Kevin Durant was fouled on the final play of the Warriors' Christmas Day loss to the Cavaliers. Not that he cares.
Durant issued one of the most Kevin Durant-esque quotes possible when asked about the NBA's Last 2 Minutes Report issued about that 109-108 game. Two major calls in the final two minutes were said to have incorrectly favored of the Cavs. But Durant doesn't care about revisionist history, and he does care about respecting people at work and the integrity of the game.
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He also doesn't mind swearing from time to time, so be warned while watching:
Kevin Durant is not a fan of the L2M officiating report: "It's bulls#** that the NBA throws the refs under the bus like that" pic.twitter.com/j14Jdb1R97
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 27, 2016
Here's his full quote (via the San Jose Mercury News), which we could have broken into three paragraphs — but that doesn't seem to fit the tone:
“The refs didn’t lose us that game. We lost that game. I think it’s bulls— the NBA throws the refs under the bus like that. This happened to be in our favor — not even in our favor. We don’t get the win. But to say I got fouled (on the final play) and the technical (on LeBron James, earlier)? Just move on. Don’t throw the refs under the bus like that. Now the next game, that group of refs, whoever it is, they’re going to come out and intentionally ref the game, try to get everything right and perfect without just going out there relaxing and trying to make the right call. You can’t fine us for when we go out there and criticize them and then throw them under the bus for the two-minute report. What about the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter? I think it’s bulls—. They should get rid of them. Refs don’t deserve that. They’re trying their hardest to get the play right, then you look at the play in slow-mo and say it’s wrong. I think it’s bulls— that they do that. Full of s— that you throw the refs under the bus like that after the game. Like it matters. The game’s over. We move on.”
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To be clear: One of the best players in the world just said the NBA is full of s—. His points aren't new — Dwyane Wade laid them out well earlier this season — but no one has been as angry and direct and confrontational. That's part of Durant's personality, and it's nice to see him being himself.
There's a series of issues here, though.
1. The NBA wants transparency.
More than any other league, the NBA is constantly accused of being fixed. Even Pacers star Paul George joined the accusation party. Addressing good and bad refereeing at the end of close games seemed like a great step in the direction of transparency and honesty.
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2. The calls were wrong!
Heck, there was a third one that Sporting News took issue with. Here's a breakdown of all three bizarre refereeing decisions just from the final two minutes of that Christmas classic.
The NBA wants better refereeing, and holding them publicly accountable — just as players are held publicly accountable through announcing fines and suspensions — is a good first step.
3. Full-game refereeing breakdowns would be absurd.
Everyone always wants to know "Why only close games? Why only the last two minutes?" These reports are so long already, and they take a lot of time in the NBA's referee review center. No one really wants to read a thorough breakdown of every single call in all 1,230 NBA regular-season games every year.
But here's where the chance for improvement comes. What if teams and players were allowed to file petitions for call reviews? Or if the NBA came up with a standard for controversial plays? Then, those important calls could be reviewed without wasting the time involved in reviewing all the obviously right ones.
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That takes up the next aspect, the one Durant and Wade both mentioned: Stop fining players for complaining about incorrect calls. If a player rips a call to the media after the game, the league office should review that call. If it's correct, fine away. If a player rips the refereeing as a whole rather than a specific example, fine him for that, too. But if the call was wrong, don't fine the player for pointing it out.
The newest collective bargaining agreement allows the players to provide more feedback to referees than ever, as Sporting News first reported. The referees union is trying to heal some of the hostility with players and coaches, as well. Open discussion would be a big help in all of that, and that should include the public at large.
The end goal should be everyone making each other better. An ideal review system would give the players, fans and coaches better insight into refereeing while holding those officials more accountable for their calls. Work in a public merit-based system for big games, and you can seriously cut into those NBA conspiracy theories, which so often involve referees.
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Durant went public here, of course. He took out his frustration on the league office. In doing so, he probably scored some points with frustrated refs who also hate the "L2M" reports.
The system does need tweaks. But it was and is something worth trying, something better than "bulls—."
