And the people wearing tinfoil hats start screaming, “I told you so, the end of the world is neigh.”
The NBA has announced that Joey Crawford will lead the crew of official in Game 6 that also includes Mike Callahan and Ken Mauer.
This is the second game this series that Crawford — the most famous of NBA referees — has officiated. He also was on Game 2, an easy Miami win. But both teams had 14 free throw attempts that game and even Spurs fans should be able to admit that loss had nothing to do with the officiating and everything to do with the Heat outplaying the Spurs in the second half.
As I said before Game 2, yes Crawford and Duncan have a history (he threw Tim Duncan out of a game for laughing in 2007 and didn’t get assigned the NBA Finals for years after), but this is really a good thing for the Spurs — no referee is more willing to make an unpopular call against the home team late in the game than Crawford.
All we ever really want from the officials is for them not to be the story, and through five games of the Finals that has been the case by and large. There have been missed calls both ways, but the teams have been the story. Crawford could be the one guy to change that dynamic, but let’s all hope not. Let’s hope the Spurs and Heat decide this on their own merits.
