The dust has settled on the two rounds of the CBA semifinals, and the controversy caused by the referee is very high.
And the problem of referees is not only unique to the CBA league, but also the NBA league - in the playoffs, referees have become one of the targets of criticism from American fans. On television broadcasts, fans often lash out at the referee and the volume of commentary is comparable.
Refereeing is a part of competitive sports that cannot be ignored, and learning to "game" with referees is also a compulsory course for players.
In the NBA league with a history of more than 75 years, after the experience of generations of players, today's players have also mastered a set of ways to "game" with referees, and continue to confront and coexist between players and referees.
Dillon Brooks is famous for his "thorn head"
Learn to communicate before the game and learn to have normal conversations during the game
Before the start of the third game of the Grizzlies vs. Lakers series, Dillon Brooks, who had long been "targeted" by the referee, arrived at the Lakers' home arena earlier than any player.
After stepping onto the court, he did not warm up directly, but went straight to Mark Davis, the head of the refereeing team. Brooks looked Davis squarely and held out his right hand, shook the referee's hand firmly, and then the two whispered a few more words.
"Sometimes before a match, I try to influence the referee." As the league's now recognized "thorn" and "bad guy," Brooks told ESPN that he would try to communicate before games to get more "penalty space" for himself in the game, "For example, I will say to the referee before the game, 'I'm going to put some intensity in the game.'" ”
This is actually a psychological cue, but also a way of playing. For the "prick" players who make a living defensively, they definitely want the referee to raise the bar for "encouraging confrontation" in the game, and giving communication hints before the game is one way to do it.
But Dillon Brooks also acknowledges that this pregame communication doesn't work for every referee, as evidenced by the number of technical fouls he has earned the league number one this season.
Dillon Brooks
According to statistics, Dillon has received 18 technical fouls this season, 10 of which were yelling at the referee.
"For some referees, I probably won't say anything before the game. Because sometimes I think the referee thinks, 'Well, since you said that, I'll penalize you here.'" The game is like that, you have to know each referee, just like you study other teams. ”
Drummond Green, a Warriors player who is also a "thorn", has the same philosophy as Dillon when it comes to dealing with referees.
"Different referees are treated differently because different referees treat players with different levels of respect." Green admitted in an interview with ESPN, "For those referees who respect each other, you will treat them differently than those who treat you with an attitude of 'listen to me or get out.'" ”
If pre-match communication doesn't work, or doesn't work as expected, another way is to learn to have a normal conversation during the game. This is also what some of the biggest stars in the NBA would choose to do.
"Alphabet brother" Antetokounmpo
"I don't like to go to the referee before a match and flatter them or talk to them. I feel like they even know that it's hypocritical when I do that. Antetokounmpo shared his relationship with the referee, "I try not to complain because I know I'm going to miss a lot of penalties. ”
Embiid, the regular-season MVP this season, has the same opinion as "Alphabet Brother." Embiid is averaging 11.7 free throws per game this season, the second-highest in the league, but in his opinion, if he fights with the referee, he can get more free throws, but he may also pay more for fouls.
"To allow the referee to make a mistake, unless their missed decision is crazy, I don't get angry, I go and talk to them normally, let them know what just happened to the foul, and usually I ask them for some explanation."
Durant, the core of the Suns, did the same, "The game is intense, everyone will unconsciously raise their voices to express opinions, but we have to learn to have normal conversations." ”
Embiid
Complaining and roaring? Can't help but change languages
Of course, as Durant said, in the fierce confrontation, every blow free throw may be related to the victory or defeat of the game, and not everyone in the adrenaline rush can control their emotions and have a "normal conversation" with the referee.
The 24-year-old Lone Ranger core Luka Doncic is a negative example.
Over the past few seasons, Doncic has fought more and more red faces with referees during games, and sometimes, after completing a breakaway layup, he habitually turns to the referee, then angrily waving his arms or pointing to new scars on his arms to complain to the referee about the penalties he didn't get.
Sometimes, Doncic even makes a "count the money" gesture because of what he believes is an unfair decision, as a way to taunt the referee and vent his emotions.
But complaining repeatedly during the game is not a good thing for the player or his team. Doncic, for example, sometimes gives up on defense when he complains to the referees, putting the Lone Ranger in a disadvantage where he defends more — the Lone Ranger's defensive efficiency plummeted to 25th in the league this season.
Even Jason Kidd, the Lone Ranger's coach, spoke of the irrationality in Doncic's communication with the referee, "He spent so much energy arguing about the referee's decision that he lost focus on the game itself." ”
Too much complaining about the penalty is a drain on Doncic's energy
"Actually, I'm not an irritable person on the sidelines, you can ask everyone around me. But when I step on the pitch, it becomes different. ”
The young superstar, fluent in English, Serbian, Spanish and Slovenian, shared some of his tips, "If I'm very angry, I rarely speak ill of the referee in English now, and if the referee doesn't understand what I'm saying, it's hard to justify a technical foul. ”
"And if the referee is familiar with the foul language in these languages, I have to prepare foul language in other languages."
But in any case, direct disputes with referees, or even complaints about referees after the game, will be detrimental to the players, regardless of the league, the authority and professionalism of the referee will be protected.
This season, Raptors guard VanVleet publicly accused the referees after the game, "Most of the referees are trying, I like a lot of referees, they are hardworking, they are fair, they communicate well, but there are other people who just want to do evil and mess up the game." ”
VanVleet was punished for criticizing the referee
As a result, before VanVleet's remarks could ferment, he received a fine from the league to pay $30,000 for his indiscriminate speech.
"If you complain all the time, you pay a lot of fines." Drummond Green, who has the league's second-highest number of technical fouls this season, knows how the league upholds referee authority. According to statistics, Green has been fined more than $1 million since entering the league, "which is the price of technical fouls." ”
Referee supervisor: Referees should learn to listen and communicate
Players have different personalities, some are calm, some are impatient, some are good at communicating with the referee, some directly "spit lotus flowers" to the referee, and the referee actually has different personalities, some referees are good at communicating with the players, and some are deaf to any words.
This is also one of the most common complaints NBA players have about referees today - the lack of communication.
"Sometimes I just want to ask what mistake I made so I can correct it in the next round. But sometimes I feel like we lose communication. That's how Celtics defensive titan Smart felt in an interview.
He also speaks for a group of players, "especially when new referees come in, they don't know me, they may just hear something from someone else, or just see a moment of the game and define me." ”
Smart and the referee argued
The problem reflected by Smart is actually a phenomenon that exists in every professional league - referees give up communication in order to establish authority and professionalism, but this may cause these referees to lose control of the game.
"The authority of referees should be reflected in their ability to listen to the players." Monty McAchen, the NBA's senior vice president for referee training and development, said in an interview with ESPN.
As a veteran referee who has been refereeing NBA games for 25 years, he now repeatedly emphasizes during training, "Referees should avoid loudly suppressing players, but should learn to respond to players according to the interpretation of the rules, so as to show their authority and professionalism." ”
McAchen shared some of the things he must have mentioned when training referees, "When it comes to some of the energetic players in the league, it's important that you don't add fuel to the fire. One of the reasons they shine so brightly in the game is their passion, and that's not a wrong thing, so the referee can't add fuel to the fire with categorical statements because of personal emotions. ”
Drummond Green is also often dissatisfied with the referee
McAchen acknowledges that referees have different styles and personalities, and should also be respected and taken seriously. Tony Brazes is a positive example. The referee once lashed out at the players who "spit lotus flowers" as jerks, but after the argument, he stopped thinking.
Dillon Brooke affirmed Brazes' style, "Someone like Tony never accepts criticism from anyone, it's my favorite referee, he can stay in the league for so long in this style, you have to respect that." ”
And Green gave the same opinion, "Tony Brazes will argue with you, I like that feeling." Those who have personalities, they have a more sense of the game, which also makes me feel like they're not a robot. ”
While respecting the personality and style of referees, the NBA league will also limit the behavior of referees with clear rules and systems, and let better referees go on a bigger stage through internal competition.
The "game" between players and referees will continue
Today, the NBA has 74 referees and 8 referees classified as "non-staff" by the league. The NBA refereeing committee ranks them based on penalty accuracy and refereeing criteria. The top 36 referees were then selected for the first round of the playoffs.
The number of referees decreases after each round of the playoffs, as the league further evaluates referees to determine who can advance.
"When you have the power to adjudicate, with that comes a huge responsibility. This responsibility means that we do our best to try to exclude the influence of personal emotions when awarding penalties. McAchen believes that giving good judges a better stage through ratings is also a matter of respect for the game.
"The reason the NBA is so influential is because there are some great players who play just right, fans and spectators care about their skills and vision, and I think the referees should do the same, so that the league will be better."