End of game

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by bainsey

If, by this, you mean, the reality is this is how most people perceive it, I certainly won't argue that.

However, let's look at your camp example. Would it be a fair evaluation to say that you wilted with your late-game kick? Could you have simply had a brain fart, too, or is it right to jump all the way to pressure crack? It sounds to me like the evaluator could also be too caught up in the emotion of the situation. It's true that people are going to be a lot more emotional regarding a last-minute or last-second kick, but I submit the only way to be accurate is to take emotion out of the equation.

Look at it this way. Let's say you had a play-by-play print-out of a one-point game, complete with a list of calls that were confirmed to be kicked. If those kicks affect the score at any time, they can certainly affect the outcome. Just because they're not fresh in someone's mind, doesn't mean it never happened. Others may "feel good" that they can overcome your mistake, but when you take the emotion out, your error still played a role.

This is where I make my point that officials affecting the outcome of a close game is inevitable. That's not to be flippant. On the contrary, everything we do matters out there, so it may be better not to get caught up in the late-game hype.

...

But unfortunately success in moving up the ladder in this profession relies heavily on perception. Yes, when talking to a fan I'm gonna make the same statement as you would "hey, there were a lot a calls/no-calls that affected the outcome of your game", but when it's just us officials in a room and we are being completely candid, that bad foul call with 10 seconds left looms a lot larger than the equally bad call made in the 2nd quarter.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

But unfortunately success in moving up the ladder in this profession relies heavily on perception. Yes, when talking to a fan I'm gonna make the same statement as you would "hey, there were a lot a calls/no-calls that affected the outcome of your game", but when it's just us officials in a room and we are being completely candid, that bad foul call with 10 seconds left looms a lot larger than the equally bad call made in the 2nd quarter.

Not only is it perceived as larger; it is larger.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

But unfortunately success in moving up the ladder in this profession relies heavily on perception.

No argument there either.

I had one buzzer-beater game this year. Team A had to go the length of the court, down 1, I was the L, :07 left. Just before my partner administered the throw in, all I could think of was, "don't.... miss... anything!" I braced for any impending play in the lane.

Of course, it never got there. My partner had a hand-check at the division line with :02 left, double bonus. A1 missed both, but A2 got the rebound, and got the shot off with it falling at the buzzer.

Now, Team B's fans were grumpy about my partner's last call, so all the focus is on him. But, there's no question that I may have done some things during that game to affect its outcome. That's the reality.

But, as you correctly pointed out, it's likely not the perception.