NBA Playoffs 2011: Dallas Mavericks Face Official Nemesis Crawford in Game 2

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NBA Playoffs 2011 Give Dallas Mavericks New Reason to Complain, as Arch-Nemesis Danny Crawford Officiates Game 2

One of the biggest underlying storylines in the NBA in recent years has been the officiating. It seems as though we can't go more than a game or two, particularly in the playoffs, without hearing about it, whether ESPN's J.A. Adande wants to hear about it or not.

Now, the NBA has created the first real potential officiating controversy of the 2011 playoffs, by allowing Danny Crawford to referee the Dallas' Mavericks' Game 2 clash with the Portland Trailblazers.

Why is that a problem? Well, mostly because there seems to be rather strong statistical evidence that shows the Mavs are incapable of winning when Crawford's their referee in the playoffs.

Dallas is just 2-16 all-time when Crawford is their referee in the postseason, compared to 48-41 when anyone else calls their games. They're called for an average of more than 2 more fouls per game than Crawford, and opponents shoot almost seven more free throws than the Mavericks do in games Crawford refs in the playoffs.

Now, typically, you could chalk that up to small sample size. But 18 games is a decently sized postseason data pool to draw from, and to see the results trend so strongly in one direction (Dallas loses, Dallas gets called for a significantly higher number of fouls, and their opponents shoot significantly more foul shots) is troubling, to say the least.

Must Read: 2011 NBA Playoff Predictions: Updated Championship Odds for All 16 Teams.

My question is, why would the NBA do this to themselves? It's fairly clear that there is a noticeable difference in the Mavericks' record when Crawford is at the helm, and if you think fans won't think there's some kind of anti-Dallas bias on Crawford's part, you haven't been paying attention.

Even if there's not an actual bias against the Mavs, there appears to be one in the data, and the NBA can scarcely afford any more referee controversies marring anymore close games.

Maybe Crawford's not biased. Maybe the Mavs just play differently in games he referees, and maybe it's just a coincidence.

But, if you're the NBA, why risk it? You've got plenty of other officials capable of handling every Mavericks playoff game, good officials whose track record isn't staunchly stacked against a certain team. There's no need to put Crawford in charge of a Mavs game, unless you want him subjected to more scrutiny.

In the end, it's just a baffling move by the NBA, and one we're certain to here more about when Crawford calls a couple of dubious fouls on Mavericks tonight, and they lose a close-fought Game 2 to Portland.

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