he was at the sixers game on thurs night...
and apart from the first 1/4 the officiating was 'ok' or even for both teams...
some random phantom calls and some fouls that certianly shouldnt have been called but it did even up after a one sided first 1/4...

he has slimmed a lot has lost in his words 12 kilos in 3 weeks...

but thats beside the point

Officiating has been awful. The product is borderline unwatchable for long stretches. They have no idea what is a flop or not. They have no idea about how to call the block/charge. They let illegal screens go for certain players but not others. They let certain players have extreme amounts of double-handed contact on ball carriers all over the floor, but then some guys can't even have one hand on the offensive player or it's a foul. Some games are bogged down by constant holding, grappling, illegal screens, etc. then the next game you won't be able to touch an offensive player without getting a whistle.

That's the biggest step-down for me when you go from watching NBA to NBL. Sure the game is slower, and the offensive and defensive schemes are a little less sophisticated, but the constant facepalming from horrible call after horrible call is what really sets us apart, and it's the biggest reason why I don't watch a whole lot of NBL games. Sure there is a talent discrepancy with the players, but the gulf between the standard of NBA and NBL officials is even wider IMO.

It makes it really, really hard for new fans to grasp the concept of the game as well, because when a seasoned basketball fan can't understand what the hell is going on half the time, how is Joe SixPack supposed to keep up?

I have to agree with Mick. I have been frustrated with the officiating so far and I'm sure it turns casual watchers of the NBL.

I've tried to get casual basketball fans who watch NBA but not NBL to watch an NBL game a couple of times in the last two seasons and this is the biggest thing they complain about.

That the refs are always killing momentum and trying to be the main event, that they make calls out of position and miss absolute DOOZIES that happen right in front of them multiple times every single game.

In the NBA if there is a couple of missed calls you'd say it's a bad night from an officiating perspective..

In the NBL i reckon you'd need more than two hands to count the number of botched whistles (or swallowing of whistles) every single game.

It must be so frustrating as an NBL coach trying to prepare your side for a game, having no idea what style of basketball will or won't be allowed on any given night.

Mick, you say in your post that you don't watch a whole lot of NBL games. How is it then that you are able to make very general, wide sweeping commentary on the officiating?

Hope it's true that Mal was in Perth last night.
The officiating here this season has not been at an acceptable level.

I watch a whole lot more than the average Aussie sports fan. My point was that compared to the NBA, I don't watch a whole lot of games.

I'll catch most of my team's games, plus a smattering of other neutral games when I feel up to it, and I'll go watch Townsville any time they are playing in Melbourne, or whichever other city they are in that I can get to at the time.

I've been watching the NBL for 20 years, and the officiating has not improved along with the standard of play.