NBA Referee Problems Continue

Rajon Rondo has to be suspended for game two of the Celtics first round match-up with the Atlanta Hawks. I have to start there to have any credibility given to what I will later say.

Last night Rondo screamed in the face of official Marc Davis, who then gave him a technical foul. After the technical foul was issued, Rondo kept walking towards Davis and bumped him in the back with his chest. That earned Rondo a second technical, an automatic ejection, and propably a suspension for contact with an official.

Rondo may deserve a suspension, in my opinion. However, it’s hard for me to blame him for what he did.

Taking a step back to the play immediately before the chest-bump incident; official Marc Davis made a terrible call giving the Hawks possession when the ball had clearly gone off an Atlanta player. At this point, doubt began to creep into my head.

No, not doubt about the Celtics chances in winning Sunday night’s game. The doubt was about the validity of this contest. Was the fix in?

That’s a dramatic line of thinking, I know. But can you blame me? On the very next play, Davis once again gives the Hawks possession in what was becoming an increasingly tight game. This time the play in question was a scrum for a loose ball. Each of the former players (Shaq, Kenny and Charles) on the TNT set said it was a terrible call. it should have been a jump ball.

After seeing Davis clearly screw Boston out of a chance for a big game one victory, Rondo could take no more.

Do I really truly believe that Marc Davis had a wage on the Hawks winning last night’s game? I can’t say yes. But I can’t say no either. And that’s bad enough. There is something that I damn near sure of, though. Davis doesn’t like the Celtics, and specifically Rondo, who threw a ball at an official in Detroit earlier this year.

Unfortunately, these officials seem to hold grudges more and more. The Celtics, a team with a loud KG and a hot-head Rondo, are on the official’s shit-list. Taking personal interactions and having those interactions affect an officials’ decision making is a cardinal sin. That’s the exact skill that an official must possess — the ability to calmly assess a situation and provide a unbiased ruling.

The inability for Marc Davis to call a fair game led Rondo to his unacceptable actions. Now Rondo should be suspended for game two in Atlanta. This is what makes it legitimately frightening to gamble on NBA games.