The poor officiating isn't what lost the San Antonio Spurs Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, but it certainly didn't help.
Let's get one thing clear: poor officiating doesn't excuse the 127-114 drubbing the San Antonio Spurs received on Tuesday night, courtesy of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sure, the officials plainly missed an out-of-bounds call in the third quarter, resulting in a five-point swing. And sure, they gave Mitch Johnson a technical after ignoring his request to review the play.
And sure, I guess they called a jump-ball after the ball clearly went off Isaiah Hartenstein. But you'd have to be incredibly bitter to blame the referees.
I guess that makes me a grapefruit.
Spurs Slam Officials After Game 5 Loss
After the first quarter, and especially in the second half, the Spurs were never really in the game, but when seemingly every close-out resulted in Thunder free throws, it's nearly impossible for the Spurs to get stops.
Some of those whistles were clear fouls, either the result of the Spurs' inexperience or overall frustrations. Others, however, were a little more questionable.
"It's tough, I just think with the way they guard, how physical they are, we don't get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times," said Stephon Castle, suggesting that the officiating is one-sided.
Head coach Mitch Johnson is usually one of the calmer heads in the NBA, but when a clear finger-twirl and audible "challenge" doesn't get the play stopped, he may have been correct for losing his head.
"They just said they didn't see me," said Johnson of his failed challenge, which seems hard to believe.
The Spurs were called for 29 fouls, the Thunder 22. That's not a massive discrepancy, but the Spurs were called for six more fouls in the second half than OKC was.
Fans on social media were quick to point out that the game seemed "rigged." While that seems a bit steep, even for me (who's wearing a tinfoil hat while typing this), the fact that the officials stole the show from what was otherwise a very good game doesn't bode well for the NBA.
"Tony Brothers" should not be the trending phrase on Twitter after a playoff game, even if he is one of the league's biggest stars.
