NBA or NWBA?
 

I know we usually refer to the NBA here as the NBE, but after watching some of the playoff games over the last few days, I suggest we call it the NWBA, which stands for the "National Whiney Babies Association". I've never seen so many whiney reactions for foul calls. And it's "both ways", complaining when a foul is called against them, and complaining when a foul isn't called against an opponent. I know this happens all the time, but it seems to be even worse so far in this year's playoffs.

As usual, Kobe seems to be leading the pack. I think he complained that a foul wasn't called against a opponent out in the parking lot before the game.

The league should issue crying towels. These guys are acting like 3rd graders. Oh wait - 3rd graders are actually more mature.

Players whine in all professional sports. We're just able to see and hear the actual whining and there are a lot more calls made in a basketball game.

Yep. Baseball players whine when you do not call the right pitch in their mind and anytime a pass is thrown in the NFL that is defended the receivers go looking for the flag. Welcome to pro sports.

Peace

Yup...another difference is we don't see the players' faces in the NFL and IMO it doesn't have quite the same effect when you don't see the player's facial reactions. NFL players whine all the time looking for OPI or whine when DPI is called. They'll point and gyrate when they think an offensive linemen as moved. Defenders will b**ch and moan for holding calls. Difference is we don't get to see it all since action is occurring downfield and we don't hear a lot of it since it occurs in the middle of the field....add to that not having as many calls as the NBA.

The fact is professional sports allow their athletes to interact with the officials a lot more than we do at the amateur level and I have no problem with it. I would say what we don't allow at the amateur level, we allow the coach's to get away with in spades (well at least at NCAA D-I level).

Yep, and in 6 months we'll be talking about the MLB players whining. Three months later it'll be about NFL stars who think their sh1t don't stink.

All you have to do is watch a game involving Donovan McNabb. I'm an Eagles fan and it used to irritate the hell out of me how much begged for flags.

I'm an Eagles fan as well. :D A long suffering one!

Not a Bears fan but I see most of their games because of where I live and every game Jay Cutler is complaining about some call they did not get. Often times he is yelling at the wrong official that would make the call. I believe this past year he got about two USC flags for going over the top on plays he thought should have gotten a flag.

Peace

Tons of talent, zero maturity. His whining doesn't stop on the field and it's not isolated to the officials.

You have to be really over the top to get a USC call in the NFL...I believe I've seen at least one of them. You see QBs now whining about getting grazed the wrong way and asking for roughing the passer...and then when it gets called (which is an increased occurrence), you see defensive linemen complain about that.

Guys - my point isn't that there's whining in pro sports, it's that the amount of whining has escalated an enormous amount in the NBA playoffs that I've watched vs. the regular season. I know there's more "at stake", but their attitudes about this is downright sickening. Kudos to the officials for just ignoring it.

Then my point is complaining in the playoffs of all professional sports increases. Nothing today was that crazy to me nor seemed to violate the respect for the game guidelines..at least to me. I'm assuming you'll be calling the NFL the NWFL when it comes playoff time?

I disagree. I would say shame on the officials for just ignoring it. :(

On frozen pond......
 

The level of complaining is very subjective IMO and as has been noted occurs in every sport.

That being said, what an NHL Coach gets away with saying/yelling at an official would never be condoned in the NBA and would result in T's, ejections, and fines. These are some of the worst potty mouths around.

I half agree, but the officials are likely doing as instructed.

Complaining about their complaining......:p J.K. It drives me absolutely insane watching the prima donnas!! It unfortunately has caused me to watch less NBA and more college. Duncan has always driven me crazy with his dumbfounded "I've never made contact with another player in my entire playing career" face.

Speaking of complaining: Nobody likes complainers, but this is going a tad too far | NBA.com

The Wall Street Journal tracked the complaining in last year's finals :eek: Who Complains About Fouls More: The Lakers or the Celtics? - WSJ.com

I blame HD. :D

The only thing I'm gonna say about this is it really doesn't seem that bad when you are actually on the floor reffing because they react and after that we are on to watching the next thing or thinking about something else. Since the higher attention to the "respect for the game" guidelines this year I personally feel the complaining, at least directed directly toward the officials has decreased. JMO and perspective.

Then there's Sidney Crosby and Sean Avery... :D

Fair enough points, but I'll just add that it seems worse to us amrefs who work with the kids and coaches who are watching these knuckleheads.

There is an easy way to nip that in the bud. I personally do not care what they see if they are too stupid to realize they do not make those checks the players they are watching.

Peace

Yeah, but it's annoying. I can and do deal with it, I'd just rather not have to. Even at the JV level, the coaches pretty much know they can't do it, and the kids are coached to play.

I do enjoy the fans' cries when I deal with a rogue player or coach, though. "You can't give him a T for that!"

I have a few lines where I make it clear to a player or sometimes a coach, "You do realize this is not the NBA?" Many times that stops all comments or gyrations towards me or my partners. Actually I think most of this is not about pro sports, but it is about adults not setting boundaries with the children (which they are until they can go fight in a war in our military).

Peace

Well you just don't see it at those levels or even the D1 level because, those are still just kids and for a lack of a better term, the coaches "own" them. He has the power to do whatever he wants. If a player tries to mouth off to an official the coach can chew him up and down. At the pro level, these are grown MEN. They have a mind of their own and have an attitude and personality of their own. They don't have to conform their attitudes to that of what their coach wants. Coaches in the NBA wouldn't dare try to chew out a player in public, because more often than not he would lose that player forever. It is just a whole different ballgame. You don't have to just deal with 2 personalities (both coaches) such as in college, you have to deal with 12 personalities at one time and that takes a lot of focus and attention along with having to referee a solid, high paced, above the rim game. That's what makes it a lot tougher than other levels to me. And I also think it is sad, because the cameras don't show all the civil and nice calm interactions the players have with the referees and even the humorous ones from time to time. The only time they cut to a player is after a tough call and then it shows their reaction which looks like they are whining but sometimes they really aren't that bad and then sometimes they really are that bad!! haha

Well duh...it doesn't make for good television if they showed positive interactions between coach/players and referee. ;)

This reminds me a story Charles Barkley told one time where he told Dick Barvetta (I think), that he was going to make it appear as if he was chewing him out yet he was complementing him. Announcers were there really thinking Charles was giving Barvetta the business.

They call the whining playing with emotion. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about letting the players play with emotion. They can play with emotion. How about the players learn to control their emotions a little better?

Go to phrase for all announcers at all levels of play regardless of what sport. Pretty sure it's in the announcer's book of really "good" announcing. Even heard a TNT crew last night suggest an official to physically look the other way to avoid having to call one after they assessed one to a player. Literally made me do a double take after hearing that one.

I didn't watch the Celtics/Knicks game, but I about vomited in my car when I heard Greenberg saying the official shouldn't have called the offensive foul on Melo late in the game. Essentially, yeah, he gave him a forearm shiver but it shouldn't have been called at that point in the game.

That was an easy offensive foul call...Carmelo used a "swim" move in the process of getting post position when the defense was in a legal position. Monty McCutchen was all over it as lead. The ole "let the players decide the game/can't call that at the end of the game" is probably chapter one of the Announcer's Book of Really "Good" Announcing ©.

I do admit that sometimes I enjoy listening to the announcers of a team who feel like they were "wronged" on such obvious calls. Stupid can be very entertaining! :D

ESPN people have been complaining about that call all day. And they said "You cannot make a call in that situation." Or, "Let the players decide the game." I love the last one.

Peace

Just saw the play again...I'm not even sure what the controversy is here. I saw the play in real time and had the same call. *shrug*

ESPN has been known to make controversy out of nothing...just another case.

It does not go along with the so-called NBA narrative. They called a foul against a star in a critical moment in the game. Of course it is not controversial to us, but to the stupid commentator, that should not happen. Let them throw elbows and hit someone in the head; I guess this is supposed to be OK. I just find it funny how ignorant they are about these things. You would think they would talk to someone to get a ruling instead of telling people that actually officiate games what should or should not be called. I guess that does not make good ratings to use facts to discuss sports.

Peace

I agree it doesn't go with their ("experts") narrative, and that's why they're f****** idiots. Said "stars" do get called for fouls in end-game situations...just ask Paul Pierce (who drew the foul) and Carmelo himself (charge call to end the game...there was a thread about it). Like I said, ESPN has been known to drum out "controversy" over nothing because as you said, no one is going to tune in to see "experts" agree with a call.

Seriously heard one of the announcers complaining about "ticky-tack" fouls (chapter two of the Announcer's Book of Really "Good" Announcing ©.) and that they should call the game as if it was the NHL playoffs (which have been awesome by the way). :rolleyes:

I believe that is Bruce Bowens who keeps complaining about "ticky-tack" fouls.

Figures.

Trailblazer HC Nate McMillan just got notice of a $35,000 fine for comments about the officiating following the Blazer's first playoff loss. I read his comments. He deserved it.

I heard that one to and almost fell off my chair. Didn't surprise me. But let's say Bill Kennedy looked the other way and someone punched the other player. Then they'd be screaming how the official right there didn't see it because he wasn't looking. Looking would be doing his job. Just amazing

Pepperidge Farm Remembers ...
 

This morning, the drive time sportscaster, on our 50,000 watt flamethrower, suggested that the NBA use four officials. Two to act as the center and trail, moving up, and down, the court with the players. And two to just stand on the endlines as non-moving leads. He suggested this after talking about the missed basket interference call in the Nuggets game (?) and some "bad" calls at the end of the Knicks Celtics game.

He also mentioned a bad call in this year's NCAA tournament. He talked about a flagrant foul being assessed when the replay showed a legally blocked shot. I don't remember any such play? Does anybody remember.

To your last point...I don't remember anyone mentioning this...I would have for sure put that play up (on a side note, I'm been able to get my account and most videos back up...hopefully the rest later).

As to having four officials...the missed BI call would not have been helped by going to that system. All three officials were in their proper positions...it was just a no call incorrect. What people don't seem to realize, is that BI/goaltending calls can be quite difficult at times to call in real time. To be honest, when I first say the play, I didn't have anything, but it was an obvious miss on replay. The offensive foul call in the New York v. Boston game also wouldn't have been "helped" having four officials. The lead official (Monty McCutchen) was in great position to see the play, and it was properly adjudicated. I don't remember any other calls from the end of that game.

Speaking of ESPN and creating controversy this is the lead "story" on their website right now for the Dallas-Portland game taking place right now:

NBA playoffs 2011: Referee Danny Crawford assigned to Game 2 of Dallas Mavericks-Portland Trail Blazers series - ESPN Dallas

Pure bull****....at least nine of those losses have been by double digits.

Someone at ESPN needs to get some scruples.

I will give the guys on Around the Horn some credit...when asked if this was an issue, all of them to a tee said it wasn't an issue at all that Dan was working the game and that Dan Crawford was on of the best officials in the NBA.

When your team is a consistent loser in the playoffs, you have to grasp at straws.

Maybe they can blame him for Greg Oden, too.

He probably did have something to do with it now that you mention it...NBA has it out for Greg Oden and the Portland Trailblazers! :p

Saw this discussed on PTI as well and Micheal Wilbon is a friend of Crawford and he said that was silly. Tony K seemed to think the NBA should take him off the game. It is unbelievable what the media comes up with sometimes.

Peace