the game as much I as believe that they stink. The officiating is so bad these days I almost think it would be better if the players called their own fouls (how scary is that). I remember when the NBA only used two officials and it seemed that somehow back then they did a better job despite missing the extra pair of eyes. Maybe they just had more skill then.

← Older Comments
Advertisement