One of the biggest problems in every sport is the officials, especially in the NBA. The fans have always complained to the league that the system is flawed and corrupt, and the past few years, there have been no exceptions. In reality, every officiating system is flawed in some way because it is impossible to be perfect in close-call situations. 

Oliver Fox from Yahoo Sports says, “The root problem is that a shooting foul is the most valuable offensive action in basketball. With league-average shooting percentages, two free throws have an expected point-value of 1.57, while a three-pointer is worth 1.08 points and an at-rim look worth 1.20 points. … If you can get your free-throw percentage up above average (>78 percent), now we’re really cooking something spicy. Gilgeous-Alexander shoots 88 percent from the line, so by far his best option on every possession is to get to the line.’’ 

So is the problem the officials making questionable calls, or is it the fact that it is the easiest way to get free points? You could argue that the officials can call fewer minor fouls to prevent players from getting to the line, but it is not that simple. “Like with tanking and the draft lottery, if the NBA’s rules provide a clear best option to succeed, smart players and teams will always figure out how to maximize their return,” Fox said.

No matter what, there will be a loophole to whatever rule is instated in the league. The problem is not the refs, it’s the players seeking out the free-throw line intentionally. The obvious solution is to look back on the film on plays that were considered a “flop” and find the players that make a living off cheap fouls and keep the integrity of the game intact.  Without accountability, the NBA is less enjoyable, but it has become a part of the game, and it’s what makes some good players great.  

Instead of fining players for wearing disarmed shoes, refs should focus more on calling the right fouls and fining people for the actual things happening in the game. It’s understandable to fine people for flipping off the crowd or screaming some cuss words, but when it comes down to the actual game, like right now, playoff time, the refs need to fine the players for acting as if they got fouled to get some free shots at the free throw line instead of taking contested shots or setting up a pick-and-roll.

The refs and the players are ruining the NBA playoff experience right now by calling too many fouls, making the game boring and less exciting than it used to be. Given how tough the league used to be, former players don’t enjoy basketball as much. It doesn’t show the new generation of NBA watchers how basketball was made to be played. The league officials should let go of the reins and let the players play basketball the way it was meant to be played.