NBA Playoff Open Thread

Time for an NBA open thread. I watched the two astounding games on Monday–New York over Philly and Denver over the Lakers. This was one of the best double headers I’ve ever seen. Two great comebacks. But what bugged me about it is something bugging me generally–all the whining about the refs. Both Joel Embiid and LeBron James went in on the refs screwed us deal and Darvin Ham joined LeBron on that.

Just shut up and win the game.

It’s one thing if the referees are consistently terrible or geared toward one side. But we are a long ways from the 1999 and 2000 Western Conference Finals where the refs were damn sure the Lakers were going to the finals and not small market teams in Portland and Sacramento. The refs are not perfect. They never will be perfect. The game goes so fast that you aren’t going to catch everyone. Did it look to me like the Knicks fouled the Sixers on that wild exchange in the end? Yes, but it was a call made at the time.

To an extent, some of the problem is instant replay, which I do support. But it means that every time there is a remotely marginal call, the players immediately whine for replay and it creates an expectation of referee perfection that really isn’t going to happen.

In any case, those were great freaking games. Glad to see Minnesota hammer Phoenix last night too, sick of super teams.

Also, keep your politics out of this open thread. Shouldn’t need to be said, but someone is going to inevitably put up the latest Trump shit.