Steve Javie Is Corrupt

My frustration level is through the roof. I feel cheated, ripped off, bullied. The worst part is knowing that the culprit who committed this injustice will certainly walk away, pardoned. Worse yet, those in charge, the ones sworn to protect from such travesties and preserve the integrity of everyone involved will, without doubt, turn their heads altogether in order to save face. How do I know? How am I so positive that justice will not be served? Because it has happened countless times before; because the topic at hand is the NBA and they screw everything up.

Two nights ago in the arena formally known as the Delta Center the Utah Jazz hosted the San Antonio Spurs in game 4 of the western conference finals. The Jazz came into the game trailing in the series two games to one. Although they did not look very good at times Utah played hard, but unfortunately for them so did San Antonio. Most of the second half was close and the entire game was exciting (despite the Spurs building a fairly sizable lead in the second quarter). It was shaping up to be a hell of a finish, a close knit game featuring the little guy (Utah) trying to stage an unlikely comeback against the juggernaut that is San Antonio.

Unfortunately the possible playoff dream ending never happened because the Spurs had an advantage named Steve Javie.

I don't know what it is but Javie, a veteran NBA referee, was always had a problem with the Jazz. He is well respected throughout the league but Jazz fans know if he is officiating one of their games Utah is not going to get a fair shake. They may not lose them all, but you can just assume that Javie will all but be wearing the opposing teams jersey. I have never heard of such an obvious bias in a referee in any sport and what is even more shocking is that nothing has been done to curtail it (publicly, at least) by a league that has long suffered rumors of corruption and problems of character.

With about ten minutes until tip off I had already turned myself into a nervous wreck by obsessing over the challenge of going up against what I consider to be the best team in the league in what would probably be a must win game 4. So when I saw Javie's wanna-be gangster, slicked back hair and his ever present, contempt-filled smirk standing next to Carlos Boozer I almost keeled over from a heart attack. It was at that moment I knew that for the next forty eight minutes the Jazz would be playing five guys against eight.

I figured the Javie and his crew's officiating would be bad, but nothing I have ever seen in ten years of watching the NBA could have prepared me for just how one sided it would be. I won't go into details because it is just too infuriating and it raises my blood pressure to dangerous levels, but its important to understand that the Jazz never stood a chance. Every time they would make a run Stevie-J would call a phantom offensive foul or not call a Tony Parker hack. The only thing I can think of that comes even remotely close to what happened in game 4 is the officiating in the Super Bowl featuring the Seahawks and Steelers. Still, though, that doesn't even touch the injustice that was done to the Utah Jazz.

What really, REALLY gets me about this whole thing is that Joey Crawford, another veteran NBA ref, was publicly reprimanded and then suspended for the rest of the season and post season for something comparatively minor. Crawford, in a mid April game, gave Tim Duncan his second technical foul when Duncan, from the bench, laughed at a call that went against the Spurs. For that Crawford was punished harshly. For the utter disregard Javie showed to the integrity of the game Monday night he should get at least the same punishment, if not worse. Unfortunately what should happen and what will happen are probably two very different things.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not placing blame for Utah's loss solely on the shoulders of the referees. The Jazz should have been mentally tough enough to fight through the barrage of whistles blown at them. A championship team would have found a way to get past it and beat the odds. If the roles were reversed I honestly believe the Spurs would have done a better job keeping their heads in the game and they may have still pulled out the victory. I certainly don't want to take anything away from San Antonio, they played better and in the end deserved the win. I do believe, however, that it would have been a much different game had the referees been on the level. Is it so much to ask for a fair game?

As a Jazz fan, all I can do now is watch game 5 tonight and hope somehow my team will find enough drive and determination to win and extend this series at least one more game.

GO JAZZ!!!!