The Last Two Minutes Report on the officiating of the Denver-Houston clash has been released. The report acknowledges some unfortunate refereeing errors that disadvantaged the Rockets down the stretch. The outcome of one game isn’t something for the team or fans to dwell on. But the Rockets may have a serious issue with the way the refs officiate the game—and the same may go for other teams.
Rockets-Nuggets L2M Report: Do Rockets Have A Ref Problem?
Monday night‘s Rockets-Nuggets game should have been a big win for the NBA. The Alperen Sengun–Nikola Jokic showdown fans had been hoping for was on full display. However, the league’s first 30-point triple-doubles by opposing centers were overshadowed by the officiating.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka’s criticism of the officiating after the 128-125 loss to Denver was well-publicized. He called it the “[most] poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time.” His fine will likely be elevated by the targeted nature of his criticisms towards the individual referees.
Most of what Udoka said was pretty much what you’d expect from a coach sulking over a loss in a clumsily officiated game. But the Last Two Minutes Report (which also covers overtime) does lend some credence to his plight.
The L2M Report
The L2M report acknowledges three incorrect calls/no calls down the stretch. Coming as a surprise to some, the controversial defensive foul on Amen Thompson with 2.3 seconds left in regulation was not among them. While possibly an unusual call for the situation, a largely unbroadcast camera angle did reveal contact. Even so, all three incorrect calls/no calls benefited Denver. Tim Hardaway Jr. fouled Sengun on an offensive rebound. Kevin Durant got a clean block on Jokic. And Thompson did not, in fact, foul Jamal Murray with 47.2 seconds remaining.
Now, to be clear, there’s no reason to think NBA officials have an interest in making Houston lose. Games aren’t being rigged on some grand, Machiavellian scale. The fact is that all 30 teams in the NBA are vulnerable to the inconsistent and untargeted whims of the referees. Some teams will hope for a high degree of physicality to be allowed. Some teams will hope for a low one. Houston might just happen to be the most physicality-favoring team in the association.
What Udoka Also Said
There’s another part of Udoka’s comments that sheds more light on Houston’s particular vulnerability to fouls. When asked about the team’s response to inconsistent refereeing, Udoka said, “Keep being who we are. We’re not going to adjust to poor officials. We’re going to do what we do, and hopefully they can adjust and call it the right way.”
This mantra has served the Rockets’ defense well since Udoka took over in 2023. It’s an ultra-physical brand of “can’t call everything” basketball. A whole team of basketball super freaks on a mandated course of habitual line-stepping. Innovative organizations like the Rockets are always looking for an edge. They, and other teams, currently seem to believe that the edge can most efficiently be found by pushing officiating to its breaking point.
Not Just the Rockets
Something very similar has served the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder even better. OKC snagged a generational scorer and MVP from the dysfunctional Clippers in the Paul George deal. After only two years of tanking, they were able to draft the analytics Holy Grail of a rim-protecting stretch big in Chet Holmgren. They have exceptional depth on the wing, led by wingspan king Jalen Williams. A huge part of their outlier success, however, comes down to an extreme organizational commitment to gaming the referees.
OKC’s defensive system has already resulted in a championship. Maybe Houston’s could, too… but it’s going to be up to the referees. How individual playoff games are called has an egregious level of impact on the outcome. While that’s always been the case, NBA teams are now starting to lean into the phenomenon, making it even more extreme. It’s not the referees’ fault. They’re deliberately being put in impossible situations. It’s not the teams’ fault. They’re merely optimizing their chance to win. But it is the product for the fans that falls short as a result.
The Last Word
NBA officiating is in crisis. Teams across the league are currently racing to see who can bend it furthest before it breaks. But maybe it’s already broken. The Rockets have a ref problem all right, and the whole NBA does, too.
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