Chris Bosh Cries Whistle, Shaq Twitters for Three Seconds

Poor Chris Bosh.

After attempting to slow down Shaquille O'Neal's 45-point output last night in the land of the rising sun, Bosh blames the refs for not calling "three seconds" on the Big Aristotle for most of the game.

Bosh goes so far as to call O'Neal "a big cheater."

Unlike Donavon F. McNabb who didn't quite grasp those pesky NFL overtime rules, Bosh seems to understand the rules of the game he's paid to play.

According to the official NBA rulebook, an offensive player may not stand in the paint for longer than three seconds unless he has the ball or is in the act of shooting at the end of the third second.

Furthermore, the three seconds call will only be made if the ball is in an offensive's team's front court. 

Oftentimes, NBA officials overlook such calls as offensive three seconds, traveling, or defensive three seconds for that matter.

Here, we're not so sure if there's any legitimacy in Bosh's beef with the Diesel or the refs.

I've gone back through the tape and distinctly remember the refs calling "three seconds" on the Suns' center approximately twice in the first and second quarters, and three times in the third and fourth.

Maybe it was Bosh who found himself inside the paint for longer than three seconds, which is also a rule in the NBA and it states a defensive player may not camp down in the lane to basically defend the basket.

If the reason for Bosh's accusations is to alert David Stern that O'Neal is being officiated differently than other centers in league, than he's right.

But I don't think we needed Bosh to tell us that one as O'Neal's been on the receiving end of "Hack-a-Shaq" since he entered the league and has never been one to question the rules.

However, if Bosh's reason is to alert Stern a rule change needs to be made that would allow NBA teams to play "zone defensive," then he may be on to something there.

But if his reason is to simply stop Shaq from a more productive end to his Hall-of-Fame career, then he better start playing better defense because the Toronto Raptors aren't going anywhere this season, and the Phoenix Suns are fighting for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.