NBA Gets it wrong again

NBA. It should be the No Brainer Association. Instead, it feels like the No Brain Association.

Yup! The David Stern show is at it again. Following the wake of the ridiculous double technical foul calls in the last Celtics game by Ed Rush, the NBA showed its true colors. It had the opportunity to make better a situation already deemed tenuous at best in the opinion of hoop fans - the influence of officials on games. The league has a huge PR problem with fans, media, and players alike. The officials throughout the league seem to have too much of an influence on games. Tim Donaghy aside - and THAT situation truly hurt their image - the refs in the series really have caused some trouble throughout the years. Now, I don't blame Ed Rush - in fact he look downright sorry for calling the 2nd tech - but clearer heads prevail. We are in a league that still has refs that have had altercations with players (ironically Joe Crawford, who also reffed last game and T'd up Rondo on a weak - weak - weak call) and have made terrible calls (case in point, Bennett Salvatore, who reffed last nights Phoenix - LA game who once called an offensive foul on Larry Bird who drove to the basket and broke his nose crashing into a Denver player).

Something is needed. The NBA could have made it better. Sure, it might have made Ed Rush's decision look even weaker - perhaps even made his officiating look meek - but they could have made it better. The slip of an elbow that hit Gortat; the grumbly walkaway. Neither deserved a tech. Both got one.

And the NBA has the chance to overrule both. They played it safe, and cowardly. Overturn one bad one...not both bad ones (and to make it worse, they picked the poorest of the two to overturn).

The NBA had a chance to step in; to show whose boss; to fix the officiating.

No brainer???

Not for this NBA.