I normally wouldn’t do this, because there’s not much I dislike talking about more than officiating, and because we don’t have answers – an official wasn’t available for comment post-game, the Raptors hadn’t reviewed the plays yet to determine if they might protest, and I hadn’t had a chance to dig into the rule book and see exactly how I interpret the final plays (with the benefit of replay), buuuut it seems to be something everybody wants to talk about.
SO. Here’s what the Raptors had to say about the late-game officiating. Some of them toed the line, others not so much.
Dwane Casey
There were just so many calls down the stretch, I’ve got to look at them. I’ve got to look at them and see. Again, I’m looking upstairs but it’s just mind-boggling when you ask the official, did you see it? And it’s ‘I didn’t see it’, ‘wasn’t my call.’ I’ve got to have an explanation and I have all the respect in the world for our officials but when you in and have that situation, guys fighting their hearts out – again, maybe they thought we didn’t deserve it the way we played the first half, I don’t know – but the way they scrapped the second half, it blows my mind. I think we have the best officials in the world.
(On the final call specifically)
I didn’t, that one I didn’t see and I didn’t see a replay of it…It’s disheartening when guys are laying it on the line and missed plays like that.
DeMar DeRozan
It’s frustrating being out there feeling like you’re playing five-on-eight. It’s just what it feels like, period. Some of them calls were terrible, period.
(On the last call specifically)
I thought you couldn’t even do that. I’m not even a referee, and I know that rule. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.
Fred VanVleet
No officiating questions. I don’t make enough to answer those questions.
(On playing through that)
Yeah, definitely. But that’s a part of the game. There’s ups and downs to it, there’s times where you get ’em and times where you don’t. You’ve gotta be able to adapt and adjust, and obviously you can’t give a team like that that type of lead. But coming down the stretch, obviously, you’d like some of those to go your way. It is what it is. In the mix of the game, you don’t really have time to dwell on it. But you come to the locker room after, you start adding ’em up, start looking back at something that could have went your way. That’s the way the game goes sometimes.
Jakob Poeltl
No comment. I’m still on my rookie contract.
For context:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0VgTLjyvQo
(Via R/NBA)
— RaptorsNBAHoops (@Bison73J) January 14, 2018
There was also this, from outside the organization:
https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/952376463411630080
Anyway, please comment respectfully.
UPDATE: The league offered an explanation to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post.
Here’s the league’s explanation on the out of bounds call, per @TimBontemps https://t.co/YuwxhwozFP pic.twitter.com/MJmQymG0y8
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) January 14, 2018
