We can do better
Last night was game five of the Spurs and OKC in the Western Conference finals. I together with family and friends and sat down to watch it.
I'm still processing what I saw.
This series has been all over the place. In game 1 Wemby and co came out with a vengeance and ultimately won out after a huge game that went into double overtime. Then in games 2 and 3 OKC took them apart. Finally in game 4 Spurs fought back and evened out the series.
Now, admittedly, I'm a fan who barely understands this sport. Despite following it on and off over the years, I still don't understand the plays, how fouling works, or even what a ref is supposed to look for. I'm learning, but there's a lot I still need to dig into.
But what I saw last night didn't feel anything close to the game 1 that we all watched a week ago. Yes, I'm biased and want the Spurs to win. And yes, I think OKC fumbles and fouls a lot. But OKC is playing the game they're allowed to play, and they're the best in the world at doing just that; working to within what is perceived to be the rules, and then a little past that.
As a fan it's really hard to watch. Game 1 was amazing. Tied endings, lots of yelling as we never knew how it would end, a fight to the finish, a physical game between two elite teams (despite both missing players at the time). It was amazing and made for the best watching I've had in years.
Game 5 was a slug fest. There were moments when OKC shined and I genuinely appreciated their athleticism and intelligence on the floor.
But the reffing—it was bad. Even the announcers were trying to couch things in a way that suggested they disagreed, without outright calling it out.
We need reffing in sports. It's critical to the integrity of the game—a game that we all set time aside to enjoy and get lost in. We have to believe that there's a real chance for a team to succeed. But when the league has cozied up to gambling so heavily, and there's a track record of betting effecting how games are scored—it leaves open the potential for questioning whether a team will win or lose based on the whims of a few officials running around with whistles.
I want to keep watching, to keep enjoying this game, to feel lost in the imaginary world of amazing players doing great things. But when teams get called unfairly it pulls you out of the moment. And now, more than ever, we're watching and paying attention. I followed things closely through the regular season, but didn't tune in to actually see games—just the highlights. My life is busy, and I only have so much time. The playoffs are where I want to enjoy things. And it's not fun.
Now, that's not to say Spurs played a great game. They did not. They struggled throughout the first few quarters. But there was a moment in the third quarter where they had a chance to come back, and maybe even things out. But then, like clockwork, a series of missed calls by the refs completely derailed their momentum.
So what are we supposed to do? There has to be some level of accountability for players and officials at all stages of the game. Yes, this is a product we watch for fun. But if the veil of believability gets ripped off—what would we even root for?
I'm not a gambler, so I don't care about odds, I want to watch great athleticism and have a team I can believe in.
Let Wemby win or lose on his ability, not on whether the refs messed up.
Does that mean Spurs are spotless in all this? No. They foul all the time. On individual plays you can catch a bunch of illegal moves. But there has to be some way of ensuring a level of fairness in who gets called for what.
Going into game 6 I'm hoping for a physical, but fairly refereed game. And it's crazy that I don't know what we'll get. Games vary wildly based on who is officiating and how they feel about players and plays. I'm ok with the human element influencing games—I don't want computers to come in and take everything over. But there's got to be a better way to just let the game flow.