I'm surprised no one else has brought this up. I've been witnessing this for over 30 years.

The NBA is at it again. Dallas comes to town to play the Magic on National TV. The NBA made damn sure their best Producers were on hand to make sure it got the outcome it wanted.

Just ask Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Shaquel O'neal or some other great NBA players how they feel about Joe Crawford and Dick Bavetta. Two of the biggest egos in the game of Officiating. These guys took along with them a rookie referee, Kevin Scott, who made no calls. He allowed the masters to make all the important calls/no-calls and made up calls to insure the game was close to the end. They succeeded brilliant! But heck, they're professionals at what they do. The Voodoo they do so well!!!

The NBA has a special relationship with their referees. They control them. They pay them to keep the game close for the paying customers. This is unheard of in Major League Baseball. Can you imagine a Referee walking 9 straight batters to get the cubs close in a game where they are down 5 runs in the fourth inning? Or a NFL referee throwing out a player cause he was just so much better than everyone on the opposing team and the game would be a blow out if the player continued to play.

This is what is happening in the NBA....I believe it comes from the days that the Celtics owned basketball and all the championships. Someone in a small town said" hey, I can't sell any tickets at home unless the Celtics are in town" so they got their heads together to help the smaller markets....and its been going on since 76 with Walton in Portland, then just mutated to keeping things close in all cities when players like Magic Johnson, Bird, I. Thomas. and other NBA greats played.

The NBA knows no one wants to sit through a 35 point blow out. If fact, they know people will leave and not but food or beer and will have second thoughts of buying the next games tickets if its a blowout. The Orlando Magic in recent years have been able to 3 point shoot well enough to blow opponents out. But with the help of dirty, stinking and egomaniacs like Crawford and Bavetta, they don't stand a chance and the NBA has the tools (see what I did there) it needs to keep big games, like Dallas vs. Magic, Friday night, a tight affair for all 48 minutes. It's a sham. Congress should appoint a special prosecutor to investigate this fraud. It's getting very close to becoming pro wrestling and they will never admit it.

For the life of the NBA, there has never been a NBA referee strike. In 2009 there was a lockout because the contract had expired. I believe it was to hide there close relationship the NBA has, had and continues to have, with these Producers. (I don't consider them referees since they make up their own calls to keep games close, especially the big ones) They (the NBA referees/producers) wanted to look like the MLB and NFL referees, who have gone on strike many times for benefits and pay raises. During this lockout between the NBA and their Mechanics, David Stern hired a convicted felon, who made bets on the NBA games he officiated, and put him back on the NBA payroll. Yes, that former NBA producer of the year, he spent 15 months in prison, Tim Donaghy.

As my parents taught me to say when I was upset at someone...."I say, BOOOOOOOO, Hissssss" to the NBA and their Producing Egomaniac Referee club.