Grind City Media’s Lang Whitaker and Kelcey Wright Johnson weigh in on the most pertinent news from around the NBA. What’s lit? What’s lame? Find out each week right here.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2021 9:30 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: IMHO
Kelcey,
I spent some time this morning going through some of the NBA stories and plays from last night—this is a sign you have a kid, when you have to play catch up on the news because there’s too much happening in your life in real time to stay tuned in.
Anyway, last night I saw some Twitter crosstalk about JJ Redick being ejected, and I saw where the referee said the first tech was for using profanity at an official, and then as crew chief Josh Tiven explained, “The second technical was for throwing the ball in the direction of an official with force.”
Then this morning I saw this clip of Redick getting tossed, and I actually LOL’ed…
That must be the first time someone got a technical foul for throwing an UNDERHANDED BOUNCE PASS back to the ref. *Insert facepalm emoji*
Refs seem to have been in the story a lot lately. A few night ago, Draymond Green got tossed with 10 second left, and the Warriors ended up losing as a result. Last night I saw Hawks fans on Twitter complaining about a no-call, which I thought was interesting considering how Trae Young spends so much time specifically trying to get calls. I also saw Lakers fans on Twitter upset about LeBron not getting calls, and it made me think back to last week, when the Lakers played the Grizzlies and for most of the night LeBron shot more free throws than the entire Grizzlies team. (A late flurry of whistles evened things up a bit, but the Lakers still shot 14 more free throws than the Grizz.) The refs were in such a generous mood that night that LeBron was given two free throws for being subjected to this vicious foul…
And Kelcey, I’ve actually spent some time refereeing youth basketball, and I know what a thankless job it is—if nobody notices you, you’ve done a great job; conversely, if someone notices you, things might not be going so great. Being a ref is tough, I get it. But the refs have signed up for this scrutiny, and we depend on them to keep the playing surface level for both teams.
So my question to you is, are we putting too much on the refs? They’re trying their best, clearly, and maybe we as fans are just looking for scapegoats, someone to blame when our team isn’t producing. Should we give the folks in stripes a break?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 9:42 AM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
Lang,
I’m so happy you asked me this. And before I answer, let me tell you a little bit about my childhood. (I know you’re probably like, “Oh no, Kelc, this isn’t therapy — reel it back,” but trust me on this one!)
Growing up I LIVED in basketball arenas. Even though I didn’t begin playing until third grade, from the time I was born I spent *every*weekend, and no I’m not exaggerating unfortunately, in a gym. My brother was six years older than me, so we were always at his games; my dad was, and still is, the vice-chair for Canada Basketball, so we travelled all over the world with Team Canada; and the person I spent the most time watching on the court was my mom.
She began refereeing basketball games in 1991 — the year I was born. She worked her way up the ranks and became the first ever female official to referee a men’s college game in Canada. And heck yes, I was in the stands cheering for the refs that game! Woohoo!
That was just a long-winded way of saying I have a very soft spot in my heart for referees and the stuff they go through. I’ve seen the dedication, and the studies and hard-work that goes into the thankless job. Obviously that didn’t matter to me when I played college ball because I got A LOT of technicals, but I’ve grown and matured now (haha).
ANYWAY! Should we give the folks in stripes a break? Yes.
Are they trying their best at their jobs, just like all of us? Yes.
Are their jobs a little more in the public eye? Yes.
Do they make mistakes? Yes.
Are their mistakes broadcasted on national TV and played over and over in slow motion? Yes.
Is it their fault that teams lose games? I’m going to go with no on that one.
That being said, watching the Redick technical did seem a little ridiculous and it made me remember some other ridiculous technicals.
Do you remember when Isaiah Thomas got tossed, and fined, for pushing the ref? Or remember when Carmelo Anthony got a flagrant foul, and got ejected, with a weird lay-up head-butt thing? Or one of the craziest ones was when Russell Westbrook, back in OKC, got an offensive foul against the Kings where he really didn’t touch the defender in fast break? He had a good attitude about it after the game, even though it was a pretty bad call.
While we’re here talking refs, what’s the most memorable blown call in NBA history? I’ll tell you the one I’ll never forget.
Portland against Utah, two-point game, 11 seconds on the clock; Dame went up for the lay-up and it was clearly goaltended when we look back. But it wasn’t called (and you can’t review a non-call) and they ended up losing the game. SHEESH! That was bad.
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2021 2:51 PM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
First of all, that’s an awesome story – I had no idea! Your mom must have been tough when you were growing up. I can only imagine hearing a whistle blow when you didn’t finish your cereal or something.
But on the whole, I agree with you. I recall as a kid being BIG MAD at some of the NBA refs, where I watched games and saw them making calls that didn’t go my way. And then I grew up, and I realized that nobody is perfect. Even today, I try to make myself remember that when I see someone miss a call. (Which is more often than I would like, but hey.)
You mentioning Utah reminds me, I wanted to talk about them this week. The Jazz are red hot right now. Which to be honest, I did not see coming! The Jazz were OK last year, and they basically brought back the same crew this year, and suddenly they’re unbeatable. They’re shooting three-pointers at an almost ridiculous pace, and they’re making a lot of those shots.
Do you think the Jazz are for real? Is this something that will continue? Or is this a mirage that will eventually fade as the season goes along?
From: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 6:30 AM
To: Lang Whitaker
Subject: Re: IMHO
I think it’s maybe because they did bring back pretty much the same squad back this season is why they’re thriving early this year; the chemistry spilled over from last season.
We’ve seen when players come back from injury how it takes a while for them to fit in with the team again? Imagine a brand new team and brand new guys, and the learning curve of this season with a shortened off-season and preseason. The Jazz skipped all that by bringing the exact same core back.
I definitely think they’re the real deal this year (although I wouldn’t have guessed that at the beginning of the year). The trio of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and the veteran leadership of Mike Conley has just CLICKED!
Yes – they’re shooting almost 48% from the field as a team which may cool off a bit, but basketball is a game of momentum and right now they’ve got it and I can see it just snowballing as the season continues (although that will depend on their second-half schedule as well).
Speaking of, the second-half schedule should be revealed pretty soon as we only know the schedule up until the beginning of March which is next week.
Are there any match-ups we didn’t see in the first half that you’re looking forward to in the second?
From: Lang Whitaker
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 8:57 AM
To: Kelcey Wright Johnson
Subject: RE: IMHO
Honestly, Kelcey, I don’t really care about matchups as much as I just want the season to keep going. Because – and again, I’m being honest here – the last few weeks have been tough, man. First we had a ridiculous cold snap here in Memphis, with almost a foot of snow and ice and frigid temperatures. I left New York City in part because I was glad to leave that kind of weather behind. But guess what? Seems like I brought it with me!
And then one day during the cold spell, I returned from sledding with my son to find a waterfall pouring outside on my porch. As it turns out, when the temperature stays below 32 degrees for a week, copper pipes don’t handle it so well! So we spent a day with our water turned off, until we could find a plumber a) who was available and b) could navigate the frozen streets.
We finally got our pipes fixed and our water turned back on, and the city of Memphis announced that everyone has to boil any tap water before we can drink it. And did I mention, we were getting our kitchen renovated and rebuild? So I don’t even have a stove to boil water right now? And the construction workers couldn’t come work on our kitchen while the roads were being worked on?
As the goat Andre 3000 said, “I’m sorry, y’all, I often drift.” I know we are way off course here, but at this point I don’t care if the Nuggets get a second home game against the Rockets, or whatever people are excited to see. I’m just glad to live to see another day and to be able to have a nice warm desk here in Grizz Gaming, where I can sit and listen to Leon Bridges and send (hopefully) humorous emails to my friends, like you.
We made it through half of the season, now let’s get this second half going!!