In the closing seconds of the NBA Finals rematch between the Cavaliers and Warriors on Christmas Day, Kevin Durant was tripped up by Richard Jefferson, causing him to fall as time expired and allowing Cleveland to win 109-108.
Durant didn't outright say that he got fouled but did hint at it afterwards by saying, "I didn't fall on my own." It turns out he was right as the NBA reviewed the play as part of the two-minute report on Monday and deemed that officials made two mistakes in the final moments of the game.
Of course, the report doesn't really help the Warriors. But perhaps Durant and his teammates can take solace in the fact that next season, thanks to the union, players can criticize blown calls or an official via a new NPBA hotline and a monthly report that will be sent to the league.
From Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News:
Players will be able to critique the work of game referees, as never before. In the past, they were allowed to submit one report annually - but never were allowed to mention the offending refs by name. That was the way Stern wanted it handled, and it wasn't subject to collective bargaining; the players had to accept the commissioner's edict, and they never felt like they had any clout in this area. Starting with the new CBA, however, the reports will be submitted with the names of the refs and with greater frequency, coming once a month.
Additionally, the players for the first time will have a hotline to the union to call in to critique the work of refs in their games. They'll be able to report not just on where they think the official botched a call, but also if they found a ref to be out of line, verbally, with how they handled blow-ups. Basically, they can complain like never before. The hotline is a response to the league allowing the new monthly reviews so that players can report something they thought was handled incorrectly while it's still fresh in their minds.
This should be a positive step between the players and officials. If an official actually holds a grudge against a certain player and that player keeps complaining to the NPBA, the union can alert the league and they could likely look into it. It should also cut down on instances like what happened after Tuesday's Bulls-Pacers game, where Paul George basically suggested that officials in coordination with the league, are out to get the Pacers.
And while this may not create a drastic change, it serves as a system of checks and balances for officials, which is much better than the basically non-existent one that currently exists.
