What do playoff basketball and hockey have in common?

A friend asked me the other day if I noticed the difference in the games once the NBA playoffs begin. He says the defense and effort get better — which is obvious to anyone who watches the regular season — and that the officiating changes, too.

I kept that in mind watching game five of the Boston-Philadelphia Eastern Conference semifinals, and indeed it looked to me like a hockey game had broken out on the court. The speed and skill of the players is unmatched, like it is in the NHL.

But the physicality that escalates in the playoffs and what the officials allow are almost shocking, even for NBA man-children. It is difficult to predict when a foul will be called because of the continual contact – from the hand-checking bringing the ball up the court to the holding, pushing and body-banging around the goal. They did call fouls in the Celtics-Sixers game – 55 of them – and the teams combined to shoot 72 free throws. Both of those numbers looked like they could have doubled.

The refs must have an unwritten code that the whistle will not blow unless someone is assaulted with a deadly weapon, like a sharp elbow, bear-hugged for three seconds or takes more than three full steps without dribbling once. It’s hilarious what goes on in a pro playoff game between two teams from the Northeast that have been archrivals for 50 years.

In the last minute alone, Jayson Tatum was mugged going to the basket but kept playing – they are obviously taught to keep playing – and somehow hit the winning shot. At the other end of court in the final seconds, Marcus Smart leaped to intercept Philly’s long pass, came down and took two steps backward before heaving the ball in the air at the buzzer.

Traveling was not called, and no one on the Sixers bench complained or made that maniacal walking signal, rolling his fists over each other rapidly. If it had been, the Sixers had the ball on the sideline with enough time left to catch and shoot for a tie and overtime. Is it written in the NBA manual that nothing will be called on either team as the clock runs out?

It is truly amazing how well these guys can play without wearing body armor. They must be coached to keep playing until you’re unconscious or you, thankfully, hear a whistle. Only then are you free to question every call that is made, and they do.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
None