In Case You Needed A Laugh: Adam Silver Says That NBA Referees Are Right 90% Of The Time

“Roughly 90 percent — they get it right,” Silver said, via ESPN. “Now, of course, I’d like 90 percent to be 100 percent. And so would they. But what these reports also show, what fans already know is, human error is part of this game, and the best athletes in the world make mistakes. And coaches occasionally make mistakes. Officials do, too.”


You know, he's not entirely wrong. Now obviously the NBA referees - that have been especially horrific this postseason - have a far higher rate of failure than 10%. However, in terms of calls that are so bad that the general public feels a necessity to complain about them then one of out ten is fairly accurate. The main problem is that those 10% always seem to occur in the waning moments of the very few close games we have witnessed throughout the playoffs. Missing a forearm shiver from out of bounds? Turning a blind eye to a game deciding intentional foul? Passing up more travels then your Aunt whose afraid of flying? They've all happened when the nation's collective eyes were on the television screen. In a way, the officials have benefited from damn near every game being more lopsided than my testicles because no one is going to bitch about a quick 'T' or a block/charge when the point differential resembles that of an Alabama football game versus an FCS opponent. 

​More importantly, if you think that "roughly 90%" is anything more than a random statistic thrown out by Adam Silver to appease both the fans and the referees then you are beside your mind. The only reason he didn't say 100% is because he didn't want to insult our intelligence, and the only reason he didn't say 60% is because he didn't want to insult his employees. Adam Silver is no dummy. If you think he wasn't aware that he was essentially giving them the lowest possible 'A' then you are clearly underestimating his awareness. Everyone knows the NBA officials have been C students. Everyone knows they have been sitting in the back row, asleep at the wheel, doing the bare minimum to pass. Maybe they'll give the teacher a little hope that she's actually accomplishing something by slipping in an 85, but you know they are following that up with an effort in which they need extra credit to sneak into the 70's. They are just lucky that the product on the court has been so awful that the bad calls have been welcomed to throw a little controversy into these "competitive" games. If this had been an enjoyable playoffs that was able to keep people's attention then it wouldn't be so easy for Adam Silver to get away with tossing a '90' against the wall and praying it stuck. 


h/t YardBarker