VANCOUVER - Listening to the manic-depressive broadcasting crew of the Vancouver Grizzlies, a neophyte basketball fan might get the impression the Grizzlies would be 36-0 were it not for incompetent and/or biased NBA officiating.
But talk to the players and to a man they deny referees treat them any differently than any other team. Although, one never knows if these are their true feelings, given that Big Brother Stern hears all. The fear of financial retribution knows no bounds.
``I've been on bad teams before and you always think that everybody's against you,'' says forward Pete Chilcutt, who's also been on a pretty good one in Houston. ``But I don't think it's any worse than any other team I've been on. Every team I've been on always thinks the refs screw them, whether it's the Houston Rockets, the Sacramento Kings or the Grizzlies. To build a winner you gotta play through that. You gotta ignore the refs and just play your game.''
Anthony Peeler, ex of the mighty Lakers, concurs. ``I think referees do a good job,'' he says. ``You can't really depend on the referees to make your game good or bad.''
There was a play against the Kings Saturday night that typified the types of calls Vancouver fans and broadcasters alike think the Grizzlies get. Leading 93-91 with 6:13 left in the game, Vancouver swingman Blue Edwards by all accounts, save for the referee's, cleanly blocked a short jump shot by all-star guard Mitch Richmond. Richmond went on to score six points and four assists the rest of the way, while the Grizzlies went on to their 29th loss of the season.
``That was a big play, especially down the stretch,'' said Greg Anthony. ``Not only would you get the possession of the ball (if the call hadn't been made), you'd also get momentum, especially for a young team. But (Richmond) is their big-time player. He earned the right to get that call.''
And star power more than anything determines calls in the NBA. Expansion teams have fewer, if any, ``big-time'' players. At least in officials' minds.
Edwards ambiguously defends NBA refereeing. ``The officials, just like the fans or anybody else, know who players are, who good teams are,'' he says. ``I don't think they are saying, `We're going to make sure this particular team wins.' But I think there's kind of a respect factor. Teams that go out and win, teams that go out and play hard in critical situations, usually get the benefit of the doubt. And that's one of the things that, as a struggling team, you just gotta deal with. In order to get the officials on your side so you get some of those calls, just continue to play hard and don't criticize their work.''
Players know who holds the true power in the NBA. It's the men with the whistles.
``Everybody likes the power,'' Edwards continues. ``Once you have power, you tend to abuse it. Officials are the same way. They're no different. But generally, even though I criticize the officiating a lot of times, that's just part of the game for me. I think they do a good job.''
Leave it to Blue to put a reasonable doubt in your mind. As soon as the interview is over, he says with a laugh, ``Now that the tape recorder is turned off, you want my real opinion?''
Spirit of the West will appear regularly throughout the NBA season.