On April 15, 2007 in a West coast showcase game featuring the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs, superstar Tim Duncan received two quick technical fouls that resulted in his ejection from the game. The first technical foul which came in the end of the 3rd quarter was called for arguing about an offensive foul call. Crawford then awarded Tim Duncan his second technical a minute and sixteen seconds later for merely laughing at one of Crawford’s calls from the San Antonio bench. Tim Duncan also stated after the game that the 55 year old official also challenged him to a fight. Joey Crawford is known around the league as an official with a short fuse but many people believe that this time he went too far. Crawford was cited for improper conduct and warned about his inappropriate comments made to Tim Duncan during the Spurs-Mavericks game. Following the match up, NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Joey Crawford indefinitely stating that he “failed to meet the standard of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees.” Crawford has since been suspended for the remainder of the NBA season and playoffs. The veteran basketball official has also stated that his return to NBA officiating next season is yet to be determined. Tim Duncan was fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of an official.
Joey Crawford is known around the league as one of the top officials. He has refereed 266 playoff and 38 Finals game; the most of any active official in the league. Crawford has been selected to officiate many important playoff games as well as NBA All Star Games. This was Crawford’s 31st season as an NBA referee, adding up to over 2,000 regular season games. Although he has never been penalized for his quick temper before, Crawford was involved in a 2003 Western Conference finals game involving the same teams which resulted in 4 technical fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game. Former head coach of the Mavericks, Don Nelson and assistant coach Del Harris were both ejected early on in the game. However, Crawford was warned by Commissioner David Stern that if he repeated these actions, the consequences would be very serious.
Joey Crawford may be known as one of the quicker whistle blowers in the NBA but did his actions really deserve this harsh of consequences? Crawford is the second most tenured official in the league and overall is a well respected referee. Crawford’s career is basically on the line because of one ego trip. You don’t see punishment like this for any players or coaches in the sports world. NBA players get ejected for disrespecting officials all the time but they typically don’t even get suspended. There is no doubt that Joey Crawford was out of line. Being an official, he has a lot of responsibility and his misjudgment on the court may have cost the San Antonio Spurs an important game. He deserved to face the consequences just as everyone else on the court does. However, this misstep by David Stern may cause the league to lose one if its top referees.
