<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Stern admits officials miss '5 percent' of callsEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- While saying he was happy with the way the officials are handling the playoffs, commissioner David Stern acknowledged on Tuesday that NBA referees are missing about 5 percent of the calls."Is the question do I think the officials miss a play? Absolutely!" Stern said during an impromptu news conference before the New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers met in Game 5 of their first-round series."It happens at least probably 5 percent of the time," Stern added.There have been increasing complaints about the officials in the playoffs this season. Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers was fined $15,000 for comments about them after Game 2, and Miami's Shaquille O'Neal was fined $25,000 for his public criticisms.The Heat complained after Chicago had a 31-5 advantage on free throws in Game 4 of that series.The Suns groused after MVP Steve Nash could not get a call late in a loss to the Lakers on Sunday. And it looked like LeBron James of Cleveland may have traveled before a game-winning shot against Washington on Friday night."Our goal is to make the officiating perfect, at 100 percent," Stern said. "We have not and we never will achieve that result. But I think we have the best officials, the best-monitored officials, the best-developed officials in all of sports."Stern would not say whether the officials had been instructed to call tighter games in the playoffs, but he said they have always clamped down when teams get more physical."We think that our players are the most talented athletes in the world and people come to watch them play, not to fight, bump and knock each other down," Stern said.Stern had no sympathy for anyone fined for complaining about the officials."I don't think we are tough enough. Play the game, stop complaining, and if you don't like it, get a job someplace else," Stern said. "That's my rule. OK. That's the system and if they don't like [it], go to some other system. We have a great league here."The escalating noise level in arenas and the excessive time it takes to play the final minutes of a game are a growing concern for Stern.He said the league is monitoring noise levels and fining teams for exceeding it."It makes us the big regulators in the sky, you know, what you wear and how you play and what you do. It's got to be the worst part of the job. But we will continue to do it," Stern said.The league plans to examine the numbers of timeouts at the end of the game, adding there already are limits."Usually I come into the office and say, 'Will someone please time the last three minutes of this game that took 22 minutes and tell me why?'" Stern said. "I'm not sure that we're showing our fans our best basketball."Stern said there are commercial realities that stretch the end of a game, but he added the excess time is good for commercials, not basketball.On other matters, Stern expects the Nets' move from East Rutherford to Brooklyn, N.Y. to be completed. He was not sure whether the team's goal to be there by 2009 was possible.The commissioner said no league-wide expansion was planned. He also said the league would never limit the number of international players.</div>LinkWhat do you guys think? about right? More? Less?
I think thats crap. The other night at the Spurs game(i went to game 5 and it was bad a), there were a million missed calls. It was ridiculous how much baldy favored the Kings in the 2nd half. I cant think of the refs name right now. It was awful though; he called every touch foul and didnt call crap on the Kings. I dont expect refs to be perfect but they need to be CONSISTENT
I think that it's more like 10-15%. Refs can't be perfect and it shows. I hate calls in the playoffs it seems like if you your at home then you get so many more calls.....it's rediculous.
I agree with pistonz4life... it's around 15%.I really don't get upset too much if the referee's miss a call during the game, but if it is crucial call, and they get it wrong, that is what really pisses me off.
I'm mad that Dirk got called for a Flagrant 2 that wasn't even on instant replay.That puts him at Flagrant 3.That means one more = suspension.
I would go as far as saying 20% of calls are missed. His confidence in his refs is stupid. They better address some of the problems that happened with the refs in the offseason.
I'm sick and tired of star players getting calls, a foul is a foul, it doesn't matter who does it. And i'm sick of the home team getting special treatment as well, it seems every game is fogged with 3 controversial plays.
It depends how you judge it. If missing 5% of calls means that the refs make the wrong call 5% of the time, they actually miss less. Whenever a ref calls a foul, there is normally a solid case for itHowever, everytime down the floor, the refs don't call certain things for both entertainment and pure mistake reasons. If you judge it like that, the refs miss so many calls its not funny. We're talking a 90% range here
It is more along the lines of getting the call 80-85% of the time. I have been watching the playoff series and actually there are alot of calls they should of called. But, it all depends on how rough the teams have been playing the series.
5-10% is about right. I wouldn't mind if they repeatedly missed one call, but the inconsistency is way out of hand. They'll let something go on one end, then a few posessions later they'll call it. Frustrating as hell for the players i'm sure.
In this Wiz-Cavs series, I've had to deal with it the whole time with LeBron getting favorite calls. I mean really, it seems like they're afraid of the players' reactions. It gets out of hand when they start missing calls that are very big down the stretch and cause you to lose a game, like in the closing seconds of Game 3, when LeBron traveled and eventually made the game-winning basket for Cleveland.
It is more like 95% of the time because the ones Stern thinks are wrong are actually right and vice-versa. Seriously though it is a much higher percentage than wha Stern says it. I also think about 20%.
Dude, you think they miss one of every rebound call, offensive foul call, defensive foul call, and block/charge call? I mean, I'm not sure how to explain it, but missing 1/4 of the calls is very unlikely.Now there SHOULD be some sort of way for justice, but there really isn't.I just think Dirk should be taken away of his Flagrant 2 on a random offensive play.
More like 5% of them have been good calls. These refs are blind and hate all the teams, except for the Clippers lol, with a passion.
