Do you make this call?

[bainsey]

I'm sure you did the right thing, Matt. The problem, as I see it, is the way basketball officials are viewed, as compared to those of other sports.

The myth is that there are certain calls that a basketball official shouldn't make in the last minute or so, because he could -- God forbid -- affect the outcome of a game. That's a big load of crap, and I believe basketball officials hear it more than any other sport, so let's look at parallels.

Let's say in a football game, a team is down four points in the last minute, 4th and goal from the 9 yard line. The QB drops back, finds a receiver in the end zone, but that receiver is pushed by a defender, and the ball falls incomplete. People generally expect a flag in this situation, even though it would affect the outcome of the game.

I could draw other parallels from other sports, but you get the idea. What is it about basketball that there's some stupid taboo about making a routine call late in a game? Without that taboo, Matt, you wouldn't be worrying about whether you did the right thing. Besides, the reality is, in a close game, every single call throughout the game affects the outcome.