Celtics-Hawks: Game 6 More Of The Same From Officials

Doc Rivers seems to have forgotten that his team was the best defensive team in the league all year - there is no need to drastically change your defense to stop one player when you have three guys who could do a decent job guarding him (Pierce, Posey and Tony Allen). Instead Doc has stuck with Ray Allen on Joe Johnson (whom I will admit has been outstanding) and tried to put in a trapping defense that didn't work once. It only allowed open looks and easy offensive rebounds against a scrambling Boston defense.  

And Doc is a major problem when it comes to the free-throw discrepancy, too.

He just sits on the sidelines, smiling and trying to be friends with the refs. It is very obvious he is most concerned with people liking him. There is not another coach of a top team that would stand for his team being outshot at the free-throw line every game in a series by such glaring amounts.

If this was happening to the Lakers, don’t you think the refs (and the media after the game) would be hearing from Phil Jackson. Even if the calls every single time were the right calls, Jackson would still point out the discrepancy. He wouldn't take it for one game, let alone six. And you know what would happen: the next game, the free-throws would at worst be even, and most likely be in the Lakers’ favor. That is part of coaching; that is what all coaches do. Except for Doc Rivers. 

Even Mike Woodson, whose team has been getting every call, does this. There was a play last night where he didn't like a call against the Hawks in the third quarter. He loudly let the official know he wasn't happy. Next time up the court, that same official calls a non-shooting off-the-ball foul against the Celtics.

I am a Celtics fan. Maybe some readers will just think this is sour grapes. And maybe it is, and hopefully the Celtics win tomorrow, and I can just move on. But officiating does matter. These are close games, and when the calls are all going one way, when one team is being whistled for everything, it makes it very difficult – nearly impossible – for any team to overcome.

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