The NBA playoffs have been fantastic so far. If there's one really bad thing, though, it's that the Thunder got a key bucket in a thrilling game against the Nuggets on a crucial -- and fairly blatantly incorrect -- no-call. The rules state that players can't touch the ball when it's in the imaginary cylinder extending up from the rim. Players touch it in there all the time, though, and often get away with it, as Perkins did.
Denver Coach George Karl is livid.
This is not some crisis of refereeing, in my view. There is no league with better officiating that I'm aware of. It just happens. That's a tough job.
But the answer, on this particular one, is dead simple, and it's happening right now in the NBA D-League and in international competition.
At the beginning of the season, we announced that the D-League would be experimenting with some new rules.
One of them is an absolute no-brainer. Let players touch the ball when it's on the rim, like they do in Europe. In other words, allow Kendrick Perkins to get that ball.
It rewards great athletes playing their hardest at the rim. The downside is almost nil -- D-League sources say it has been great this season. And with that one little tweak, key moments like this can be taken away from the referees and given to the players and the fans, which is a great trade.