“It was complete HORSE SH*T!” Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards are fuming over the late 4th quarter non call by the NBA referees over the blatant intervention by the Brooklyn Nets coach

Arun Sharma | 20/01/2022
"It was complete HORSE SH*T!": Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards are fuming over the late 4th quarter non-call by the NBA referees over the blatant intervention by the Brooklyn Nets coach

The NBA referees have some explaining to do over the non-call in the Wizards vs Nets game

In the fourth quarter, the Wizards led by Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie were making a comeback against the potential conference finalists the Brooklyn Nets. Step forward the Nets coach, literally, who stuck out a hand to deflect Dinwiddie’s pass away from Kuzma. The referee did nothing, even though it was right in front of his face.

He literally jogged back to let the play continue, and the Wizards lost the game by 1 point. No referee, be it at a Sunday league level or at the NBA should be letting go of such a call, unless they are Steve Wonder. There is no way one can have that sort of blatant intervention and get no fine for it. Any possession in the fourth quarter when the game is that close is crucial, and this one took it away from the capital-based team.

The Nets coach must really hate Dinwiddie for leaving his former team – he spoilt an otherwise potential win for him. If the Nets have to resort to such sneaky tactics to eek out wins against a team languishing at 8th seed, they may be further away from winning than thought. Stephen A. Smith must be licking his lips at the thought of the Nets getting a retrospective fine for this action.

Also Read: “I GOT IT!”: Hornets star LaMelo Ball does his best impression of Carmelo Anthony to secure his final rebound of a triple-double performance vs Celtics

The NBA referees come across as having double standards – for years fans have tolerated non-calls on the players, but will not stand for a non-call of this level

For years fans have complained about not having decent officiating in games – but this cannot be stood for. Players get away with travel calls or double dribbles, but any intervention for an external should be stopped immediately. Despite being two feet away from the violation, while looking straight at it, they let the game continue.

Joseph Blair, the head coach of the Wizards had such composure to not go on a tirade. He took it as a part of an unbelievable game, and only hoped that refereeing would get better, making the game fair for all in what he claims is the best league in the world. One can only imagine Tom Thibodeau and his rant if it happened to him. NBA referees should be held to a higher standard than this for sure.

This is where small-market teams like the Wizards would be hard done. Because, if the situation was the other way around, the Twitter-sphere would be going ballistic trying to get justice for Brooklyn. The NBA has always sheltered big names from New York, LA, and Boston, and it is time things changed. Teams should win based on the level of their competence of the players and coaches, but only if the coaches do their jobs off the court.

Also Read: “Spencer Dinwiddie recalls why he rejected the prestigious Ivy League college for Colorado Boulder

 

Post Edited By: Arjun Julka
Brooklyn Nets Kyle Kuzma NBA Referees

About the author

Arun Sharma

Arun Sharma is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A double degree holder and a digital marketer by trade, Arun has always been a sports buff. He fell in love with the sport of basketball at a young age and has been a Lakers fan since 2006. What started as a Kobe Bryant obsession slowly turned into a lifelong connection with the purple and gold. Arun has been an ardent subscriber to the Mamba mentality and has shed tears for a celebrity death only once in his life. He believes January 26, 2020, was the turning point in the passage of time because Kobe was the glue holding things together. From just a Lakers bandwagoner to a basketball fanatic, Arun has spent 16 long years growing up along with the league. He thinks Stephen Curry has ruined basketball forever, and the mid-range game is a sight to behold. Sharma also has many opinions about football (not the American kind), F1, MotoGP, tennis, and cricket.

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