2 Missed Calls Cost Mavericks a 23 Point Lead and a Loss

[Texas Aggie]

2 disclsimers: I didn't see the game and I am (or can be, sometimes, whenever the mood hits) a Mav's fan. Well, a 3rd disclaimer: Cuban's an idiot.

I don't know if these calls were missed or were the best calls in the history of hoops. But with that said, don't assume the NBA is getting all the calls right -- intentionally or otherwise. I've documented the drastic changes in calls made by some officials (foul counts, free throw attempts, etc.) in the playoffs. I don't have any specific evidence such a change was engineered by the league office, former official Tim Donaghy has alleged (and the FBI and others who have looked into it believes him) that the league has for one reason or another put officials they know call certain fouls, tend (statistically) to favor home/road teams, etc. Donaghy went to jail for fixing games, but the Feds never charged him for lying -- something actually unusual in a federal prosecution (hint: don't EVER talk to an FBI agent without your lawyer).

The fact is that the NBA is NOT officiated like other levels of basketball. However, as we all know, it is extremely difficult for anyone with a rooting interest to have an objective view on this. That's compounded by the fact that the NBA rules are different than what virtually all of us here know and work.

>>When you're a perennial loser in the playoffs<<

In this last decade alone, the Mavs have competed in one NBA finals series, one other conference final series, and 4 more conference semis series, that's hardly a "perennial loser" in the playoffs. They've lost in the first round 3 of the last 5 years, but only one other time since 2000 and have never been swept in any series in that time. The same could not be said of the Spurs or Celtics, btw.