Ed Malloy is reffing tonight. Where do I know that name from…… ??

Oh right.. this:

Pierce and James Jones were tagged with double technical fouls after a hard foul by Jones that Pierce took umbrage to with 7:59 remaining. Pierce got in Jones' face as referees separated them.

Less than a minute later, Pierce and Dwyane Wade earned a double technical for a dust-up when Wade ran hard into a Pierce screen trying to free up teammate Ray Allen.

Referee Ed Malloy, who was in the middle of both calls, immediately tossed Pierce on the second infraction. The Heat led 86-74 at the time of Pierce's ejection.

ESPN, May 2, 2011

Yep, it's been one year since that event happened.  I remember looking at that as one of the worst officiating decisions I've ever seen.  It was as terrible a call as I've ever seen. 

Then there was this incident with KG in a Malloy game:

Kevin Garnett's lack of composure didn't lead to a loss. Miami's did.

Boston's emotional leader was slapped with two technicals after he elbowedQuentin Richardson in the jaw with 40 seconds left in the Celtics' 85-76 victory over the Heat in their NBA playoff opener Saturday night.

Garnett faces a possible suspension and could miss the second game Tuesday night in Boston.

ESPN, April 17, 2010 (via Forsberg)

Now, regular readers may know my usual stance on officiating:  I typically don't blame refs for losses because there is almost always something the affected team could have done better to win a game.  The first Malloy clip, though, is a clear exception to my rule. 

Referees are on the floor to keep order and enforce the rules of the game.  They are there to be anonymous, they are there to call the fouls they see, and they are there to make sure the game is decided by the players on the floor. 

Refs are heavily in focus right now because of the Rondo/Marc Davis thing.  The only thing we are trying to do is show referees are culpable too.  If NBA officials did their jobs the right way without getting egos or attitudes, then we'd leave this alone. 

But they don't.  And sadly, that's made this something to watch. If only David Stern and the league took the appropriate steps to manage this better, we'd be better off.