The Referee Question (2025-2026 Season)

[Correct Crusader]

Currently this season, teams are averaging three more free-throws a game than last season. It's also another record year for scoring. The bottom scoring team this season, the nets, would've ranked around 21st offense last season.

I want to discuss the referee question, because It seems like they've been extremely active in games to start the year.

My biggest problem with the current way the NBA works is we all know playoff basketball is different than regular season basketball. This isn't because of rule changes, the refs simply call it differently, and that really irks me.

 

[Exstatic]

Yeah, a year or two ago, the NBA realized that 50 point games were as common as 30 point games just a few years earlier, and after theASG, they called a much different game that did not reward foul merchants. scoring had just gotten too cheap and easy. Guess that went away.

 

[scott]

Things I like:

They seem to be paying more attention to the "high five" foul on 3s and to moving screens (though this is clearly still a work in progress...)

Things I don't like:

Everything else

 

[spurraider21]

Things I like:

They seem to be paying more attention to the "high five" foul on 3s and to moving screens (though this is clearly still a work in progress...)

Things I don't like:

Everything else

disagree on moving screens, its still beyond terrible. has to be all or nothing. i wish they called them properly and called them more often, but it just feels incredibly arbitrary and i havent really noticed anything different this year from that standpoint

 

[k....]

rename this thread "old man yells at cloud takes" and sticky it.

 

[spurraider21]

Yeah, a year or two ago, the NBA realized that 50 point games were as common as 30 point games just a few years earlier, and after theASG, they called a much different game that did not reward foul merchants. scoring had just gotten too cheap and easy. Guess that went away.

yep, that was a good stretch i recall quite well.

for the foul merchants, even if its too tough to ask refs on the spot to determine of someone is flopping or overselling (god knows, giving these refs even more arbitrary shit to deal with would be awful), they league has just given up on the post-game assessments of techincal fouls/fines for flopping. they need to do those and be very punitive with them. put emphasis on specific actions like heads snapping back with insufficient contact. be diligent with them, and make it such that 3 post-game flop findings = 1 game suspension

 

[SpurSpike]

That Lakers vs Spurs game had 66 personal fouls...

Also would SGA be an mvp without the godly whistle? He gets these tick tack fouls called so often like the one below.

 

[spurraider21]

That Lakers vs Spurs game had 66 personal fouls...

Also would SGA be an mvp without the godly whistle? He gets these tick tack fouls called so often like the one below.

he's clearly still really fuckin good even when he's not getting to the line. which makes it all the more annoying when he does with these antics

 

[SpurSpike]

Then there was this flop that was called as a technical foul and even after review held up lol. Of course also in favor of OKC...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1993860692810596449

 

[LeBowen]

he's clearly still really fuckin good even when he's not getting to the line. which makes it all the more annoying when he does with these antics

I'll never blame the players for getting the most out of what they're given.
It's not their fault this is allowed, they're not the ones in charge of the game.

 

[SpurSpike]

Its unfair to players that play the game the right way though. Wish the league would review fouls after the game and suspend players for 1 game when bad flops happen. Would clean up the game real quick.

 

[LeBowen]

Its unfair to players that play the game the right way though.

I'm not saying it's not.
But it's the league's job to officiate games and change the rules that are hurting the integrity of the game.
Instead, they're making a mockery of everything and every few years it becomes too much.

Last night's game had 50 fouls, regular fans don't want to watch that.

 

[spurraider21]

I'll never blame the players for getting the most out of what they're given.
It's not their fault this is allowed, they're not the ones in charge of the game.

i blame both

it takes some serious level of sickness to train yourself to snap your head back almost as muscle memory during live game action when it would otherwise be completely unnatural and antithetical to making a shot

 

[LeBowen]

i blame both

it takes some serious level of sickness to train yourself to snap your head back almost as muscle memory during live game action when it would otherwise be completely unnatural and antithetical to making a shot

Well, this generation grew up watching Harden do it.
It's been with them from before they got to the league.

 

[SpurSpike]

I don't always blame the refs, its an impossible job for the refs in some instances when so many players make a living trying to fool them. Silver needs to do something about flopping and dirty plays. No reason the NBA cannot review these things and hand out punishments to the players directly.

I hate Silver, he doesnt do anything much to improve the game and it looks like he is going to sweep the Kawhi scandal under the rug too!

 

[scott]

i blame both

it takes some serious level of sickness to train yourself to snap your head back almost as muscle memory during live game action when it would otherwise be completely unnatural and antithetical to making a shot

Brunson annoys me the worst in this regard. It's like he did his hair the way he does specifically to exaggerate the head snap.

 

[spurraider21]

phenomenal video by Thinking Basketball as usual, as opposed to that dumbfuck coach nick from bballbreakdown who for the last few years has just made it a mission to explain why every obvious travel is actually a legal play, or why the foul baiting stuff from guys like Shai is just pure skill

 

[spurraider21]

with that said, by basically taking away perimeter defense, it makes the rare shotblocking ability of somebody like wemby EVEN more valuable since that basically becomes the only way to consistently deter scoring

 

[Correct Crusader]

phenomenal video by Thinking Basketball as usual, as opposed to that dumbfuck coach nick from bballbreakdown who for the last few years has just made it a mission to explain why every obvious travel is actually a legal play, or why the foul baiting stuff from guys like Shai is just pure skill

Lmao I literally just watched this and came to post here but you beat me.

 

[ambchang]

What the nba fail to understand is that scoring is exciting because of the level of difficulty not because of volume.

 

[ulosturedge]

Good defense is fun to watch also. Damn casual fans.

 

[spurraider21]

Good defense is fun to watch also. Damn casual fans.

narrator of the vid makes a great point. great defense is fun. and great offense beating great defense is often the pinnacle of the game. someone hitting a tough fadeaway with a hand in his face, somebody making an incredible series of post moves to shake the defender just enough to get a shot off, amazing no look passes with zip to momentarily freeze a defender, etc

 

[ulosturedge]

narrator of the vid makes a great point. great defense is fun. and great offense beating great defense is often the pinnacle of the game. someone hitting a tough fadeaway with a hand in his face, somebody making an incredible series of post moves to shake the defender just enough to get a shot off, amazing no look passes with zip to momentarily freeze a defender, etc

Yup, I completely agree with you and ambchang. What will it take for the NBA to quit catering to Casuals? The NBA continues to water down the game. Are there really that many simple minded fans out there? There has to be a breaking point.

 

[Correct Crusader]

THIS was ruled a foul, and challenged and UPHELD.

Watch a89lpu | Streamable

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[Seventyniner]

THIS was ruled a foul, and challenged and UPHELD.

Watch a89lpu | Streamable

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

Disgusting. That Thinking Basketball video is 100% spot on.