Utah Jazz: Both Rudy Gobert and James Harden are right in their ref complaints

Both James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz (via social media) took exception to the officiating in Game 1 of the West Semis. And both were justified in doing so.

Although for the most part, Game 1 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors was an exciting and competitive contest, unfortunately the questionable officiating ended up being the predominant talking point. A number of controversial closeouts on James Harden went uncalled and both teams were left frustrated and disgruntled with the referees when all was said and done.

But of course, the Houston Rockets, the team that easily defeated the Utah Jazz in round one, were left the most disappointed considering that they’re the ones that took the L while the Warriors got away with the W. Had a few more calls gone Houston’s way, it could have been an entirely different result. And that definitely sparked some discontent among the Rockets squad.

Harden voiced his frustration in his post-game interview, calling for the game to be called, “the way it’s supposed to be called.” Later, as my J-Notes counterpart Ryan Aston described earlier today, Rudy Gobert chimed in on Twitter, claiming that his Utah Jazz teammates weren’t given the same leniency defending Harden on the perimeter as the Warriors were granted.

https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1122622433717043202

Houston clearly demolished the Jazz, but Rudy’s argument was that the Jazz didn’t get a fair shake. Meanwhile, Harden is claiming that he and his Rockets teammates are in need of fair treatment as well.

Upon hearing those two statements, you may think something is amiss. However, I’m here to say something that may be found quite shocking. Namely, both James Harden and Rudy Gobert are right in their assessments of the situation. Think I’m crazy? Hear me out.

Let me start at the beginning and set the record straight – I absolutely despise the way Harden plays the game, looking first to draw contact or sell a foul instead of just focusing on converting on the shot. Say what you will about how crafty or capable he is, and sure there’s an argument to be had that he deserves praise for his genius, but for the average viewer it’s a miserable experience. Especially when his shenanigans are leading to wins against your squad.

Not only that, but Harden should be careful what he wishes for when asking for the game to be called what he would consider ‘the right way.’ If the refs were more impartial and strict, he’d likely be hit with plenty of offensive fouls for pushing off with his forearm, numerous travels for his egregious double stepbacks and he’d spend less time at the free throw line by not getting rewarded for falling down well before any contact reaches him on shots.

After getting that all off my chest, you’re probably wondering, “wait, didn’t you just side with Harden earlier? And now you’re complaining about the way he plays the game?” Trust me, I’m getting there.

The point I’m wanting to make is that while the calls Harden gets are frustrating for viewers, he is exceptional at making life difficult for the officials with his ability to accentuate contact and push the limits on what’s a foul/travel, and those borderline calls are ones he gets nearly all the time. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Harden gets those calls against 28 other teams in the league. But for whatever reason, he doesn’t get them against he Warriors.

Players like Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and others on the Golden State squad get away with much more than essentially the rest of the league is able to defensively. And that’s exactly the point Rudy Gobert was making. Harden is nearly unstoppable no matter who he’s facing. But when most teams can’t bat an eyelash at him without being called for a foul, while others have the freedom to get in his space and don’t fall victim to his flails and fall-down shots, that’s where the problem lies.

Game 1 in Oracle Arena was just one bit of evidence among many instances where the Warriors have gotten a more favorable whistle against Harden. It was recently reported that the Rockets audited Game 7 of last year’s Western Conference Finals and found 81 potential missed calls which very well cost them a shot at a championship. This is just one piece of research Rockets GM Daryl Morey is purportedly putting in to take a look at the Warriors’ potential preferential treatment from officials.

Now look, I’m sure there’s no small amount of bias in those reports from Morey and the Rockets. And as I’ve already explained in detail, Harden is far from a saint. Even some of the calls that Houston was calling foul on such as the late contest by Draymond Green in the final possession of Game 1 were more Harden falling down than a violation on the part of the Warriors.

But that said, coming from an unbiased source (I have an equal dislike for both Houston and Golden State, so no real skin in the game), it’s pretty clear to me without any audits, reports or research that the Warriors are given a much longer leash in their defense of Harden or any other star for that matter.

And that’s exactly where Rudy Gobert’s argument is correct. He simply is pointing out what any non-Warriors fan has already seen clearly – no one is allowed to play as physical of defense as Golden State. No other team gets away with the things they do.

https://twitter.com/BR_NBA/status/1122963405890101248

Now back to Harden – that’s where his comments are spot on as well. As frustrating as his style may be to most of us, why in the world should it be officiated any different versus varying opponents? If it’s a foul against the Utah Jazz or the Denver Nuggets or the Portland Trail Blazers or (insert any NBA team here), then it should also be a foul against the Golden State Warriors.

Gobert and Harden are both correct because the root of the problem here isn’t so much whether Harden plays the game the right way or not (that’s a whole different argument), it’s that there is a severe lack of consistency across the board in NBA officiating. It’s been a problem all season long as the irritation with referees has seemed to reach a boiling point among NBA players. So much of what is called has become so subjective that it’s impossible to know from game-to-game what’s allowed and what’s not.

That becomes an even larger problem when considering that the rules seem to change from opponent to opponent.

The hard truth is that, while it’s a big problem, it’s not likely to change soon and there isn’t anything close to an easy fix. It certainly won’t change this series and may not ever. But finding a plausible solution is something that has to be explored. Officiating has become the primary talking point after too many games where instead the focus should be on the competitive nature of the game and the exceptional talent of the players involved.

And until it’s resolved, the frustrated views of Harden, Gobert and several others will remain in place. Though the specifics and viewpoints are often quite different, the root of the problem is the same: NBA officiating is far too inconsistent. And it’s having a troubling negative impact around the league. One that appears to be only getting worse year in and year out and will continue to do so unless changes are made.

• Published on 04/29/2019 at 9:14 PM MDT
• Last updated on 04/29/2019 at 9:14 PM MDT