The officials were a non-factor in Game 1 of the Finals, and frankly, that's just how we like it. But that was largely because the Lakers were able to get out to a big lead and never look back, and there's no guarantee that the same thing is going to happen in Game 2.Tonight's officials: Steve Javie, Monty McCutchen, and Tom Washington. For the Orlando Magic, this crew is about as good as it gets.
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Not only is Javie considered by most to be the best official in the game today, he is completely unaffected by the home crowd in the way that he (and his crew) call a game.
In loud arenas or in tight games, there are plenty of referees that will be swayed (whether consciously or not) by the fans or the situation, and automatically give any of those 50-50 calls to the home team. With Javie, it's the exact opposite: he seems to almost instinctively give any questionable calls to the visiting team, which is why his decisions probably lead the league in "AWWW, BOOO!" responses* from the crowd.
All you can ask for if you're the road team in a crucial game is that you get a fair shake from the officials. Barring anything crazy going down or some unforeseen circumstances, Orlando is likely to get exactly that from a Javie-led officiating crew.
Whether or not they can keep the game close enough for it to matter, however, is another question.
*Unofficial statistic.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-07-2009 @ 10:57PM
hanscrews said...
W.hen are we going to get some decent calls from the referees at home or away. They need to be reviewed and replaced when they make bogus calls.I don't appericate these so called analysis,most are ex. coaches who can't make it And no BS about they are reviewed after every game. If they are then, the senior officials are also on the take. Prove me wrong if you dare.
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6-08-2009 @ 4:20PM
mwoody1043@aol.com said...
The refs need to let the players play and stop trying to be part of the playoffs. They are not players - just refs and their judement is horrible. If I didn't know better one could think they are trying ot influence the outcome of the games. Do they have money on them???? They need to be reviewed after each game and fined for the bad calls. Then they might improve, but right now they do not answer to anyone with any consequences.
ADDITONALLY: Turkoglu (sic) and Howard: I nominate them for the dirtiest players in the game, swinging elbows and pushing people out of the way. They are an embarassement ot the game!!!!
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