From one of our local pundits

[Toren]

I have heard many officials say in pregames or half time that they call the same fouls in the last minute as they do any other point in the game.

THEN we hit the court and they choke on the whistle for things that they have called all game long.

Now I would like to think that a foul is a foul regardless of the time on the clock, but in practice that hasn't been my experience. I try to officiate a consistent game throughout the game, but it's a struggle sometimes and I can admit that. Some of that is due to my inexperience, I'm sure.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Toren

...THEN we hit the court and they choke on the whistle for things that they have called all game long.
...

When I got into officiating I think this was prevalent. At think now at the NCAA-M's level John Adams wants the same fouls called from beginning to end.

But then you go to camps and you hear staff observors/evaluators from the D1 ranks talk about "high certainty" and "quality" fouls in end of game situations.

[BillyMac]

From the list:

Officials are on the court to be the only unbiased arbiters of the game. Officials are not concerned with who wins or loses, but only fairness and safety. Everyone else in that gym cares about winning, and therefore cannot look at the game objectively. Players commit fouls and violations; officials view those infractions, judge the action, and then apply the rules of the game to what they had viewed. The rules then determine the penalty.