It ruined the All-Star Game. Now it’s ruining the postseason — or whatever they’re calling these games.
We’re talking, of course, about defense.
Blame it on the Thompson twins, if you must, but defense played a bigger role in the NBA this regular season than at any point since the old Knicks and Pistons made baseball seem captivating by comparison.
The teams with the six best defenses made the playoffs this season. The top team in the West — the Thunder — ranked third in the NBA in points allowed, one spot below the second-place team in the East — the Celtics.
The Nos. 2, 5 and 6 teams in the West — the Rockets, Clippers and Timberwolves — also finished in the top six defensively. As did the No. 7 team in the East — the Magic.
These teams were rewarded for their defensive excellence in the regular season. Now it’s time to punish them.
Come to think of it, maybe this is Shaquille O’Neal’s fault.
For years, Shaq has complained about the punishment he took on the low block. And he’s right: He was forearmed in the kidney more times in one possession than Stephen Curry has been in an average month.
How has the NBA responded? By abolishing size discrimination.
Sorry, little guys, but the NBA is now allowing perimeter defenders to bear-hug offensive stars with tactics straight out of a New England Patriots offensive line playbook.
When did Clay Martin become head of NBA referees?
The Rockets are especially abusive — and darn proud of it. They attach Amen Thompson to your mightiest mite and Dillon Brooks to your best mid-sized guy with special instructions:
Whoever knocks down the most opponents tonight wins a rare-steak dinner after the game. A year’s supply of Shea’s for a broken elbow.
With the exception of Jayson Tatum — who already has Doris Burke’s vote — the favorites for postseason MVP this year are all referees. And rightfully so. We’ve already seen the impact they’ve made.
About 40 minutes into the play-in tournament, we witnessed the smallest guy on the court getting bullied so badly, he went crazy in such a dizzying display that you’d swear he’d suffered a concussion. And maybe he had. Possibly a couple.
It was shocking Trae Young got two technical fouls, because he couldn’t get a call all night.
Then the Tuesday nightcap played out exactly as the commissioner had scripted it: Make sure Curry advances.
And he did — with the refs sending him and sidekick Jimmy Butler to the free-throw line a whopping 31 times. Even with Butler missing six, the Warriors — America’s TV darlings — captured the foul line by eight points in a game they otherwise lost by three.
Bill Kennedy got the on-court postgame interview … and something about 3 inches by 6 inches that he slipped into his back pocket.
No doubt, officiating NBA basketball is the hardest thing to do in sports this side of making a 4-foot putt on a late Sunday afternoon at Augusta National. But one basic rule change would make it a whole lot easier.
Hands off.
You know, kind of like baseball: We promise not to drill your guys with a pitch if you promise not to chuck our guys running the bases.
In basketball, it’s even simpler: No touching the other guy. If you do — and it’s deemed your fault — then you get a foul.
Big men already can’t stand within Wilt Chamberlain’s wingspan of the hoop, so why do they have to be pushed 10 feet away before every possession?
Little guys making 3-pointers is the most aspirable skill in basketball, so let’s allow Curry and every Curry wannabe to roam freely 25 feet from the basket.
And perhaps most importantly: When it comes to collisions, determine who’s at fault rather than asking yourself: WWTCW — What Would The Commissioner Want?
If a defender puts himself in harm’s way, then he suffers the consequences for the inevitable accident.
But if it’s the offensive guy who veers into the body of an otherwise law-abiding defender, then stop giving Butler every call.
The memo no doubt already is out: Make sure the Celtics, Lakers and Warriors win their first-round series. The ball-popping roughhousing of the Magic, Timberwolves and Rockets must be stopped.
These series won’t be about Paolo Banchero vs. Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards vs. Luka Doncic, and Amen Thompson vs. Stephen Curry.
It’ll be about the referees vs. the booing fans.
Everyone wants enjoyable basketball. So now it’s up to the refs: Don’t just let them play — also let them breathe.
