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Referees and the rules
I suspect that all the worrying about conspiracies and favoritism for the stars is much ado about very little, but a more serious matter, IMHO, is the disconnect between the fans, the refs and the league as to just what constitues a foul. The charging/blocking foul is a major example of this disconnect. This one everyone sees the way they WANT to see it, and there's almost no such thing as a charging/blocking foul call that doesn't draw a complaint from someone.It would help greatly if the NBA would come up with some definitions here that most of us could understand.
There are other issues. I think a rules change is called for in the definition of, and penalty for, an intentional foul. When I see a defender wrap his arms around a player, pinning his arms to his sides, I see that as an intentional foul. The defender is NOT making a "basketball play." He's not trying to block a shot or intercept a pass, or get a rebound, etc. When Don Nelson trots out his Hack-a-whoever "defense" it's impossible to argue that this makes the game more enjoyable to watch. I believe fouls committed "on purpose", i.e., when not trying to accomplish some reasonable defensive purpose, should result in a foul shot AND possesion of the ball, just like the flagrant foul does.
Yet another issue that disturbs me is the remark I hear, so often, that the players need to adjust to how the game is being called by the referees. This is absurd! A foul is (or should be) a foul, and the referees should call fouls the same way, game after game. Otherwise, we have the refs sometimes determining who will be the winner of game. If a physical team is being "allowed" to be physical, they're going to have an enormous advantage. If a finesse team is getting every little ticky-tack foul called, they will have the edge. Why is it that the refs have this much discretion? I want the players to determine the pace and flow of the game, not to mention the end result.
So I'm wondering how others feel about these issues. I think, as things stand, these problems are hurting the game.
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