LeBron expresses concerns over refs

By Ira Winderman

Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

In the wake of Monday’s exhibition loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, LeBron James found himself addressing the NBA Finals.

But the Miami Heat forward wasn’t getting ahead of himself.

He merely was trying to get ahead of what many players around the league are considering a dangerous preseason precedent, reduced tolerance from referees when it comes to issuing technical fouls.

“We are emotional players,” James said. “I mean, just imagine if it’s Game 7 of the Finals and you feel like there was a call missed or something you felt should have been called and you show emotion. And you’re at a point where you already have a technical foul, and now you get kicked out of Game 7 of the Finals because of this rule. It wouldn’t be great.”

This, of course, wasn’t Game 7 in June, but rather game six of a preseason schedule for the Heat that concludes with road games Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks and Friday in Tampa against the Orlando Magic.

But any time Chris Bosh is called for a technical foul, it is a moment worth considering. Bosh, who was called for two all of last season while with the Toronto Raptors, was whistled late in Monday’s second quarter by veteran referee Dick Bavetta for putting his hands in the air to indicate he did not commit a foul.

“I just went to him and said, ‘Dick, we know each other better than that, I didn’t come at you disrespectfully,’” Bosh said.

No matter. Not this season, where tolerance is down and technicals are up across the league, even to the most soft-spoken of players.

“I just wanted to talk about the call,” Bosh said. “And that was it. And his main emphasis was, ‘Put your hands down.’ I’m not saying anything bad or anything. I’m not a disrespectful guy.”

Technical fouls hardly figure to be an issue for the Heat this season. James had four all of last season while with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwyane Wade had seven. But of Wade’s seven, six were for complaining to referees.

Bosh’s technical was just the third this preseason for the Heat, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Miller also whistled in recent weeks for voicing displeasure.

“He absolutely, basically said nothing,” James said of Bosh.

James sounded as if he wanted to make a statement about the statement the league is making with its new respect-for-the-game interpretations from referees, sanctioning any display characterized as overt.

“What I don’t want to do is get in trouble,” James said. “Everything LeBron says is blown up these days and I already know, so I’m not going to harp on it too much.

“I just think the emotion of the game can never be taken out of the game of basketball.”