TENSIONS BETWEEN REFEREES and NBA teams have intensified yet again and pushed the situation toward a boiling point during the most important time of the season.
This is a cats-and-dogs matter. Frustration with officiating will continue as long as the game itself. But the escalation over the past month has been damaging and, in some ways, disappointing.
Stephen Curry pointing into an official's face after hitting a game-tying shot. DeMar DeRozan heaving a ball across the court at a referee and having it sail into the stands. Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks crossing every line and entering the referees' locker room after a playoff loss to protest a call.