The rule in basketball was that a player is allowed one step after he finishes dribbling the basketball; any more is a violation. Then the NBA allowed one step with a jump-stop at the end. Then two steps. Now a player can run around the court like he's at a goddamn track meet and the whistle won't blow.
A foul is no longer a foul. Lebron James decides he wants to pull Paul Pierce's jersey out of his pants on a chase after a loose ball and there is no call. Yet any time he or Kobe Bryant misses a shot, you can bet your ass that free throws are coming up. No joke, in the Celtics-Cavs series, particularly in Game 7, the referees called that game as if they actually were rooting for Cleveland to knock off Boston, or at the very least to make it close.
In addition, no one knows when to call a charge and when to call a block. It's a guessing game. The officiating simply has not kept up with the game itself.
What the hell happened to the NBA? I understand that Naismith never imagined the kind of athletes that would one day play this game, nor the amount of physical contact that would become a part of it. But these clowns have to start enforcing the rules. Namely:
1) Any more than one consecutive step that is not accompanied by a dribble will result in a traveling violation and loss of possession.
2) Any player palming the basketball will be called for a violation and lose possession of the ball.
3) Any player entering the paint on a free throw attempt before the ball leaves the shooter's hands will be penalized with a lane violation.
4) Officials will not treat more favorably than the rest of the league players who average 25 or more points per game.
And if the Lakers make the finals, watch out. Because it will be a disaster. I'll put the over-under on Kobe's free throw attempts per game at 17.
This is an angry blog. I'll try and make the next one more mellow. Not that anyone reads this thing anyway.
