Basketball On The Internet.

JUST when you think it’s time to start agitating for the NBL to employ a cluster of fulltime referees, Game 2 of the NBA’s Western Conference semi final shows it makes no difference.

If a ref is going to get a call wrong, it’s going to happen whether he/she is fulltime or part-time.

Oklahoma today, leading San Antonio 98-97 and taking an offensive sideball with heartbeats remaining, got away with a blatant foul on Dion Waiters’ inbounds pass when he shoved Spurs guard Manu Ginobili to create room for his pass.

Now unless the rules differ in the NBA, Ginobili is entitled to be right up next to the sideline, provided he doesn’t break the plane of the line.

Picture Townsville Crocs centre Luke Schenscher pressuring a similar inbounds pass by then 36ers captain Adam Gibson at The Swamp during the NBL season.

Schensch was right up in Gibbo’s grill. Had the Sixers skipper shoved him off with one arm, a la Waiters to Ginobili, and right there in front of one of the three referees, he assuredly would have been assessed with a foul.

But Waiters got away with just that. Blatantly. In front of one referee who had a perfect sight-line to see it.

OK, the Spurs blew a chance to win it off the resultant bad pass/turnover - Danny Green stole the ball from Kevin Durant, Patty Mills missed a corner 3-pointer, LaMarcus Aldridge lost the ball after grabbing the airball, Kawhi Leonard unable to gather the ball before the buzzer sounded - but none of that should have happened.

Waiters should have copped a foul and the Spurs would most likely have taken timeout to fashion a potential match-winning last attack.

Did the referee not give Ginobili the benefit of the doubt because of the Argentinian's past flopping history?

Maybe. But a professional NBA ref should not be influenced in that way and able to make an assessment on what he has seen, not what he believes.

It was a clear offensive foul on Waiters, who, from out of bounds, pushed Ginobili off him.

So there you go. If a ref is going to get a call wrong, it won’t matter if he’s a part-time NBLer or a fulltime NBAer.

"At times, it's frustrating," Aldridge said of the officiating, the Spurs' big man leading all scorers with 41 points.

NBA PLAYOFFS
 

EASTERN CONFERENCE

SEMI FINAL:

Cleveland v Atlanta
Miami v Toronto

FIRST ROUND:
Indiana 100, Toronto 90
Indiana 87, Toronto 98
Indiana 85, Toronto 101
Indiana 100, Toronto 83
Indiana 99, Toronto 102
Indiana 101, Toronto 83
Indiana 84, Toronto 89
Toronto advances 4-3

Atlanta 102, Boston 101
Atlanta 89, Boston 72
Atlanta 103, Boston 111
Atlanta 95, Boston 104
Atlanta 110, Boston 84
Atlanta 104, Boston 92
Atlanta advances 4-2

Cleveland 106, Detroit 101
Cleveland 107, Detroit 90
Cleveland 101, Detroit 91
Cleveland 100, Detroit 98
Cleveland advances, 4-0

Miami 123, Charlotte 91
Miami 115, Charlotte 103
Miami 80, Charlotte 96
Miami 85, Charlotte 89
Miami 88, Charlotte 90
Miami 97, Charlotte 90
Miami 106, Charlotte 73
Miami advances 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

SEMI FINALS:
San Antonio 124, Oklahoma 92
San Antonio 97, Oklahoma 98
Series tied 1-1

Golden State 118, Portland 106
Golden State leads 1-0

FIRST ROUND:
Golden State 104, Houston 78
Golden State 115, Houston 106
Golden State 96, Houston 97
Golden State 121, Houston 94
Golden State 114, Houston 81
Golden State advances 4-1

Oklahoma 108, Dallas 70
Oklahoma 84, Dallas 85
Oklahoma 131, Dallas 102
Oklahoma 119, Dallas 108
Oklahoma 118, Dallas 104
Oklahoma advances 4-1

San Antonio 106, Memphis 74
San Antonio 94, Memphis 68
San Antonio 96, Memphis 87
San Antonio 116, Memphis 95
San Antonio advances 4-0

Los Angeles 115, Portland 95
Los Angeles 102, Portland 81
Los Angeles 88, Portland 96
Los Angeles 84, Portland 98
Los Angeles 98, Portland 108
Los Angeles 103, Portland 106
Portland advances 4-2