OPINION: Cavs could have negated questionable officiating by taking care of fundamental business

It would be safe to assume that an extremely high percentage of social media tweets and posts have focused on the referees in Thursday night’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

Sentiments ranging from improper rule interpretations to actually “fixing” the outcome so the desired and league-favorite Warriors would get one game closer to their third title in the last four years, have all been vehemently expressed.

No question, the officials weren’t exactly on top of things at game’s end. I have been saying for quite some time now that professional sports officiating and umpiring has been progressively getting worse. And there is now way I’m going to suggest that such a negative progression wasn’t on display last night in California where the Warriors defeated the Cavs, 124-114, in overtime.

But, at the end of the day, one has to focus on what he or she is in control of, and make positive things happen by doing just that– taking control. Unfortunately, bad officiating is something beyond anyone’s control from the players, coaches and owners. It is frustrating, but it’s a factor those participating within the professional sports arena are getting introduced to and painfully reminded of on a consistent basis.

Count yours truly as one of those frustrated fans last night. It prompted me to ask many questions, but one in particular: How does a professional player not know what the score is?

Cavs guard J.R. Smith, inexplicably, secured possession of an offensive rebound with the score tied and just over four seconds to play, and proceeded to dribble the ball out clearly indicating to everyone he thought the Cavs were up one point.

LeBron James’ perplexed reaction following Smith’s blunder spoke volumes.

Smith, though, has demonstrated many times that thinking and making good decisions aren’t two of his stronger attributes. In fact, in 2014 while playing for the Knicks, Smith had a similar blunder.

The Cavs did everything they needed to do to steal a game on the road against the league’s defending champions, but Cleveland handed Golden State a gift-wrapped victory. You can’t do that in a Finals game, especially against the Warriors. Albeit early, that blunder and the inability to make free throws might have sunk the Cavs for this series. What an incredible waste of yet another epic performance from James who scorched the nets for 50-plus points.

And yes, George Hill needed to make that second charity toss to put his team up one point. But what followed after that miss is something that cannot happen at this time of the season.

What also shouldn’t happen is players making matters worse once they get in front of the national media.

Smith’s explanation to reporters about his decision in the final seconds of last night’s game is that he knew the score was tied. He assumed, once he got the ball, that the Cavs would call a timeout. That “reasoning” is asinine on a number of levels.

First, with Smith securing possession of the ball by way of that rebound, he could have called timeout immediately. Second, most players who have the ball that close to the basket with the score tied and just seconds left would take a shot. The worst thing that could happen is overtime, while the best scenario is that your shot wins the game in regulation. Finally, why would a player put the ball on the floor in that situation that would only result in precious seconds ticking off the clock? If Smith thought the team could still call timeout following his dribbling exhibition, what did he think they could do as far as getting off a good shot with so little time left, time that he dribbled away?

This was rough way to start James’ eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals. The question remains, can the team regain the focus, especially Smith who has a lot to atone for, bounce back and take Game 2 to at least earn a split before returning home to Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night?

A lot of fight was taken away from the Cavs, as well as a lot of momentum during overtime last night. Cleveland needs to get up off the deck and be ready for yet another battle. They proved they can beat the mighty Warriors- -they just have to block everything out, including the officials, and take care of that which they can control.