The NBA's officiating just keeps getting weirder and weirder this season
This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you for rocking with us this morning. Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is going well.
Watching the Celtics and Bucks play last night was…such a weird experience.
Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calf injury threw everything off. Anytime you see a non-contact injury to anyone, your heart sinks into your stomach. There were fears that he’d torn his Achilles during the game, which Milwaukee apparently avoided here. Antetokounpo just has a strained calf, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. What a relief.
But that injury wasn’t what made yesterday’s game so weird. It was the free throws — or a lack thereof.
The two best teams in the Eastern Conference combined for two (!!!) free throws in Tuesday’s game. Boston became the first time in league history to not shoot a free throw during a game, according to Yahoo! Sports’ NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh. Milwaukee only shot two and they came from Antetokounmpo.
The combined total of two free throws in this game is the fewest for two teams since 1983. The previous record for the fewest free throws in a game was 11, set back in 2019 during a Pacers-Magic game, per the Associated Press.
You can explain this away a bit if you try hard enough. Boston is mostly a jump-shooting team — they don’t shoot many free throws per game as is. Milwaukee lost Antetokounmpo, who tends to draw most of the team’s fouls.
One of the major stories in the league has been how officials have essentially swallowed their whistles during the second half of the season. The NBA had a mid-season crackdown on foul hunting in silence, and these are the results.
The result is a scoring crash around the league with shooting foul rates dipping across the NBA. This game seems to be the most extreme example of that.
But there’s something about this that I can’t shake. It’s strange to see two of the league’s premiere teams officiated this way with all the star power on both rosters.
Whether this is a good or bad thing is an interesting question. Of course, the games are quicker and fewer questionable fouls are called. The added physicality gives defenders some much-needed support. We can’t complain about that.
But this shadow protocol to officiate shooting fouls out of the game feels strange. There was no notice and teams had no adjustment period. That’s how we get games like this one where things are a little too unbelievable.
We’ll see how this works in the playoffs. That’s all that matters. Hopefully, it will make for better basketball in the end.
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
One of the most fascinating things to come across my timeline today is this incredible quote from Tara VanDerveer when she left Ohio State for Stanford in 1985 after winning four consecutive Big Ten titles.
She was looking for a challenge.
“It’s probably hard for some people to understand when we’re doing so well, but it was a decision I had to make,” VanDerveer said at the time. “I felt I was becoming very one-dimensional. I feel very comfortable that I will be rewarded both personally and professionally. Stanford doesn’t have near the talent Ohio State has and the competition is not there yet, but I consider this to be the ultimate challenge.”
Ultimate challenge accepted. Ultimate challenge crushed.
After 38 seasons, three championships, 14 Final Four appearances and 15 Pac-12 championships, VanDerveer is finally calling it a career. And what a glorious one it’s been. Her 1,216 wins are the most ever in NCAA basketball history. If there was ever a time to walk away, it’s now.
Congratulations on an incredible career, Tara. Happy trials.
READ MORE: Hoops fans had so many jokes about VanDerveer dodging that new Big Ten travel schedule. Good for her.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network
Tiger Woods hasn’t won a major tournament since the 2019 Masters.
Doesn’t matter. If you put him on that green, we’ll all believe he can make something special happen even if we haven’t seen it in a while. It doesn’t matter how old he is. That’s still Tiger freakin’ Woods.
It’s good to know Tiger feels the same way. Charles Curtis has more on that.
Tiger Woods has been through so many struggles at Augusta and beyond in the last year with his health.
But once again, he believes in himself, which makes sense. He’s Tiger Woods. That competitive streak is always going to be there.
The thing is: he’s being honest about his chances given all those injuries and aches. When asked if he could win on Tuesday while meeting with reporters, he had this to say: “If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”
Would a lot have to go right? Absolutely. But it’s Tiger. I won’t stop believing until it’s time to stop believing. He won’t, either. I suggest you do the same.
— We’ve got an explainer cooked up on the beef Diana Taurasi has with Caitlin Clark. This is an interesting one.
— Christian D’Andrea and Robert Zeglinski cooked up a list of the best 30-and-over players in the NFL at each position. Yes, Dak Prescott is included.
— Here are five sleeper picks from our Prince Grimes to win The Masters this year.
— Haven’t seen the latest Mel Kiper mock draft at ESPN? No worries. Charles Curtis has you covered here.
— Blake Schuster has five good bets to miss the cut at The Masters.
— Victor Wembanyama just continues to be a walking video game. Cory Woodroof has more.
Thanks so much for reading, folks. Appreciate you taking the time. We’ll be right back at it again tomorrow. Talk soon. Peace.
-Sykes 
