Stern already has his hand picked goon for a successor so I wouldn’t be that hopeful any changes in the league once he’s gone

The C’s had this one in the bag. They should have won this game. Way too many turnovers (unforced, in particular) to get the win. I like that they showed “heart” (yes, Doc) but it was inexcusable they were so sloppy with the ball. Another achilles heel is the dire need for a #5 (Garnett’s natural position is NOT #5). Someone that can block shots and has the cahones to keep easy baskets from happening inside. He doesn’t need to be directly involved in the offense but he does need to know how to put back rebounds. My 2-cents…….

Doc please don’t cut the rotation down to eight guys for the playoffs this year like last . Last year the old guys ,pp kg ra could not throw the ball in the ocean by the time they got to the Heat, and yet they came so close. That extra three to four minutes you can give them could make the difference. This year we have some guys that can play and contribute and put pressure on the other teams.If you use the whole bench to get there , that’s what gets you there, don’t panic and play the old guys to death!!!!!!

Excuses a W is a W. Wake up already jetlag terry

Talked of his dislike for the heat? Last year I remember him saying how he could see himself playing for the heat and how enjoyable it would be. Maybe a little bitter they didn’t feel the same way?

The heat don’t even lead in foul shot attempts; that would be the Lakers. I understand, your team lost and it sucks but blaming it on the refs is asinine. The Celtics should have been called way more on hand checking, that block Battier had where the ball went out of bounds was clearly out on the Celtics player. You could clearly see from the rear and front camera views…but the Celtics retained possession. The Celtics lost end of story. Hard fought game on both sides. Finish your beer and move on

I didn’t blame the Refs for the loss, but I did notice the re-occurrence of the way the Refs handle Jame when he is playing. I’ve noticed it in game he plays against other teams. By no means was i mad at the refs for the loss. Much of that can be attributed to the poor handling of the ball by the C’s. 20 turnovers (7 for Pierce) is not going to get it done. Poor shot choice on the final few possessions didn’t help as well. As for the 2 long reviews in the final few minutes of the game, Both should have been Heat ball. I was shocked when the Refs called the ball out on the Heat. My best guess was that the monitor they were using was too small to see. SO overall, it was a very entertaining game to watch, regardless of which team you follow. I just can’t stand the star treatment the league has used in refereeing for the last 20-30 years. Just a pet peeve of mine. Call the game as it should be called, regardless of what the outcome could be.

BTW, the Heat has 18 Fouls and the Celtics had 26. Just saying.

There definitely is a lack of consistency by the refs, regardless of game or team or whatever…all across the entire NBA. However I have to wonder of it is easier for me or you watching a game in tv and see a foul or non foul than the ref in the middle of it all. I’d like to hope that’s what it is and not some malicious intent by a few to skew the game

I suspect it is a difficult game to ref given the speed. Perhaps some of the more minor infractions should be dropped so the guys can pay closer attention to the important stuff. But, you also have to wonder what stuff is being dictated to by Mr. Stern. I could find it quite plausible to think that the league tries to boost its image and marketability by boosting its star players. Using an old example: There has to be a reason why Patrick Ewing rarely if ever got called for traveling despite taking 3, sometimes 4 steps in route to the hoop. Yet if any rookie did the same, it was called almost every time. I’d love to know why, but moving forward, I’d love to see the league Reffing become more consistent and without bias. That’s all i ask.

sounds like you’re talking about Randolph. It sure couldn’t hurt.

….where are all of these trolls coming from?
Get lost !!!

I suspect me stern will do what he can, covertly of course, to have the Lakers in the finals.

Great point on Ewing. I’m not sure to be honest, how to change the system for the better.
Watch Harden play, the man looks like he always takes a step too many

It’s not even a matter of the number of fouls which each team received; or who got the most fouls, or who did this or who did that….WAKE UP! It’s about the questionable timing of the refs calls. It’s the slight of hand that I guess NBA’s front-office goons figure we’re too dumb to pick up on. Notice way that somehow “curiously” whenever the C’s go on a run, out comes the multitude of whistles to stop the momentum, and give the Heat a chance to gather their bearings. C’s committed about one foul the 1st qtr, then we go on a run smashing the Heat and “suddenly” 14 fouls appear against us in the 2nd qtr) This has “FAR” more impact on the ultimate outcome of the game than just the sheer tabulation of how many fouls each team tallied. Did the same thing against us vs the Lakers 2010. We built about a 13-pt lead in Game #7…then, mysteriously all of a sudden in the nick of time a lot of whistles started popping up by the refs…just enough to let the Lakers get back into the game in the 4th qtr. Saw this same modus operandi at play in the 2nd quarter last night. Of course, the apologists said the C’s just got tired and were doing a lot of extra reaching towards the end of that game#7 (to which I say “crap” they were reaching just as much in the earlier part of the game). So now, I guess they will also say we got tired last night in the 2nd qtr; thus, the extra whistles in the 2nd qtr) What deceptive hogwash!The league must think we’re all deaf, dumb and blind. And that all that we’re intelligent enough to do is count “the number” of fouls. David Stern can’t get out of that office soon enough for me.

That is why I’m hoping his replacement might have a new wrinkle on things despite being his protege. I just think it hurts the product. Of the 4 major sports in the US, I think their reffing is by far the most inconsistent. MLB umpires would be next.

I can’t argue with that. It sure makes you wonder if other refs and league officials were involved in the Tim Donaghy scandal a few years back. It was really hard to believe it was only one person in the league. Total crap. And yes, Stern needs to go asap. 10 more months to go……

Don’t even get started on umpires. Every game the strike zone is different

Without a doubt. It’s been a problem since the beginning of time, but with stuff like the Amica Pitch Zone, it has become more apparent that the Umps are so inconsistent.