"Let them play" part two

[kbilla]

Originally Posted by ABO77

Thanx for the post on the first thread, learned alot.

Now how do you guys handle a playoff/finals game. Do you pre-game to let them play a little more than a reg season game? A little more physical contact? Only big fouls ect?

Well speaking not having done state finals or anything, but tournament finals and the like, it makes no difference what game you are doing. Teams get to the playoffs/finals by playing regular season games, why would they want to have the game called any differently than what they are used to seeing? Granted they might be a little more amped up early, so you might have some stuff to clean up, but there should be no difference in how an official approaches the game....

[just another ref]

Along the lines of what you are asking, I have always said that the higher the quality of the basketball at a given level, the easier it is to officiate, and, for the most part this means fewer whistles. This is not because of the officials' philosophy, but because of the nature of the game itself.

[FrankHtown]

Maybe easier because there are fewer whistles, but high level games are where your game management skills are what separate the good official from the great official. Communicating with partner(s), coaches, players, watching the clock stop and start, awareness of game flow, what defense is each team playing, what offense are they running, what plays are they running....those are the kind of things that keep a high level game running smoothly, not just whistling fouls and violations.

By the way..these are all things I'm still working on..

[Coltdoggs]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Along the lines of what you are asking, I have always said that the higher the quality of the basketball at a given level, the easier it is to officiate, and, for the most part this means fewer whistles. This is not because of the officials' philosophy, but because of the nature of the game itself.

As someone who has done a ton of lower level (5th-8th grade rec and competitive travel) and does the occiassional 16U AAU competitive travel this is hitting the nail on the head.