Pretty interesting admission, this week, when the NBA announced the refs really did swallow their whistles.
The scene was Tuesday night at ESA. At the end of overtime, with the Jazz up by one, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant went up for what would have been the winning shot. Instead, he was hacked on the arm by C.J. Miles.
The refs thought it was a blocked shot, but upon review, the league disagreed. It thought the play was a foul.
Which raises an issue: Does it really make anyone feel better when the league admits it blew one?
In this case, the Jazz profited from the no-call. But do Thunder fans feel vindicated? No, they feel cheated.
That's why I never figured Dick Bavetta's no-call on the Michael Jordan-Bryon Russell play in the 1998 NBA Finals didn't really merit a lot of debate. It was a judgment call and even a press release from the league wouldn't have made Jazz fans feel better.
In a lot of ways, it would have just served to make them feel worse.