Iim not going to comment on what happened during our Spurs game Sunday. My feelings about the subject havent changed and its not worth the money to comment on it here. In fact, I’ve given up writing in this blog about the NBA because my number one rule of blogging is that if you cant offer an honest opinion, say nothing.
What I do want to say to all NBA fans is that if you are not a Mavs fan STOP EMAILING ME ABOUT THE OFFICIATING.
Email the owner of your own team. Email the commissioner of the NBA, email anybody else. Do not email me.
Everytime something questionable happens in an NBA game, my inbox gets slammed with “If you really care about the officiating you would say something”, or “this is why I cant watch the NBA anymore” emails or “I’m a season ticket holder for X years and Im considering cancelling because…”. Im tired of getting and reading emails that by now easily number more than 25k over the years that the management of the team you root for, or the NBA won’t take.
If you were to send all those emails to your owner or GM, maybe they would be concerned with things other than where I stand on the court .
Mark Cuban is cool. I like him. He is nice.
Comment by James Kung -
Joey is a good official in my opinion…this is coming from an official (high level high school varsity – officiating for 15+ yrs)…he reminds me of one of my heros as an offical…The Great Earl Strom…didn\’t see the Mavs/Spurs game other than a few highlights, but everyone knows how much Timmy Baby cries…this wears on an official over time…not defending any sort of \”vigalante\” reffing; however, I wouldn\’t consider this to be that…I can only imagine with how often the NBA officials see some of these cry babies over and over that Mr. Duncan had it coming…you may think that he did very little last Sunday, but his crying over time caught up to him…everyone is over reacting with this…even David Stern said that Joey is a great official…Stern is just trying to protect his game with the reaction by the media…Joey would not make that T-call during the playoffs…heck Avery said this morning that Joey would be on the top of his list for calling a big 7th game…Avery recognizes that an official is a person…you may not always like the calls, but an official is judged over time based on overall fairness…an official just wants an ounce of respect even if you may disagree with calls…Timmy Baby should feel lucky that Mr. Strom is not around because he wouldn\’t stand for the constant whining…thanks Joey for standing up to it finally…sorry it costs you from working the playoffs this year…finally, no one should be making any comments on officials unless you have called basketball for atleast five years of organized ball.
Comment by Cole -
After the Clippers were screwed out of a free throw (and maybe the game) on a foul on a three point attempt (replay showed he was behind the arc and should have had three shots) I wondered why the league doesn\’t hand out fines to refs on bad calls. Or even acknowledge that they were bad calls. The NFL will go on the record and admit bad calls, yet the NBA does not ? Come on…I\’ve written the league, but of course they don\’t seem to care.
So, after AJ tanked the road game at Golden State and let them into the playoffs instead of my Clippers, is everyone happy with tonight\’s result ?
Comment by Kent -
Try being in Vegas without resisting taking the Spurs for this \”meaningless\” game!!!! I am pissed and broke!
Comment by Ramsey -
man I\’d have to agree with some of the others. our owners suck… mr cuban, you strike the nba fan base as an owner that cares for his team and this league more than any other. It is plain to see that you wish to maintain the integrity of this game. It pains me to say it, cant really tell you what the owner of my team even looks like.
Im certain many of us feel that you are far more likely to listen than anyone else.
Comment by josh -
Why do we know the names of all of the ref\’s in the NBA…other than Ed Hoculi in the NFL I struggle to come up with a name…Ref\’s should be nameless faceless background people who call rules by the book…period….I do not want to know how great an official is or where he ranks among his peers…I just want to know that he is calling games consistently by the book
Comment by mike toler -
I was just rereading my typo-filled comments, and Irealized that there another thing I wanted to say.
The injustice towards the defensive player is primarily seen with 15 fet of the basket. ANd that is the injustice that i was speaking of.
Beyond that, I find the defensive player gets a very shake and in some cases even too much of an advantage. I am not a big fan of the lets call it Lindsey hunter type full court defense. I admire his hustle and his energy, but he makes a lot of contact far away from the basket and I think CROWING with contact is something that the officiials should blow the the whistles on more. The offenseive player should be entitled to a little bit of space to move his shoulders and twist, far away from the basket. Defenders that swipe at the ball, this should be allowed however they better be sure to get all ball or mostly ball. The sound of the play should guide refs. If you hear the unmistakable sound of hand on spalding, do not blow the whstle. but if you hear the unmistakable slap of hand on wrist blow the whistle. ITs really funny, that sometimes watching the game I can hear the slap on a wrist, and the ref stadning right there will miss it. That has to be called. I would give the defenseie players a little of bit of leeway if they get like 90% ball and a little bit of finger I would not blow the whistle, but I gues each ref should have their own discretion on this.
All right, I think these playofs are gonna be awesome, so hopefully the players and refs all perform with honor AND MAY THE BEST TEAMS WIN. I love this game.
GOd Bless
Comment by craigp -
Sometimes we\’re all just too sensitive. Joey Crawford demonstrated that by his reaction to Duncan. Like a petulant child who can\’t get his way he overreacts by exerting his power. He suffered the inevitable consequences handed down by Mr. Stern, someone with slightly more power. And so it goes. Preserving the game is much more important than giving in to the selfish whims and wishes of one individual\’s ego. Mr. Stern understands immature behavior by an adult acting like a child cannot and should not be tolerated no matter the person\’s wealth or position. His University teaches correctly.
Comment by Al -
Mark,
I enjoy reading your blogs – particularly the ones on tech.
I recently took over the CEO post of a youth electronics company based in Dallas – so I will soon be cheering on the Mavs, as well as my beloved Lakers.
Question – when I search on your site I can not find anything about fantasy basketball – do you decline to discuss this topic? I\’d like to hear your perspective on the hobby.
Thanks.
Comment by Jim Wagner -
Mark,
I enjoy reading your blogs – particularly the ones on tech.
I recently took over the CEO post of a youth electronics company based in Dallas – so I will soon be cheering on the Mavs, as well as my beloved Lakers.
Question – when I search on your site I can not find anything about fantasy basketball – do you decline to discuss this topic? I\’d like to hear your perspective on the hobby.
Thanks.
Comment by Jim Wagner -
As an 20 year NCAA official, I have to say something here. The NBA officials are incredibly good. There are thousands of games a year played by primadonna, millionaire adolescents and these officials keep the game under control and usually don\’t screw up anything. Crawford lost his cool and he is paying the price as he should. But by and large, fans are clueless about officiating, the actual rules, and completely intoxicated by love for their own team, and as such, horrible judges about the quality of officiating. At the college and pro level, we referees do EXACTLY what the coaches and the league wants us to do. Otherwise, we don\’t get hired or re-hired. So if you don\’t like how the games are called, don\’t blame the refs…as Mark says…contact the league.
As the officials all realize, if a fan doesn\’t like a call, 99% of the time it\’s because he is blinded by his love of team, doesn\’t know the rules, or both.
Comment by Mark -
Mark,
To all of the folks on here kisssing your butt, they need to get a life and earn a living for themselves and not rely on folks like you to feel sorry for them and send them to the bahamas for good comments. Your an a-hole sometimes but I respect the way you treat your players and us fans. You are without hesitation what is good in the NBA right now. You are bringing us back to the glory days when you and I were kids with Dr.J, Bird, Thomas, Jabbar, etc. The ratings in the NBA have grown because of you and Stern ought to be kissing your butt for making the industry as much money as you have. Your a hell raiser and that is what is bringing folks back. No more whiny, wimpy, bullcrap like the stuff we saw between the early 80\’ to 2000. Thanks brother and keep up the good work! Rock on and by the way, your still an A-hole sometimes. GO MAVS!
Comment by Doug Stufflebean -
The refs suck. Joey sucked, and they will find a ref that sucks to replace him.
I\’m sure we are on the same page with our feelings on the refs.
I understand Tim Duncan is an opponent, and \’the enemy of my enemy is my friend\’. I would pick my battles carefully to if they cost me $100,000\’s. Your supporting the Spurs enough with the alimony payments to Michael Finley.
The thing that makes me curious in all of this:
Will the ref\’s call the playoffs fair this year?
We\’ll they retaliate over Joey being suspended? I doubt it, there are too many eyes watching… we\’ll they call it soft.. I doubt it.. there are too many eyes watching.
The result: WELL CALLED GAMES!
PS – Real quick cheap plug: http://www.NBARefsSuck.com
Comment by Karl Kevilus -
Any real Spurs fans roots for the Mavs when it\’s not against the Spurs. Spurs have been fairly lucky:
\’87 #1 Pick – David Robinson
\’97 #1 Pick – Tim Duncan
Look at the following year:
\’88 #1 Pick – Danny Manning
\’98 #1 Pick – Michael Olowakandi
The years after the Spurs built their dynasty the Clippers built their disaster.
I\’d rather be lucky than good.
But on the serious note.. I\’d much rather watch a game in AA than in the AT&T building that looks like it was put up by American Steel. Maybe the steel buildings work for Mr. Holt\’s CAT\’s but it\’s a horrible place to pay to watch the NBA ruin basketball.
Spurs fans love Avery and they love Texas. If they Spurs get knocked out before the WCF Spurs fans will be pulling for the MAVS… and a lot of them buy tickets to watch games in Dallas throughout the year anyhow. Be nice to them.
Comment by Karl Kevilus -
COntinuing on the plight of the defensive player.
I want to repeat that the evolution of the play of drawing an offensive foul was born out of the injustice that defensive plyers face when offensive players innitiate contact, They have learnd that there best chance at justice is to try to draw the offensive foul.
ANother coping strategy defensive players use is to sort of nto even play defense to avoid picking up a foul. THIS IS THE BIGGEST TRAGEDY OF ALL AND THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. ITS ALMOST COMICAL< YOU SEE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS RUNNING TO GET OUT OF THE WAY TO AVOID PICKING UP A FOUL and sometimes the refs still call teh foul on them anyway, THIS has got to stop. Thsi has been the lakers problme all year they give up like 30 poits a game because they have so little faith in the refs to give them a fair shake at playing defense, so they just sort of let people score and its such a shame, I would say to those defenders, its better to go down fouling out then to go down allowing your man to score a bunch of easy baskets on you. GO down fouling out and hope people like me will point out the injustice. There is nothing more tragic then watching a good player pick up 2 quick fouls in the first 2 minutes of a game and then having to sit on the bench or even worse playing on his heels trying to avoid fouls. There is nothing more tragic to watch, To remedy this sad situtation the league should really think about bumping up the number of fouls to something like 8 or maybe even 10 instead of 6. Also there needs to be a general understanding that NOBODY LIKES WHISTLES, and THE LESS WHISTLES THE BETTER. ON borderline calls whether it involves fouls, or in bounds versus out of bounds, or traveling, there should be a general bias towards whatever keeps the game moving. THey have to call clear violations, but on the close ones, I think as a general orientation they should opt for the non-call that keeps the game moving. Whistles take players out of their rhythm, they annoy fans, and if there were less whistles, then they could think about making 15 minutes quarters. THis way there would be more of those oh so precious minutes to go around for everyone and more players would have opportunities to show what they can do. But this would only work if there were less whistles. HOckey and football go for 60 minutes, basketball should too.
All right, Im officially bored of talking abot the refs
This years playoffs are gonna be really good, in the west I could easily see seeds 6, 7 and 8 taking out 1, 2 and 3. easily. May the best teams win. I think the theme of this years playoffs is going to be UPSET!
My prediction for the finals is Lakers Cavs, I would have picked the rockets but they dont seem to be playing my man Bonzi Wells, hoefully he gets in a good situation next year while hes still not too old. That guy would help any team, I think hed be a good fit for the Atlanta Hawks, but thats just me.
.
Comment by craigp -
All right here are some organized and carefully chosen words about officiating in the NBA.
I think it is a good thing that there is discussion about how to improve the officiating in the NBA. Because while in fairness to the refs, basketball is indeed the hardest sport to officiate, the NBA officials still are generally doing the WORST job compared to all the other major sports. Bad officiating in basketball is particularly tragicl because they decide determine what CONTACT is and is not a foul and there is always lots of contact in basketball since it is a contact sport. basketball officials have more influence over the outcome of a game then do baseball, basketball and hockey officials so its so important that they do a good job. .BY the way I used to think Bavetta was a good ref, but Ive changed my mind in the last year, and now I think he sucks too, THere are a few refs who I think are good (some black and some white, not that it really matters) but I dont know there names, but I think about 80% of them suck.
The first problem I want to adress is the complete disrespect for the defensive players right to his position and his right to jump straight up and straight down and defend his basket. INcidentally the focus on players drawing charges is misguided, becasue defenive players have learned that there only chance and any kind of justice is to try to draw a charge. The defensive player has learned that if he just stands there with his arms up or jumps straight up, about 95 percent of the time the ref will call a foul on him when the offensive player drives into him.
THis is so crucial, The defensive players\’ right to his spot and his right to the air spce directly above him needs to be respected. The offensive player that drives for a layup and collides with the defensive player body to body should NOT be getting a call as the offenswive player is the innitiator of the contact. **NOW if the defensive players swipes at eh offensive player with his arms and strikes him, that is a foul and that should be called. IFD the defensive player jumps sideways INTO the offensive player THAT also is a foul. BUt if the defenisve player just jumps staright up and defends his basket and the offensive players body collides with his body, that is NOT a FOUL and MUST STOP BEING CALLED. Now some may thing this will hurt scoring, I disagree, I think this will force the very talented NBA players to be creative and do incredible athletic up and under type moves that they are all capable of doing, but too often they dont even develop those moves becuse the refs give them the easy way out with by sending them to the line for jumping into the defender.
Here is an example to think about on this type of play. Everyone should think about the famous Jordan/Sam Perkins play in game 2 of the 1990-91 finals where Jordan so beautifully switches to his left hand in midair and makes the layup. YOU see, Sam Perkins is entitled to jump straghtt up and stop him, and as Jordan drives there is contact, however Jordan adjust swiches hands, swirves around PErkins and makes one the greatest and most famous plays in NBA history. That play was not a fould on Perkins, it was great defense and even better offense Good officiating creates beautiful basketball… THis play is NOT a foul on Perkins.
continued…
Comment by craigp -
So, David Stern won\’t allow players and owners to discuss any issues about NBA. He has the right, NBA is not public. Right? Well …
NBA is so concerned about its image that it is losing authenticity on a daily basis. Sure, they serve us \”NBA Cares\” and other stories. Yes it is good, but it is all served, all somewhat artificial. We have no real insight into what is going on. And why wouldn\’t fans also be entitled to know actual opinions of NBA owners… OK, we then need to be stupid, see how the league cares and how everyone is in line (to get money out of our pockets). We should just buy jerseys, cheer to help the team (ironically we have to pay for that too), boo opposing players at free throws and most importantly don\’t ask any questions.
And if we ask.. you\’ll hear only the \”right things\” to be said. There are some exceptions, like Mark, maybe Shaq, Sheed or KG. But most of the players or owners you don\’t even need to listen to what they say, you already know it. A very impenetrable organization.
I feel with Mark, the system is too \”stern\” to be changed. Hope he doesn\’t give up. Mark is the most refreshing owner of any pro team in years and it is sad to see him losing interest.
Comment by P.J. -
Mr. Cuban you are probably the greatest owner of any team in any league and its b/c of you i have become a Dallas fan and as a cubs fan i hope u decide to buy the team b/c i know u would bring a championship there
Comment by derek -
Well I got some mroe I wann talk about, its not my inention to piss anyone off. Perhaps I was a little hard on Kerr and Duncan and PArker, but whatever they are tough they can handle some verbal criticizm in this free society that we live in I am sure.
i got some more on my mind though, I hate to get into blakc white stuff, cuz i think its bad for the country, but on the other hand, I just feel someones gotta to say something and since no one else will its left to me, cuz its not right the way the sports media presents things.
So I tune in to NBA TV for the playoff preview, I guess I am a glutton for punishment, the panel first discusses the heat /bulls, Amazingly not single of mention of J wiLLimas or Heinrich, J willliams being the third best player on the hear and Heinrich in my opinion being the best player on the Bulls, not one highlight of either player, and this happens all the time not jstu on NBA TV, so I dont mean to single them out. ITs not right, and I dont understand who or what drives this effort in the sports media, and why so many jsut go along with it, and dont say \”hey now wait a minute this isnt right\”. Is it fear of job loss? I guess, very very strange. Those who disagree with me about Heinrich being the best player on the BUlls, I can respect that disagreement, but to not mention him, thats so f–cked up. Also I dont knw where this idea that the Bulss cant score came from thats a new one very odd. THe BUlls are kicking ass and Heinrichs excellent play is the main reason for that and he continues to improve slowly each year. Id say he is almost an all star not quite.
THen they go on to talk about the Cavs Bullets, I think they mentioned every Cav player accept Pavlovic, why do they keep up with this nonsense? what is the purpose? who imo is the 2nd best player on the Cavs Hughes is a closee third imo
again its not right and the big question to me is \”WHY?\”
Then they start talking about the raptors, and its like everything is Bosh who is awesome indeed, and Sam MItchell who is also a good coach, but its like they have a bunhc of other guys playihng really well, and this effort to create the impression thats all due to Bosh and Mithcell is just not fair and not right, and not a peep about it from the talking heads on these shows.
ANyway my next post I wanna talk about officiating, I\’ve said enough about the black/white thing, maybe it will do some good, probably it wont, but I simply have to say something.
For my officiating lecture I may even put my comments throguh word first and use spell check
Comment by craigp -
Well I got some mroe I wann talk about, its not my inention to piss anyone off. Perhaps I was a little hard on Kerr and Duncan and PArker, but whatever they are tough they can handle some verbal criticizm in this free society that we live in I am sure.
i got some more on my mind though, I hate to get into blakc white stuff, cuz i think its bad for the country, but on the other hand, I just feel someones gotta to say something and since no one else will its left to me, cuz its not right the way the sports media presents things.
So I tune in to NBA TV for the playoff preview, I guess I am a glutton for punishment, the panel first discusses the heat /bulls, Amazingly not single of mention of J wiLLimas or Heinrich, J willliams being the third best player on the hear and Heinrich in my opinion being the best player on the Bulls, not one highlight of either player, and this happens all the time not jstu on NBA TV, so I dont mean to single them out. ITs not right, and I dont understand who or what drives this effort in the sports media, and why so many jsut go along with it, and dont say now wait a minute this isnt right. very very strange. Those who disagree with me about Heinrich being the best player on the BUlls I can respect that disagreement, but to not mention him, thats so f–cked up. Also I dont knw where this idea that the Bulss cant score came from thats a new one very odd. THe BUlls are kicking ass and Heinrichs excellent play is the main reason for that and he continues to improve slowly each year. Id say he is almost an all star not quite.
THen they go on to talk about the Cavs Bullets, I think they mentioned every Cav player accept Pavlovic, why do they keep up with this nonsense? what is the purpose? who imo is the 2nd best player on the Cavs Hughes is a closee third imo
again its not right and the big question to me is \”WHY?\”
Then they start talking about the raptors, and its like everything is Bosh who is awesome indeed, and Sam MItchell who is also a good coach, but its like they have a bunhc of other guys playihng really well, and this effort to create the impression thats all due to Bosh and Mithcell is just not fair and not right, and not a peep about it from the talking heads on these shows.
ANyway my next post I wanna talk about officiating, I\’ve said enough about the black/white thing, maybe it will do some good, probably it wont, but I simply have to say something.
For my officiating lecture I may even put my comments throguh word first and use spell check
Comment by craigp -
Did any see the refs finally call the chop move Duncan makes with his arm when he faces up to the basket ? Chopping the defender away with the ball in both hands or the off hand is an offensive foul. I believe Mark was the one that alerted the league to this last year during the playoffs. Its a classic Duncan move but he uses it to gain an advantage on about 70% of his postups. Watch for this come playoff time.
There are only a few players in the league who don\’t need the refs to help them. They are Dirk, Nash and Kobe because they are pure sharpshooters from anywhere on the court.
Comment by Shake -
First of all, I\’m happy whiny Tim Duncan finally got what was due him for always whining. Um, wasn\’t there a no tolerance rule this year? Kind wonder why it\’s a fireable offense to enforce it. To quote Ron Burgandy, \”that doesn\’t make sense.\” Second of all, Cuban, I know you get a raw deal in the media and from idiot fans of losing teams, but as a fan whose been coming to Mavs games since he was 5 with his dad, let me reassure you, Dallas fans are pretty DAMN PROUD of their owner, so please don\’t let all the losers keep you down. I\’m pretty freakin happy and proud with my team, my owner and my MAVS !!! Maybe you could hire Crawford as our team \”referee consultant\”. Ha. Wouldn\’t that just piss Stern U right off !!!!
Comment by Josh Faris -
what did you all expect? The NBA has been Pro Wrestling Lite for almost 30 years and then MJ came along and the league became a total joke. If you looked at him you got a foul. The refs were instrumental in not only protecting MJ from fouling out of every game but also getting him to the line every game. It got to the point where every star player was getting this treatment,so the ref was a part of the game as important as the player,but wasnt and isnt getting paid that way. So every few years, one of these guys goes off the deep end. Think about it. The ref is every bit as important or more important than the players and they get paid peanuts compared to the stars, who they can make or break.
If the refs chose to treat Shaq the way they did Darrel Dawkins, Shaq would have been out of the league long ago. Darrel often had 5 offensive fouls for moving into people under the basket,early in each game. Shaq fouls people on every offensive play,much the way MJ did on the defensive end towards the end of his career.
The refs choose which rules will be observed in each game and what style of play will be tolerated. The league has been a fucking joke since early 90s.
Comment by jake -
Is there a classier player in the league than Tim Duncan? If so, not by much. In an era of A. Iversons, Pacman Jones, Kobe, and Tank Johnsons, it is unreal that this ref picks Duncan to mess with… I cant recall any pending weapons charges or instances of questionably consentual extramarital sodomy involving Tim Duncan… I am not sure why everyone is so down on D Stern in this instance though. He sat the ref for the postseason, I think that is probly fair enough. If you mess up at your job, do you expect to get canned altogether? I am guessing that you dont, yanoe, as long as you arent an air traffic controller or anything… It is a hard line to walk to be the man in charge, and to try to maintain control, while still not being the next incarnation of der fuhrer. Does D Stern make some terrible decisions sometimes? Of course he does. Anyone with a functioning TV and basic cable can tell you that. But he is just a guy, trying to walk the line. Crawford will get his, whether now or later, you cant hide from kharma.
Comment by darthgunner -
All these fakes, message boards overrun with fakes these days
For something real listen
Joey Crawford is officially my favorite referee, Tim DUncan is a dirty player. He fouls people constantly, he pushes people in the back constantly, loose ball fouls going for rebounds constantly, The refs have SPOILED him for years and he throws a temper tantrum when they call obvious fouls on him. If I were an official I would be tossing him out of most games along with Popovich. THe refs have also spoiled Tony PArker, He gets so many BS calls. His game is to driblle in a straight line into people and go the foul line. The spurs sucess is mainly due to The BS calls that Duncan and PArker get. Knowlegeable fans realize this but you would never get that impression listening to most sports writers these days of whom would slap their mothers if the sports powers that be told them to. And GOd I cant stand Steve Kerr, these days, I have to wathc the games he does with the volume turned down, such a lackey that man is its sickenign ugh, but anyway I dont dislike all of the sports media
Ya know who is awesome! Kenny the Jet SMith, HE rocks!
He is the best at what he does, He really knows his stuff, he\’s fair, hes intelligent, hes got a great voice, hes funny, he smooths things out when Ernie and Charles get on each others nerves, He does his homework, I find myself agreeing with what he says about 85% of the time. Kenny The jet SMith, He\’s the best, absolute delight to listen to.
Other sports media announcers guys that are good, Stu Lantz, Walt Frazier, TOm Heinson, Drexler,
I dislike most of the others but no need to mention names exccept for Kerr who is just so absoultely horrible in my opinion
OH and one more thing, Ive come to realzie that since basketball is such a subjective game to officiate in terms of fouls, good basketball relies heveily on players that play with some kind of honor. ITs very easy to conn the refs, and I have NO respect for players that do that. Lots of players do play with honor and that is awesome some players dont, and the really should. IT would amke everthing better and improve the quality of the game
God Bless
Comment by craigp -
Refs make mistakes. Period. It\’s not a perfect science. I think the NBA showed good jusgement in suspending Crawford, but in terms of just complaining because a ref blows a call, c\’mon, it happens.
Comment by basketball tip -
I hate to think the officials try to sway outcomes of games. In this case it seems like a personal vendetta against Duncan. But other times it seems like they are actually trying to change the outcome of games. Remember the Lakers/Kings playoffs of 2001? Remember Game 6? Pathetic officiating! That\’s only one example of many. I want to believe it\’s all fair, but after these examples, it\’s hard to.
Comment by Janna -
I was at the game on Sunday and I gotta tell you. I watched Duncan whine and cry up and down the court and give Joe Crawford the evil stare that he does all the time when he thinks others are picking on him. If he would just play the game instead of whining all the time about being breathed on or bumped into. Duncan got what he deserved. Duncan needs to go back to the sandbox and play with the little kids and let the big boys play basketball.
Comment by Nellie -
Duncan whines nearly every time he gets called for a foul. Over and over again with no T\’s. His whining rivals that of Steve Nash and that\’s saying alot! I\’m a MFFL. I love my team dearly. That being said, no one can deny Duncan is a great player. I used to think he was a class act too-until last year during the playoffs against the Mavs. Post game comments-he whined constantly. Never gave the Mavericks credit for anything. Just boo hooed. And maybe Joe Crawford is like me and alot of other people-fed up with the whining. Duncan has (especially since the refs got tougher) deserved many T\’s and this time he got exactly what he deserved.
Comment by Cynthia -
In response to entry #105. How can you be both a Mavs fan AND a Spurs fan. Pick one. It\’s not ok to be a fan sometimes. I am sure it was easy to be a Spurs fan when they won their titles and the Mavs were the laughing stock of professional sports. Please do not disgrace the rest of us REAL Mavs fans who, even though we were just children at the time, loved the Mavs of old. I am a fan of Dirk, Jet, and J-Ho but I was, and still am a fan of Brad Davis, Rolando Blackmon, Jamal Mashburn, Jim Jackson and Jason Kidd. You can have David Robinson, Steve Kerr and Tim \”I am Still on the nipple\” Duncan and leave us as a \”Mavs Fan\”.
Ryan
MF(not just the last few years)FL
Comment by Ryan -
Finally, the NBA has stood up to this officials who are so impowered that they give out technical fouls for breathing too hard. Give me a break! What other sport does that? Baseball, football, or hockey? No way – just the NBA – it\’s been a joke. It\’s ridiculous. And all the BS calls on the Mavs last year in the finals allowing Wade to shoot free throws at will was stupid. Now if the league officials in NJ can clean up their act and not suspend players like Stackhouse in critical game 5 for a hard foul.
Yes, you guessed it. I\’m a Mavs fan. I used to be a fan of the NBA. Not anymore – the league disgusts me. My company has dealings with the NBA league office, and they are a bunch of jerks to work with. They don\’t treat people with respect.
Comment by Scott -
The saddest part of this blog entry to me was the fact that Mark\’s given up blogging on the NBA because he can\’t offer an honest opinion anymore. I loved reading his owner insights.
Comment by Richard -
I personally think that the ref overeacted on the ejection, and Mr.Stern himself did the same thing by suspending Mr.Crawford although it did add some much needed attention to the problems with the nba and its player and ref disputes, i think that we should move past it and get ready for some explosive playoff basketball and i hope that the mavs win it all this year im looking forward to being there to cheer my team.!!!!
Comment by Jason -
Now Phoenix (playing its starters regular minutes, has lost its final two games. The Spurs/Dallas game on Sunday can no longer be seen as \”meaningless\”.
Crawford watching from home will be little consolation for the Spurs during the 4th quarter of a tight GAME 7 IN PHOENIX.
Oh well, Dallas/Phoenix draws better nationally, anyway. Convenient.
Comment by Bo Villemain` -
I am a MAVS Fan.
I think that Stern is a terrible commish. Eddie Gossage for NBA Commissioner!!!
The question that I have is how can Duncan be fined $25,000 AND Crawford be indefinately suspended. It seems like to me that that only one of these 2 things should have happened – since they are opposite sides. Just a thought. I think it is funny that the NBA suspeneded an official (and one that is always noticed when he is reffing). The best officials are the ones you never hear of or know their names.
P.S. Please buy the Cubs (I am also a Cubs Fan)
Comment by Jason -
screw joe crawford.
the guy showboats constantly… games that he officiates are PAINFUL to watch
and as a lifelong mavs fan (13-69 yeah boy), i was absolutely disgusted at how this tool threw timmy out. i mean really, grow UP.
keep an eye out for a \”F___ JOEY CRAWFORD\” sign at the AAC …
Comment by dillon -
Joe Crawford is my hero. About time someone set the biggest whiner in the NBA straight. The price was high for Joe Crawford but hopefully he will be back soon.
Let\’s count how many times Duncan whines to the officials about a call during the playoffs.
GO MAVS!!!
Comment by Joe Mendoza -
Just saying thanks to Mark Cuban for being the prototypical owner. He truly cares about his team and is the most passionate about them. As a fan, one can only admire his true dedication.
Comment by Jim -
I am am both a Spurs & Mavricks fan. These two organizations can both be commended for being what is good about the NBA. Unfortunately Mr. Crawford again destroyed what should have been one of the best regular season games of the year. I no longer follow baseball because of referees who think they are more important than the game. Looks like NBA is letting it\’s officials take over the game as well.
Comment by Harvey Smith -
crawford\’s a hot head. Nice to see them doing something about
ref issues for once and not just focusing on the players. Too bad the league plauys favorites with Duncan…he gets wronged and crawford gets run. Tony Brothers makes a bad call & calls Nellie for a tech with no time on the clock to cost my GSW\’s a game and Stu Jackson says it was by the book….I love the game,but the people that run managing the officials (ie Stu) are inconsistent and only cater to the elite teams and players. I look forward to my GSW\’s knocking off an elite team from Texas….that we are 3 – 0 against this year.
Comment by jrich@23 -
This is why you\’re the best owner in the league Mark. Unlike every other billionaire businessman who owns a sports team, you are open to the fanbase and hear us out. I know you\’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but thanks for being the best. It really means a lot to this fan to know that my favorite team is actually appreciated by their owner
Comment by Ben -
Amen brother, AMEN!!!!
Comment by Omar S -
Mark,
I understand you not wanting to say anything anymore to get fined and I know people e-mailing you about the problems of the NBA won\’t help anything. But there are tens of thousands of people like me who share your passion and love for the Mavs and really like to hear you comment on them every now and then. I know your a smart guy and you have opinions and insight on other subjects and thats fine. But I\’m a MFFL, give me something! You\’re a BIG reason we\’ve become the team we are and I truly appreciate what you\’ve done, there are alot of real NBA fans still out there. Its playoff time Mavs!
Eric
MFFL
Comment by Eric -
Can you get Dirk to laugh his azz off next time Benedict Salvatore misses a call? SALVATORE has got to be the next one to go. He is not only the worst ref in the NBA, SALVATORE is the worst official in ANY sport. PERIOD.
Comment by Bonzer -
I can\’t blame Mark for not commenting on NBA officiating. It\’s already cost him millions without changing much at all. As a season ticket holder a few rows behind the basket of a small-market NBA team (second smallest, I think) I have a lot of distrust for NBA officials. I see how a player like Kobe Bryant can wrap his arm around an official, do some sweet talking and suddenly start getting calls. The players on my favorite team don\’t have the superstar power to pull off such shenanigans…
Comment by Spencer Ferguson -
When the Spurs played the Pacers in Indianapolis recently, Crawford was one of the officials. It was obvious he had it out for Duncan. He called a technical on him for NO reason and when there was a jump ball, he made him move his feet three times. Never did Duncan respond in a negative way. It was clear to all in the stands that he was trying to call him out for no reason.
Jane (A Pacer Season Ticket Holder) I know, no sympathy please!
Comment by jane -
In response to #95, I love that a Mavs fan has the nerve to call anyone on the Spurs organization a multi-millionaire whiny child.
Whose blog are you reading? Cuban himself even wrote a blog entry one day last year where he proudly defended himself as being a whiner and said he\’d never get anywhere in life if he wasn\’t. I guess technically he\’s a multi-billionaire whiny child, right?
Really I\’m thoroughly enjoying his \”If I can\’t win a championship and act like a spoiled brat, I\’ll just take my money and go home\” attitude.
Have fun with the Cubbies Mark. If you think your fellow NBA owners are humorless simpletons and this commissioner is out of touch and unreasonable, wait until you get a load of the folks in MLB.
Comment by Michael Erler -
I like you as an owner. You bring Dallas this far. But what if Dirk Nowitzki was the one who got T by laughing?
Comment by garry -
It has been said over and over. Duncan has turned in to a big multi-million dollar whiny child. He should have been tossed from the game for showing up the ref. It would happen in high school or college. It is about who deserves the final call on the court. That is the ref. Duncan should have shut his mouth, put his head down and go the job done. Instead he had to be a little baby and show up Crawford- who did the right thing and tossed him.
Comment by David -
It is not a myth! David Stern has a backbone after all. Even though it happened to my least favorite player on my least favorite team, I believe that the 2 techs against Tim \”Crybaby\” Duncan were completely uncalled for and Stern took action. He took action by suspending Crawford, who obviously took his Eastern Conference bias too far by tossing Duncan. I am glad he is done for the Playoffs so that now the best team in the NBA will finally be the best team when it is all over and done. D-wade sorry but you will not be getting 96 foul shots this year. Thank You Joe Crawford for being an idiot and insuring the Mavs a NBA Title.
Comment by Ryan -
In the grand scheme of things, we want referees to be invisible. We want the players to play fair, smart, and tough without breaking the rules. How the heck knows the history between Duncan and Crawford. No doubt in each of their minds, the other said something that was damn irritating. Most of us will side with the athlete because that\’s who we pay to watch play (except if it\’s the Harlem Globetrotters). However, the refs have been a big part of basketball since the beginning. Pick up a copy of Tall Tales: The Glory Years of the NBA and you\’ll find not only did the players, owners, and coach yell at the refs, they actually threw punches. The game has changed from a physical sport to a finesse sport and now back to physical action, but men and our emotions don\’t change.
Comment by eddie shap -
So if it\’s not the NBA then it\’s back to Google and You tube?
Comment by Cade -
Good to see our bitter rival back us (for the most part) on this one. If it were Dirk, Spurs fans would still see the truth just as Mavs fans do in this case. Neither Dirk nor Tim are dirty or notorious players, so it was a shock. Mark Cuban, we want to like you, we really do…no other team has an owner with cojones. Your silence in this case is not wanted (by both Mavs and Spurs fans)…but we understand your fiscal concerns, and who can blame you.
Comment by Spurs Die Hard Respectful of Mavs -
In response to J.M.C\’s comments on Mark having enough money to handle the fines, you\’re right. Problem is, the NBA could hit the Mavs with something worse than a fine, such as stripping them of draft picks. That\’s something that no owner can afford.
Comment by Gary -
So when Cuban said something about all of this people labled him as a whiner. Tim Duncan says it and a guy gets suspended. Too bad Stern didn\’t give a shit about this last year. Maybe Carwford can get a job at Dairy Queen.
Comment by Jason -
I think it is interesting the NBA has suspended Crawford indefinitely. I think it shows that if you pick your battles carefully (like Duncan), the NBA is more inclined to listen. Constant criticism of the refs just causes the NBA to filter out the noise, much like Mark is filtering out the noise on his site.
Comment by Erik -
I will start with this Crawford was suspended and it was a ridiculous call tossing Duncan. But to go as far to write off a league because you don\’t like officiating is crazy. Anybody who has ever played competitive sports knows the rule above all other rules and that is you play by the rules of the officials. You get away with whatever they let you get away with or what they don\’t let you get away with. You live with it because that is just they way it is. But honestly how often have both sets of fans watching a game walked away and thought, \”wow what a great job the officials did?\” So if you can\’t handle bad officiating then just pull for the winning team, it is much easier that way. And if you are a fan of the Mavs or whoever else then be a fan. Boo the bad calls and praise the good ones. Chances are the fans across the way are doing the exact same thing just the opposite of you.
Comment by Josh -
I\’m glad that this is finally getting some attention. It didn\’t seem to get much attention a few years back when Don Nelson was ejected from a playoff game for standing beside the court with his arms crossed.
The greatest injustice is that the NBA doesn\’t recognize it\’s own faults. We constantly see the NFL, NHL, and MLB trying to improve their game. The only thing that the NBA has done is to institute a dress code (something most people hate at their own work place).
Comment by Dagromm -
I have been a die hard fan of the mavericks since we had double J Jim jackson and Jason Kidd. I think Mark took the high road, which is the right thing to do. Tim Duncan is a class act and even though he is a rival I still think he did not deserve to get tossed. Mark\’s refusal to comment is a smart move because he doesn\’t want the referees to make his team pay in the playoffs like last year, Such as D wades 75 guarenteed freethrows a game.I personally think we should have a Joey Crawford vs Mark Cuban Halftime wrestling match in the playoffs and maybe Duncan could be the referee.
Comment by Jripper420 -
\”You would have a comment about it if Dirk would have been involved.\”
DUH! Maybe cause Dirk is on HIS team??? Just a thought…
Comment by mrodz -
I agree! Why should everyone decide that you need to hear their complaints? If people really cared about this game and the refs then they would let their own team know what they want and try and get something taken care of that way.
I know you said you\’re tired of commenting, Mark, but it\’s too bad that the NBA feels the need to punish you for trying to make it better instead of doing what it has to do to fix the problems. I love basketbal, NBA basketball especially, but it is frustrating when someone who is trying to help the league get better is punished and bullied into silence. What can I do? Nothing, I believe as I am only a fan and not a rich one at that. Hopefully, the league will do the right thing and David Stern will stop being such a tyrant!!
Comment by Sarah Freeman -
The NBA has suspended joey crawford for the rest of the season and the entire playoffs! Good for them! Lay the smack down on refs that abuse their power!
Comment by basketball -
NBA Referee Joey Crawford Suspended
Posted Apr 17 2007 1:27PM
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NEW YORK, April 17, 2007 NBA referee Joey Crawford has been indefinitely suspended for improper conduct toward Tim Duncan during the San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks game on April 15, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner David Stern. The conduct included Crawford\’s assessment of a second technical foul and ejection of Duncan following laughter by the player while he was seated on the bench, and inappropriate comments made to Duncan during the game.
Crawford\’s suspension will cover at least the remainder of the 2006-07 season, including the NBA Playoffs and Finals.
\”Joey Crawford\’s handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees,\” said Stern. \”Especially in light of similar prior acts by this official, a significant suspension is warranted. Although Joey is consistently rated as one of our top referees, he must be held accountable for his actions on the floor, and we will have further discussions with him following the season to be sure he understands his responsibilities.\”
The incidents occurred with 1:04 remaining in the third period of the Mavericks 91-86 win over the Spurs on Sunday, April 8 at American Airlines Center.
Comment by ts -
Joey Crawford was just suspended for the remainer of the season and the playoffs
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2840587
Comment by Scott -
Mark,
I\’m wondering how much money you paid the referess (Joe Crawford in particular)to get your team past the Spurs? You yourself can admit that Duncan\’s ejection was the worst call of the NBA history. It looks like old Joe was so determined to please you.
Comment by Jayjel -
I\’m a big Mavs fan, but what Duncan did didn\’t warrant getting kicked.
The refs can sometimes get caught up in the heat of the game as well and make personal, rash decisions against players for whatever reason. Doesn\’t make it right, but that\’s how it rolls. There will never be a perfect ref.
Comment by Steven Rogers -
I tottally aggree that the saddest thing is that Mark Cuban cant even write about the NBA anymore……. If only Stern knew how close i am to never watching an NBA game again. I like the mavs (born and raised laker fan however) and almost comp-letely gave up on the nba after watching the officials give DWayde a MVP in the finals…… But where was the King and J.R.? I truly thought Vince was going to come out of the stands and whoop ya after the finals ended Mark :p
Comment by Kyle Hubbard -
Spurs fan here
-Crawford\’s a solid ref who seldom makes bad calls
-Crawford\’s unstable & irrational
That makes him sorta like a real hot chick with a smokin\’ bod who goes psycho every third Saturday night
-Duncan doesn\’t really \”whine\” per sei, he just makes Marty Feldman eyes after alot of calls
-Crawford\’s the same guy who, in the first quarter, called 4 techs on the Mavs and ejected Nellie in Game 2 of the \’03 Western Conference Finals. Nobody\’s immune from his irrational blowups.
-Steve\’s Javie\’s the worst of them all
-Spurs in 7 over the Mavs in this year\’s WCF\’s
-I kinda like it when Dirk does that little duck walk
Comment by Scott -
Mark is hot. Go Mavs.
Comment by GRiD -
Im not a big fan of Crawford but I am also not a fan of Tim Duncan. I am tired of people\’s comments defending him and making him out to be such a saint. TIM DUNCAN IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST WHINERS AND PROTESTERS OF CALLS IN THE LEAGUE. It\’s about time something is done about it. If that many T\’s are given to Rasheed, Tim deserves more too. Spurs fans, be thankful atleast when it happend, it wasn\’t a playoff game.
Comment by Kevin -
First of all…although unfortunate, Duncan\’s absence did not impact the final result of the game as much as everyone thinks. He was ejected with about 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. He was already on the bench when he picked up his first T. It is safe to assume he would have remained there for several more minutes. The Spurs did not lose because they lost TD, but because of their inability to score in the last four or so minutes of the game.
Having said that, I agree with the consensus that the foul was absurd…on both parts. Crawford should not have done it, and Duncan should have had more sense. He was already aware of tension between himself and Crawford from a previous game. After that first T, he should have had the sense not to do anything to further flame an escalating situation. I am not saying he should have gotten ejected. I am just saying a player with his experience should have been smarter.
What really is bothering me are the accusations from Spurs fans about how AAA is a rude and terrible place. That our fans our rude and crude and classless. I belong to other forums, and all I hear from them is how mean and rude Maverick fans in comparison to other places in the NBA. How we boo Finley, that everyone from the owner down to the concessions workers curse, and are behave badly. I rarely get to a game, for I now live in Memphis, but we did have season tickets for years…on the floor across from the players. I do not remember our fans being any worse or better behaved than fans in the myriad of other stadiums in which I have seen games of all sorts. And it is mostly Spurs fans who make these accusations.
Since when did San Antonio become the arbitrar of good taste, and exemplary behavior? Who crowned them Kings of CLass?
I hate to burst their bubble but Spurs fans…are not any better or worse behaved than Mavs or Suns or ROcket fans. They boo, and make fun of opposing teams, and had the situation been reversed, and the Mavs in San ANtonio, and Dirk got tossed…they would have had a ball with it.
And do not bore me with …we have 3 rings…
THAT is yesterday\’s news. It is a rhetoric that is tired and becoming ridiculous.
Or how you watched the tape of the game and can prove the refs called all the fouls in favor of the Mavericks. I am sure a Maverick fan could come up with a list that matched yours! It is called…homerism.
I have nothing against the Spurs…other than they stand in our way to the play-offs. I do not think TD should have been ejected, but I also think he gets plenty of calls that he does not deserve. I like TD…as a person and a player, but I would not trade Dirk for him.
And that is my story and I am sticking to it!
Comment by Elizabeth A. Weimer -
I\’m personally glad the mavericks have elevated themselves above the complaining they used to do a few years back.. Just playing through whatever adversity comes their way is MUCH more appealing.. and they are stronger mentally because of it.. They take teh responsibility for winning, instead of giving that power to their opponent or the ref..
Ref\’s may not officiate the game the same way every game.. but everyone has to play through whatever is thrown their way.. Almost like back-to-back games.. It sucks when you are on the back 1/2 of a back-to-back and your opponent is not.. but.. Play through it anyway..
Tim Duncan, as fantastic a player as he is.. is a major whiner.. I heard Crawford was saying \”You wanna fight?\” .. Note to Tim Duncan.. Don\’t fight with refs, even if you are just laughing, trying to make them look stupid.. You are still fighting them..
Especially Crawford.. He takes NO WHINING.. You already know this.. so don\’t whine!! Just shut up and play!! Hell you\’re Tim Duncan.. score 40 and shut everyone up without saying a word!!
Note to the NBA: Officiate EVERY game, and every player the same way.. Problem solved with consistancy…
Comment by Redneck King -
Ok yall asses need to BACK OFF Cuban!!! your damn right if it was one of our team members im sure he would comment about it BUT its NOT our team…take that bs to the spurs!!! give cuban a break hell look at all he has done with the mavs over the last few years!! i think the call was a good one…we all know that duncan is a big ass baby so come on lets move on & play some b-ball!!! MOVE ON….
to Cuban…big ups to you man on everything!!!!
Comment by candace -
Same old scenario. Poor officiating and judgement on the part of officials – that ruins the game – short term and in the long run. Never liked Crawford – arrogant – cocky – and at times very incompetent due to his targeting players and coaches at times during the season and playoffs – yet the front office refuses to deal with him.
Mavericks should win the championship this year and I believe they will – if they remain healthy. They should of won last year – but gained serious experience – that will help them win it this year.
Put your money on the Mavs now and don\’t believe the hype about the others.
Comment by Dave Jones -
Hi Mark,
Sure, I watched the latest Spurs/Mavs match-up. We sure didn\’t learn much did we? Duncan may have learned something though, but the fans on both sides were cheated out of a hard-nosed fight in the 4th. Oh well, we\’ll have to wait now to see who the best team really is. Hopefully, Joey will be in some other arena.
Comment by Gramma K -
Now that Don Imus is gone perhaps the media will fill the newly vacant airtime by scrutinizing Crawfard and the rest of the NBA referees. These little men who seem to feel that they are part of the game should be knocked down a few pegs and reminded that NBA fans are only interested in the game and don\’t give a damn about them.
Crawford in particular thinks he is as big a star as the players who worked their asses to get to the NBA. All Crawford did was rely on his daddy to pull some strings. Crawfard shouldn\’t even be officiated games at the YMCA.
Comment by bball guy -
Perhaps change the subject to \”STOP YOUR JUNK MAILING\” i/o something ur not going to comment is more appropriate.
Comment by ll -
dude very well said! i as a mavs fan embraced the moment when duncan got ejected! because whining did take its toll at the right moment! ahahah!! go mavs!
Comment by Gabriel -
I like the idea of e-mailing the other owners; however, they don\’t have a cool blog like this one – good to have an owner up to date with technology and understand its value.
Quick note – Ever noticed that people will do stick up for what is right until wrong happens to them.
Cuban has been pointing out issues about the officiating for years – now people want to jump on the bandwagon and want Cuban to comment. Why is he the only one that makes a point?
Fortunately it was not the MAVS that were the receiving end – which if they were I am sure that he would comment. The question shoudl be if it did happen to the MAVS was do you think the Spurs fans would stick up for Cuban?
Greg Popovich has taken a no comment approach on the subject as well. Let\’s see which style wins – dealing with issues in the public or taking the issue behind closed doors.
* Protest are not won by those that scream the loudest, but by those with the most tact to cause change to happen.
Comment by baby Juls -
What a waste of a good game. Just when we (I\’m a Spurs fan) were getting back into the thick of things, this happens. So, unfortunate. Horry was laughing just as much as Duncan. I agree with most of Ben\’s letter above save for the last sentence that suggests that Joey Crawford has tarnished the image of the NBA to the degree to which the Pistons/Pacers incident has. Either way, it was pretty ridiculous.
Anyway, congrats on your win yesterday, MC (may I call you that?) and I suppose we\’ll see you in the Western Conference Finals.
Comment by Derrich -
Conspiracy theory.
NBA is doing it to themselves so new people would tune in, or log on to the site, or get people mail Mark Cuban so he would shut up.
Just a theory.
Comment by Trust no1 -
It is unfortunate that Duncan was ejected for what I thought, was very minor. I believe, the aging Crawford will need to think about retirement while he still is considered a very experienced ref.
Comment by frank chin -
dstern@nba.com – fill \’er up!
Comment by Allen -
Mark – I love to watch your passion for the game both as an owner and fan because I can\’t tell them apart. I think you should make sure the league knows your opinion as an opposing owner about this situation. I will e-mail the league office and RC but I think there needs to be more that comes from opposing team fans and owners for incidents of this nature. I am a spurs fan and love to watch the mavs and spurs play even if the spurs lose not like that they lose but more because I know it will all be left out on the court because of the respect for each other and their passion for the game but yesterday was sad. The remainder of the game became somewhat meaningless.
Comment by Jon -
Mark, I think your comments are a cop-out! Removing Tim Duncan from Sunday\’s game was just plain wrong. I\’m not a Spurs fan, I\’m a MAVERICK\’S FAN-ATIC! I watch every game on TV because I cannot afford to attend in person and I have a physical limitation that prevents me from enjoying those merry steps up to the nose-bleed sections of AAC. But the referee that tossed Tim Duncan should be retired. I\’m sorry, but that was just a preview of what could happen to Dirk in the playoffs!
BOB ARNOLD
DALLAS
Comment by Bob Arnold -
Breathe and reboot
P.S. you are too cute when you get angry.
Comment by toni -
Im neither a Mavs nor a Spurs fan but I did catch the game.
The call was obviously wrong. It does not take a rocket scientist to realise this.
What bothers me is that people that work for the NBA … players, referee\’s, personel, ect should be held in the same regard… should they not?
We see players continually called out in the media and have it broadcasted to the fans when they have done something wrong. These players are hit with fines and the like.
Should Crawford not be treated the same? The NBA is a business… he is an employee… there is no reason he should be dealt with any differently then a player.
Would this be seen as the NBA tossing one of its officials under the bus? Probably. But when this type of crap happens… we as fans deserve to have the closure of knowing that something wrong took place and the person is being reprimended for it.
What bothers me even more as a fan is that not only was it a petty move by Crawford… the people that suffered the most were the fans. People pay GOOD money… (and by good I mean good to middle class folk such as me) to buy tickets to see marquee players. The Big Fundamental is a marquee name despite his robotic repetoire. To have a guy like that tossed from the game for basically nothing would piss me off to no end if I bought a ticket for that game.
The game was great. I watched it till the end. But honestly… having Duncan in there during those final moments would have made it even that much more better of a product on the floor regardless of who wins or loses.
Doubtful Mark reads the comments, but ill take a swing in the dark and still pledge my allegiance to him. Others have echo\’d these sentiments but Im sure its always nice to have your ego rubbed. I really do appreciate what you do for the NBA. My opinion may not be worth much… but its great to actually see an owner who views the game parallel to the fan base. Im not an avid Mavs fan… but I love good basketball and the Mavs are playing it. You\’ve built a great organization and a great team. Good luck in the playoffs… and keep sticking it to the powers that be. You are the fan. You are our voice. Don\’t ever change.
– Dave
Comment by Dave Wells -
I never wanted to believe that the officals had intent to control a game until the finals of last year and Mr.Wade was fouled with a few seconds left on the clock which was called by the only B&W half way on the other side of the court , You know the story and the ending. I said thats it I am done with Basketball. And i have always been a Spurs fan. But this time i was pulling for the MAVS HARD!! Man was i MAD!!
Now this drama with Tim Ducan confirms the fact about everything you said Mark . If there is one time you should be speaking up it should be now. This is to obvious not too. Stern and his Zebar\’s have to much control and are losing the respect of fans!! What good is it going to do for us to email Stern? Your the voice thats heard !! Come on Mark !! This is what I have always liked about you!! Now your going to look the other was because its not a Mav . This actually gives you more impact because its not a MAV. We can take up a collection and help you pay for the fine!
Comment by Mark -
Given up writing about the NBA? Well, it\’s been nice reading you, Mark. I can\’t say I get jazzed about reading about business, but that\’s fine. Too bad, though, because I\’ll miss your NBA-related stuff.
One thing I hate about bad calls is that the beneficiary of the bad call never says anything. I always think that if I were the coach or a player and a bogus call was called against the other team, I\’d say to the ref, \”He didn\’t touch me\”. (I of course realize that in reality I might do no such thing.) Because who wants to win that way? If you can\’t stand up for what is right, period, rather than just what is right for your team, what\’s the point?
Comment by GM -
Watching the Mavs-Spurs game on Sunday has convinced me of one thing. Pro Basketball is as fake as Pro wrestling
Comment by Don -
I personally think a game should not be decided by an official. The NBA needs to look into this and suspend Joe Crawford. I bet Mark Cuban would comment if Dirk was ejected.
Comment by Richard Garcia -
Well, you gotta love cuban\’s take on this one. I love his loyalty to his readers. He pretty much said the whole duncan/crawford fiasco was BS without using any words. If this had been dirk or another Mav, however, I don\’t think Cuban would\’ve been able to contain himself. If he had agreed with Crawford, I\’m sure he\’d let us all know about it. He definitely wouldn\’t get fined for agreeing with the refs, right?
Comment by Alex Chhean -
Mark,
Good Job to stay out of the fray.
Keep it up!
We gonna get that trophy this year 🙂
Great Job on the team, Avery, Everything!!
-paisley
p.s. f*** nash for MVP.. lol GO DIRK!
Comment by paisley -
Something is very very wrong with NBA today 🙁
Comment by Pat -
Mark good job holding your tongue
Comment by pallet jack -
Cuban,
Was some how having Timmy ejected, your gift this year for Fan Appreciation Day?
Comment by J Marie -
NBA Rules
12.V.d.1 – A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as disrespectfully addressing an official.
12.V.d.3 – A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as overt actions indicating resentment to a call.
As much as I hate to defend the referees, it seems that the calls were within the scope of the rules. Now, while Crawford probably could have shown some restraint, so could Duncan. And if anyone wants to fire an official, go after Dick Bavetta. That guy makes himself the show in every game.
Comment by Joe -
I guess I read Mark\’s comments differently. I am a huge Spurs fan (but I would like to think not a hostile one) and was ready for Cuban\’s comments to defend the Mavs as usual. I am all about defending your team, and as an owner even more so. But he would always stand behind the guise of trying to make the league better, which was really disingenious. But now I think he as just lost interest. I see someone defeated by the league, and ready to sell the team. To me that would be a sad day because some of us get the fact that nobody is perfect, and Mark\’s positives well outweigh his negetives in terms of league impact. If he does sell I hope you guys get someone with just as much passion. Because as much as I love the Spurs, no sport is fun unless there is a great rivalry. And you will be hard pressed to find a better one these days. Especially when you consider that these are THE two classiest teams in all of sports.
Comment by Archie D -
If Duncan said what Joe \”The show\” claims he said while exiting, then Duncan\’s right! The media constantly refers to him as \”one of the best officials in the game\”, probably more out of fear of being tossed themselves! Rabbit-ears \”Show\” Crawford would even toss a broadcaster if they spoke poorly of him during their broadcast. I\’d love to hear what Barkley has to say about this fiasco! NBA fans don\’t pay to see Show Crawford, most probably are ready to leave when he enters the court, knowing they\’re about to witness a whistle-fest so he can get more face-time and accolades from announcers who have to be approved by the league. What Show did probably turned more potential NBA fans off than any player arrest or scandal ever could do. I dunno, maybe Show was uptight because taxes are due.
Comment by Daryl -
Joey is a bad official. Steve Javie is a bad official. Mike Mathis and Charles Barkley had a similar feud several years ago and low and behold guess who showed up to officiate game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference Finals? (Suns vs Sonics) Mike Mathis. Don\’t be surprised to see Crawford at a Spurs game as the playoffs move on. Stern is stubborn and will make it a point to have Joey do a Spurs game. Mark it down.
Comment by scott machen -
nba aka junior mafia!!!!!
Comment by rene -
How come the spurs never get any calls their way? The mavs get alot of calls their way.. wait that\’s their style of play…. oops…..
Comment by rene -
Thanks Mark. I emailed the Spurs fan relations with my comments regarding Saturday\’s game. I hope more fans do the same because it is the only thing that might save the game. I live in Austin so I follow both the Spurs and Mavericks. I normally go to see 3 or 4 games a year in S.A. and Dallas but after the officiating in last years playoffs I pretty much swore off the NBA and went to a number of UT games instead. With the playoffs approaching I could not resist tuning in to see my teams play each other (first game all year for me) only to see something straight out of WWF. The only thing sports have is the integrity of the game. Why do you think Pete Rose is out of baseball for life! Betting on the games and allowing your personal feelings or feelings of inadequacy to influence the outcome of games might be different but the outcome sis the same. In the end the game was manipulated in a way that makes you question if it the outcome was real or not. The officials in any sport are part of the background, they make sure that the game is played within the rules of the sport but in the NBA they should be announced as a third team because their style/mood/personal issues have as much to do with the outcome of the games as the players. The fact that the NBA will not allow you or anyone else affiliated with the league comment on the officials tells me all I need to know about how much they care about the integrity of their sport.
Comment by Jason -
Isnt the mavs philosophy to cry cry cry?After every shot dirk takes he looks at the refs for help… you can only help yourself…dirk is an actor and quite a good one…Half hs points come from the line where he earned them? yeah right? late calls if the ball doesn\’t go in… dallas you will never win or earn a championship…stick to hockey and your messiah mark the devil cuban… the calls were terrible all game and if you actually watched a spurs game you\’d see how bad it is against them…imagine if the spurs got as many calls as the mavs did? who\’d have the best record this year?
Comment by rene -
Hi,
This may not be relevant to the blog but certainly relevant to the game. I live in east coast (Boston) and I am one of the diehard Mavs fan who dont live in dallas area. What I wanted to report here is that the telecast of the Mavs-Spurs game was cut-off during the last 10 seconds. I had to look at the NBA.COM website to find out the final score and I was VERY VERY disappointed. What I also want to hear from you all is that a while ago, I heard from my colleagues that any TV station showing live games should do so until the end of the game which did not happen in y\’days game. I am already missing (missed) lot of Mavs games and this incident hurt me even more. What can be done? — Bala
Comment by Bala Thillainathan -
I\’m amazed at how much I used to like Tim Duncan for being a guy who NEVER complained. I respect the guys who run up and down the court and keep their heads down. Timmy D used to be that way. He whines an awful lot these days. Don\’t get me wrong, officiating has taken a turn for the worse in the NBA. However, so has the bitching.
Comment by Nat -
\”What bigger whiners are there than dirk and cuban. \”
Easy, Tim Duncan. They guy has never committed a foul, and is constantly whining, thowing his arms up in dispair and generally being a little girl through his whole career. Yeah, I\’d like a player with his talent on my team, but enough with the whiny crybaby antics Tim, in college my friends and I would have a drinking game while watching the Spurs. Anytime Tim acted like a 4 year old girl we\’d drink. We didn\’t stay sober very long!
Comment by John -
Refs make bad calls every game but usually only one or two bad calls out of 50 whistles a game. That shouldn\’t affect the outcome of the game.
BUT, when they make a call to throw a player out of a game…that is a big deal, and more than just a bad call. Ejecting any player, especially Tim Duncan, does indeed affect the game.
Joey Crawford is an arrogant egomainiac. It never enters his mind that he might possibly be wrong. It seems to be part of a refs DNA…shared with police officers, military officers, and other similar jobs.
NFL refs are the best in the business. They explain their calls, they review them with video replay, and coaches can challenge.. It is the best system in sports.
NBA refs don\’t seem to understand the concept of traveling or palming (another form of traveling). Fouls are optional.
Let some fouls go uncalled to keep the game moving, but call fouls whenever a star player gets touched taking a shot in the last 2 minutes of a game. Witness D_Wade last year, Kobe in other years, or Air Jordan any year.
NBA refs are a joke…a bad joke.
Comment by Don Dodge -
I LOVE the dig at the end – I wouldn\’t be able to help it either.
Comment by Chris Hamoen -
Everybody wants Mark to shut up but then say something when they\’re team is the one that gets screwed. Little Timmy cries all the time and every Spurs game I see the \”You called a foul on me?\” Timmy face. Get real San Antonio, if y\’all put as much effort into cleaning up that trash heap as you do in whining I might actually go there sometime on a vacation.
Comment by Jason -
Mark, the reason why people email you is because you are the lone easily accessible owner in the NBA. The Mavericks are the only team which gives an email adress to contact the owner at. And i might not have recieved a response on the few hundred of emails ive written you over the years, but i still have hope that at least you read one of them. Hey at least being able to have the slight chance that you read one of them is better then no email adress at all.
Comment by scott bissinger -
I see…..But I believe that a wrong done to one is a wrong done to all…..I thought you were that type also….You have actually inspired me in many ways, but you decision is yours and I will not question your judgement…
Comment by Jimmy -
Dennis rodman had almost the same thing happen.. when he was with the spurs that year he got t\’d for just looking at a ref.. but c\’mon, he\’s rodman.Tim has only been ejected 1 game in his 10 year tenure….
Comment by rene -
The saddest part of this blog entry to me was the fact that Mark\’s given up blogging on the NBA because he can\’t offer an honest opinion anymore. I loved reading his owner insights.
Comment by Joe -
I am a MFFL. I will not complain to you Mr Cuban but I did send this E-mail to the NBA.
NBA League Office:
Wow!! Yesterdays Mavs – Spurs game validates everything Mr. Cuban has said in the past. (about officating) I one of the Maverick faithful but it was painfully obvious Crawford had it out for Duncan. If he, Mr. Crawford, can\’t check his personal problems at the arena door he has no place on the court. This is not the first time this has happened a few examples: Don Nelson and Josh Howard have been on his \”technical hit list\” previously. Mr. Stern in my opnion the league needs to address biased officals before the NBA becomes a second teir league. I\’d much rather watch a MLS game where the officals do not try and influence the outcome. Joe Crawford is tarnishing the game as much as the Pacer – Piston game a few years ago did.
Comment by Ben -
It\’s a direct refelection of how effective an owner you are that people from OTHER teams email you to complain. It\’s a real good sign that the other owners should do all that they can to avoid a rectal cranial inversion and get on the ball.
Comment by Tim Taylor -
If Tim was causing a disruption then he should have been asked to be quiet, not thrown out of the game. There are definitely some underlying factors in this situation that may come out later butone thing is for sure… Crawford is a little too power happy.
Comment by Rebeccalee Coventry -
Mark,
I am not Mav\’s fan, but I admire you as an owner. You are the biggest reason why Mavs have the best record this year. It would be a class act, if you stand up for your rival and said clearly that getting bogus calls was not how you wanted to win a championship. May be it\’s asking too much from you. May be Joe is just your pocket man, who tried a bit too hard to please you. It was embarrassing to see it, and it casts a shadow over your franchise, whether fairly or not.
Comment by Konstantin -
Luckily I couldn\’t give two shakes about the NBA. It\’s been dead to me since the Wizards were the Bullets. Might as well be professional bowling or the International Lawn Dart championships.
Comment by Dave Sanders -
this has been going on for years…refs like that should be stripped of their title, and burned at the stake..cmon that game meant nothing to the mavs yet let\’s follow mark cuban\’s way of life…by any means necessary.
Comment by rene -
Commenters, you don\’t get it. By not saying anything, Mark\’s saying that Crawford screwed up. We all know it, no matter who we root for. What Cuban\’s also saying is you need to start emailing other people for change to happen. Every time Cuban says something, there\’s a fine to him, and people think he\’s out of control. If others start getting fan complaints, Stern will have to do something about it, other than fining players and owners. The fans should start to speak out on this one.
Comment by Preston -
The spurs always have to endure this type of idiocy. why cuz they are an easy target.. Small market team. it\’s like picking on the little guy and not even feeling guitly… spurs lakers.. what does .4 seconds mean? a tip in.. for derek fisher a catch, turn, and fadeaway jumpshot…remember the elbow from karl malone to david robinson? what happened? NOTHING…
Comment by rene -
Mark –
On an unrelated note….please buy the Cubs next year. You could take your amazing management and marketing power to Chicago and bring back the tradition of baseball there at Wrigley just as you have done for the Mavs.
Just do it!
Comment by Aaron -
Mark,
You would have a comment about it if Dirk would have been involved. I know the Spurs are your rival — but at least comment that it was complete BS.
Comment by Chris King -
I\’m a Spurs fan, so I won\’t be emailing Mark Cuban. However, I would like to comment that I really don\’t like Joe Crawford, and I would like to see him sent into early retirement. The guy was forced to resign from the NBA in 1998 for filing false income tax returns, and good ole\’ David Stern reinstated him the following year.
Wonderful.
Comment by Stephen Causey -
Whats David Sterns e-mail?
Comment by Marty Dent -
Come on Mark, you have enough money to comment on this and all the other outrageous mistakes made by the NBA officiating.
Comment by J.M.C. -
Such a weird incident. I could maybe (that\’s a big \”maybe\”) understand if Artest or some other \”less than classy\” player got involved with a ref and so he got tossed for laughing on the bench. But Tim Duncan? Bizarre.
Comment by doug -
What a weird incident. I am sure glad the refs got control of all the laughing, so no one got hurt.
Comment by Justin Tyler -