The official who tossed Rajon Rondo from last night's game is no stranger to controversy, publicity or the Celtics.
Many NBA analysts claim Marc Davis is one of those officials who love and seek out the spotlight. During an appearance this morning on WEEI, disgraced former referee Tim Donaghy said Davis has a large ego and "rabbit ears."
While Rondo was upset with Davis' refusal to call a jump ball in the final minute, the play that started the anger came at the 2:20 mark. Davis pointed in Atlanta's direction on an extremely close out-of-bounds play. Davis didn't seek help from a colleague and bypassed instant replay. We know what happened next.
Let's go back a couple weeks when the Hawks and Celtics played in Boston on April 11. The Celtics won 88-86 in OT despite some horrific calls by Davis and his colleagues.
Mr. Triple Double went back into the video vault and edited together all the questionable calls. There's 6 minutes worth. Of KG's six fouls, Marc Davis whistled 4. There are also several instances where KG was fouled right in front of Davis and either a) the outside official made the call or b) no call was made.
Not enough evidence?
Let's jump back to 2009 when reports surfaced that Davis is a Bulls fan and his family didn't hide it during the Celtics/Bulls playoff series in 2009:
Two of the referees in Game 4 of the Bulls-Celtics series reportedly are Chicago residents whose families at the game were wearing Bulls gear.
According to the Boston Herald, a member of the Celtics' traveling contingent was taken aback at the sight of the crew exiting the United Center after the game with family members who were Bulls fans. The Boston Globe, citing an NBA source, reported that the officials were Marc Davis and Dan Crawford.
Are NBA officials allowed to be "fans" of teams?
Davis has another incident unrelated to the Celtics that deserves mention. He allegedly threatened to whup Allen Iverson's ass in 2005:
Iverson, upset about calls, challenged referee Marc Davis after the 94-88 loss on Saturday, and said Davis responded by saying he would "whup my ass."
Iverson had to be restrained by teammates, and a few minutes later was seen heading in the direction of the referees' dressing room before general manager Billy King interceded and calmed him down.
I'm not trying to smear Marc Davis' character. Rajon Rondo deserved the technical fouls and ejection in Game 1.
I just want to know when is David Stern going to wake up and realize his officials are casting a negative shadow on the game?.
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