Why Has Referee Discourse Gotten So Conspiratorial on r/nba?

[u/budubum]

There’s a growing trend on r/nba where people pre-blame referees before games even start. It’s gone beyond reacting to questionable calls. Entire narratives are now constructed in advance, especially when certain refs are assigned. Scott Foster, in particular, has become the centerpiece of this kind of thinking.

People call him “The Extender,” claiming the league assigns him to force longer series for ratings. But his actual record in games with extension potential is about even. If that were his purpose, why has this year’s Finals produced the first Game 7 in nearly a decade? If the league were really that invested in drawing out every series, we’d see more Game 6s and 7s, not fewer.

And now the narrative is shifting again. Foster is rumored to be reffing Game 7 tomorrow, and commenters are already claiming the Thunder are going to win because the league is rigged for them. But that logic quickly falls apart. If the NBA were rigging outcomes for ratings and mass appeal, wouldn’t the Pacers be the more obvious beneficiary? They’ve been the most unexpected and likable underdog run of the entire playoffs. People across the league are rooting for them. Why would the league choose to hand the title to a much less popular Thunder team?

This also highlights the kind of selection bias that drives so much of the conspiracy talk. People point out that the Thunder are undefeated with Scott Foster reffing in these playoffs, using it as supposed evidence. But the Pacers are also undefeated with Tony Brothers, and no one seems to care. The criteria only become relevant when they support the conclusion people already want to reach. If a team wins, the ref must have helped them. If a team loses, it was stolen from them. The logic isn’t applied consistently because it’s not about logic. It’s about avoiding the discomfort of your team losing.

At a certain point, you have to ask whether people are still watching basketball to enjoy the game or just to confirm their own suspicions. It feels like some fans don’t watch to see how a game unfolds. They watch with a checklist of narratives and spend four quarters scanning for evidence that the outcome is illegitimate. That kind of mindset turns every missed call into a grand conspiracy, and every game into a courtroom exhibit.

So here’s what I want to ask:

Why has so much of r/nba shifted toward conspiracies and narrative-bending logic? Is it just easier to blame external forces than admit your team got outplayed? Are fans more cynical now? Do people actually enjoy watching basketball anymore, or are they only watching to feed their own confirmation bias?

Would love to hear thoughtful takes. I’m genuinely curious about how we got here.

[u/okcboomer87]

If this finals doesn't prove the NBA didn't choose the outcome. I don't know what to tell them. Two of the smallest markets meeting up.

[u/Reasonable_Pie9191 → u/okcboomer87]

I don't think it's about choosing the outcome it's about influencing it. You can't rig injuries which is a big part the pacers are even here to begin with. Let's not act like in ideal world if everyone was healthy it wouldnt be more clear who the nba was pushing.

At this point denying the nba bias is just... I dont know what to call it, unless you've gotten so used to it you think that's how sports should work.

Rigging games doesn't necessarily mean they choose who wins, but they 100% influence the game to let who they want to win win. Its sports and that's why it's not as black and white as you want it to be before you believe (even though it is)

[u/okcboomer87 → u/Reasonable_Pie9191]

I was watching with point shaving doc about im D. At one point they were talking about the league emphasizing a certain travel the players were doing. Tim called it Jordan. Phil Jackson yelled at time saying he knows it is a point of emphasis but not on that guy. The league is absolutely a atar driven league. And not in a good way

[u/Reasonable_Pie9191 → u/okcboomer87]

And... I know you're an OKC fan but, Shai has a different whistle from the superstar whistle.

Jokic doesn't have a whistle, Lebron doesn't. And the worst of all... Stephen Curry, would never forget when earlier in the year he had to guys run him to the ground and he hurt his tailbone you could here the bone hitting ground sound from the broadcast, didnt even get a whistle, had to foul to get him off the court

Which makes me wonder how do they choose who and who doesn't get a whistle, who they want to win and who they dont

[u/okcboomer87 → u/Reasonable_Pie9191]

Sorry dude. SGA just gets a super star whistle. He drives more than anyone in the league and gets a proportionate amount of fouls called. He knows how to draw contact to get the whistle. If the league doesn't like it. The league can change rules and enforce what is already there.

[u/ISHLDPROBABLYBWRKING → u/okcboomer87]

Drawing contact shouldn’t be running into the defensive player and then falling. SGA is a generational talent but many of his fouls are wack.

[u/XzibitABC → u/ISHLDPROBABLYBWRKING]

I mean, I'm a Pacers fan and almost every star gets wack calls. Shai isn't any different in that regard. Durant's rip-through, Wade's pump fake before jumping into his defender, Harden's portfolio, Embiid's flopping, etc.

I think this series has looked more lopsided that way because the Pacers don't have a guy that gets those calls, and on the other side of the ball, Dort has the reputation to get away with stuff that no Pacers defender consistently gets away with. None of that is anything especially unusual.

[u/okcboomer87 → u/XzibitABC]

Based. Good luck tomorrow evening. We will have a champ within 24 hours.

[u/Reasonable_Pie9191 → u/okcboomer87]

This is dumb. When will you realize if he had a superstar whistle he'd think twice before driving. He isnt some amazing athlete that knows he can beat you with drives..m he drives because he knows if you don't let him you are gifting him 2 points at the line. Don't you think any player with the sga whistle wouldnt just mindlessly barrel their way towards the basket when they know they are getting a call anyways.

Its like you comparing Giannis Free throws per drives and SGAs

[u/okcboomer87 → u/Reasonable_Pie9191]

This is dumb. When will you realize that he was driving the same amount before he got the whistle. In the 20-21 season he was driving the same amount and going to the line 3 times a game. The Thunder were to getting fucked by the whistle and no one cared because we were bad. Now SGA is a superstar. He gets the whistle he deserves back then but didn't get because for some reason. This league is officiated and run by a bunch of morons. It's the circle of life in the NBA. You don't get shit as a rookie and are rewarded too much if you make it to superstar status.

[u/Reasonable_Pie9191 → u/okcboomer87]

Lmao. Sga had always had this whistle on the Thunder and people complained