NBA exec backs referees
While the NBA’s head of officials admitted that an “unfortunate incident” affected the Celtics’ 91-86 loss at Portland on Tuesday, the game’s final result will not be changed.
Portland was given a technical foul at the end of the first half for having six players on the court. However, a basket by Blazers swingman Travis Outlaw with 3 seconds left in the first half wasn’t waived off despite the penalty by Portland. The Celtics complained to the NBA to no avail during the game. Today, NBA first-year Ron Johnson backed his referee crew for its decision.
"As our crew chief said last night, this situation is not a correctable error and therefore the play was administered properly by our crew,” said Johnson, in a statement issued by the NBA. “It was an unfortunate incident and moving forward we will learn from it. We continue to strive to get every call right."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers and several players complained about the mistake strongly after the loss. Boston (28-5) has dropped three of its past four games.



That's wrong. They didn't explain how the mistake wasn't correctable. The Celtics made the protests during the game. Am I missing something here? What was the point spread?
That's wrong. They didn't explain how the mistake wasn't correctable. The Celtics made the protests during the game. Am I missing something here? What was the point spread?
Unfortunate incident???? I've been a Celtic's fan since the mid 60's and the reffereeing in the NBA, move than any other professional league is a joke. What other league would allow more players on the field, court, or ice, than is legally allowed, and let the team get away with it? Answer: Not the NHL, not the NFL and not MLB. Joke! Joke! Jok3!
There is no other sport that rewards the offending team or player when an infraction to the rules is made. George Brett's "home-run" was taken away because of the pine-tar bat incident. Of course MLB got it correct and replayed the game from the point of the overruled decision. In the NBA when you can view the videotape to remove a point if it is later seen that a player's foot has crossed the 3 point line, how absurd that the "sixth" player on the floor in the Portland game was able to dunk uncontested because the other five were guarded, and those points CAN'T be removed because at the actual time the shot was made the officials didn't know that Portland had six players on the floor. They of course knew it after the basket and gave a technical free throw to the Celtics. How is that situation any different than a basket that is disallowed because an offensive player is called for offensive foul (violating a rule). The official calls the foul after the ball goes in the basket after the fact and those points are removed.
That is complete BS and a week responce. WHERE IS DONAGHY WHEN YA NEED HIM
am i the only guy out here who sees that the celtics have lost 3 out of 4 due to perkin's reinjuring his shoulder?? seems obvious to me
Jianlian is in third place? Are you kidding me? If Jianlian ends up the starter over KG, I'm boycotting the All-star game. The Fan Balloting is turning into a joke just like the slam dunk contest.
Jianlian - 9.7 ppg, 6rpg
KG - 16.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg
And where is Rondo? Come on Boston. Wake up. This guy deserves to be much further up there in balloting. Iverson is hurting Detroit more then helping.
I live in Portland, and our guys (Mike Barrett and Mike Rice) did comment on the reason that the refs could not "waive off" the Portland basket - the rules just don't allow that "correction". Seems like a loophole, to me. However, had Outlaw missed the dunk (he's missed before), the technical would have fixed the situation. As it was, the refs blew the original call which is as unfair as all blown calls (I can't believe the refs don't automatically do a quick head count after a time out).
I think both Celtics fans and Blazers fans were pissed at much worse calls that night (the horrible travelling call on Oden and the travelling non-call on Pierce, for example). But, from our end, there was NO WAY we were going to lose to the Celtics in our house. Not this time...(not after Garnet "barked" on all fours at Bayless, a rookie - KG has done a lot to make the rest of the country lose what respect we had for the great season Boston had last year. And that's a shame.
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