# NBA reffing: so subjective that worst team could be made best w/o raising suspicion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081 "2007-05-30T16:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081/21 "2007-05-31T17:20:59Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] I dunno…to make the Grizz look like a premier team might in fact entail some people gettimg murdered. [/QUOTE] I expect several Grizzlies players would have to go. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081/22 "2007-05-31T17:29:49Z")
[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever] Oh no, senor. The Jordan Rules were rules and calls that he got that others did not. Refs looked the other way on 4 steps to the basket, phantom fouls, etc. [/QUOTE] My memory confers with Iggins – [here’s the quote in _SI_ from Chuck Daly describing his Jordan Rules](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Rules): > [@](#): > > "If Michael was at the point, we forced him left and doubled him. If he was on the left wing, we went immediately to a double team from the top. If he was on the right wing, we went to a slow double team. He could hurt you equally from either wing – hell, he could hurt you from the hot-dog stand – but we just wanted to vary the look. And if he was on the box, we doubled with a big guy. > > “The other rule was, any time he went by you, you had to nail him. If he was coming off a screen, nail him. We didn’t want to be dirty – I know some people thought we were – but we had to make contact and be very physical.” ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081/23 "2007-05-31T17:38:00Z")
[QUOTE=bordelond] My memory confers with Iggins – [here’s the quote in _SI_ from Chuck Daly describing his Jordan Rules](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Rules). [/QUOTE] Mine too. In fact, favoring popular, well-established players over those who aren’t is hardly anything new. Wilt, Bill Russell, Lew Alcindor (Kareem later), etc., all were “protected.” Jordan was not the first to get calls go his way. IMHO, Shaq is the beneficiary of more phantom calls than anyone else in the league… he has been his whole career. I wouldn’t be surprised if this favoritism isn’t the result of a very vague directive from the commisioner’s office, which could be counstrued as, “If the players are well-liked and they’re who the people buy tickets to come and see, make sure you do not penalize them for fouls more than 5 times per game.” “If the player is Rasheed Wallace, T him up if he just LOOKS at you.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081/24 "2007-05-31T17:49:12Z")
[QUOTE=Yaxche] But I do concur that NBA referring is by far the worst in consistency and the most subjective of any of the ‘major’ sports. It’s pretty much made the game unwatchable for me. [/QUOTE] I totally agree. It has made the NBA only slightly more competitive than the WWE. ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081/25 "2007-06-03T03:32:41Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] “You can’t get too close to Michael,” Magic quipped. “It’s a foul!” [/QUOTE] Hilarious, because it was true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-reffing-so-subjective-that-worst-team-could-be-made-best-w-o-raising-suspicion/406081.md?page=1)