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Following a high-profile missed call by some of the league’s officials, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has revealed that referees are punished for incorrect calls.
The argument was sparked by an incorrect call made by officials at the end of a high-profile matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
In the final seconds of the game, LeBron James was fouled on what could have been the game-winning layup, and a free throw was enough to win. But the referees missed the call, the game went into overtime, and the Celtics were victorious.
LeBron’s reaction to the missed call made headlines and caused people to wonder if there’s any way officials could be punished for not making the right decisions.
Silver confirmed that the league does, in fact, punish officials for incorrect calls, as they spoke to ESPN about how the association deals with those umpires.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke out about league officials making the wrong decisions
This comes after a high-profile missed foul on LeBron James against Boston last month.
James reacted furiously to the referees’ failure to call a foul at the end of regulation.
‘We do not publicize the discipline of officials. We don’t think it’s appropriate,” Silver told ESPN’s Sage Steele on SportsCenter.
“But their assignments are affected by the quality of their calls, whether or not they advance to the playoffs and then, round by round, it is affected by the accuracy of their calls and their behavior on the court.
‘So there is a system to monitor and make those judgments about officials. But more to your earlier point about making calls right, again not a new problem.’
The day after the LeBron situation, the NBA referees union posted a public apology on their Twitter account.
LeBron was angry about this decision for days, constantly posting on his social media accounts that he believed the missed calls were “not happening to anyone else” and that he didn’t understand why the Lakers fell victim to so many bad decisions.
One of the reasons people were upset about the call was that there was no way for officials to access instant replay to review what happened.
Silver addressed that specifically in his interview, saying, “I know some people on that particular call you mentioned in that Celtics-Lakers game were upset that there was no replay opportunity.”
A lot of people focused on the coach not having another challenge. But remember in our league, you can’t challenge a no call.
Silver says the NBA punishes its officials for incorrect calls but ‘does not publish’ the discipline
‘And there are many difficulties there when you go into not calling. It might suggest that every moment of a game is not a call when a call is not being made in some way. But then, what is the beginning and the end of the work?
“And if in fact the referees missed the foul but then the other team says, well, go back 15 seconds, they missed something else there, it’s not an easy problem, but it’s something we’re going to see because my personal opinion is that they don’t I care about the challenge system, but I also think the ultimate goal is to get it right, not put pressure on the coach in terms of that extra tactic to use his challenge appropriately.’
Other topics in the interview included ‘load management’ (resting players so they don’t burn out during the season) and the trade deadline.
As for load management, Silver says the league is considering ways to incentivize players to play more, but admits there might not be a “magic bullet” that works.
He said: “There are a few things that we’re addressing in collective bargaining, for example, I think we made sure that some of our awards require a minimum number of games to be played, that we’re celebrating not just the average number of points, but the total number of points, that the culture is for guys to be on the court as much as they can.’
Speaking of trade requests and the deadline, the topic of the Brooklyn Nets came up, after the team lost two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant following the former’s trade demand.
Silver says the league has been helping build excitement around trades by shortening contracts and encouraging player movement.
Silver said some of the right decisions are hard to make and reviewing calls isn’t always an option.
Silver also talked about the trade deadline, with players like Kevin Durant (L) demanding moves
“This year, for example, in the week leading up to the trade deadline, about 12 percent of the league changed teams,” Silver revealed.
‘And that’s something we were intentional about because we shortened the contracts. We recognize that that ability for teams to rebuild, now it’s not just about the players, it’s about teams making changes in direction, and that’s healthy across the league.
“So again, it’s about finding the right balance around player movement. But commercial lawsuits are a bad thing.
“We don’t want that to happen, and we have to focus on that and make sure everyone sticks to their agreements.”