The best time for Rudy Gobert to address his concerns that gambling influences NBA officiating is probably not after they assessed him a foul. It’s undoubtedly not after fouling out with 27.8 seconds left in a game the Minnesota Timberwolves were leading 97-96 in Cleveland on Friday. Referee Natalie Sago saw him make a money sign with both hands and gave him a technical foul, sending Darius Garland to the line, who tied the game 97-97.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the game 113-104 in overtime and moved to second place in the Eastern Conference. Gobert’s sixth foul influenced the game’s outcome, but so did his technical foul. On Sunday, the league fined Gobert $100,000 for his actions toward and comments about officials.
“My reaction, which I think is truth — it’s what I truly believe — even if it’s the truth, it wasn’t the time for me to react that way,” Gobert said after the game. “I should have not done that. I cost my team the game, and obviously, they couldn’t wait to give me a tech. That was bad. That was an immature reaction.”
Still, Gobert believes gambling influences professional basketball, especially as it grows and becomes more prevalent. Sports betting is legal in Ohio, and the Wolves and Cavaliers were playing at a stadium that has a brick-and-mortar sportsbook.
“I made some mistakes. I air-balled a dunk. Mistakes happen,” Gobert added when reporters asked him to clarify his beliefs. “Referees make mistakes, too. But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes. I think everyone that’s in this league knows. I think it’s got to get better.”
Gobert expressed dissatisfaction with officiating before, including after a game in Phoenix a year ago. But he made pointed remarks in Cleveland and appeared genuine in his concern. Legalized sports betting has not only been financially beneficial for the leagues, but individual teams also benefit from it. People were likely watching the Wolves and Cavs on League Pass because they had money on the game.
In 2007, the NBA had a betting scandal involving former referee Tim Donaghy. The FBI investigated Donaghy, who used inside information to bet on NBA games, including games he officiated. Donaghy bet on games he officiated from 2003 to 2007 and pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to the investigation in August 2007. Players should be able to raise concerns about certain referees or NBA officiating. But it’s difficult to determine the right time to do it.
Gobert shouldn’t complain about gambling influencing officials during a game like he did in Cleveland. But it would be unwise for him to do it during the season. The NBA rotates referees throughout the year. Gobert wouldn’t want to accuse an official of cheating and then have them call a Timberwolves game later in the year. It also wouldn’t look good if he complained about officiating after the season because it would look like he was playing the results. And his complaints may have less impact in the offseason when people focus more on transactions.
We looked at how the Timberwolves are officiated in late January after Anthony Edwards had complained about “cheating ass refs” after a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and we found that the officials weren’t particularly harsh on the Wolves. The league does a good job rotating officials, and you can read the entire report to see how each referee officiated the Wolves. Aside from one official being better or worse than another, there was little evidence to support the notion that Minnesota was getting a bad whistle.
If Edwards is upset about not getting star calls or Gobert feels he isn’t being officiated fairly as a big man, it’s one thing. It’s another if Gobert feels that gamblers are influencing the officials. Given the subject nature of foul calls and how a single call can influence the outcome of a game, the league must be diligent in assuring fans and players that the referees are calling games fairly.
Minnesota is in a tight race with Oklahoma City, the Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Clippers for the first seed in the West. Given the matchup consequences, whether they finish first or fourth in the conference matters. A few game-changing calls could influence whether they’re playing a play-in team or the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, or Phoenix Suns.
Most Western Conference teams will give the Wolves a good series, but they’d like to keep home-court advantage as long as possible in the playoffs. Doing so is mostly in their control. Still, a few late-game calls could influence their fate. And if they genuinely feel that officials are calling their games unfairly, how would they file a complaint?
