Top five NBA under referees
How do you know the Three Wise Men were not an NBA officiating crew? Because the real ones understood the meaning of the word ''travel.'' Besides, the blue crew never would have found Bethleham without the use of instant replay.
And some referees do not come bearing gifts for over bettors. They seem to think points are more precious than gold, frankincense and myrhh, whatever the hell myrhh is.
So it is with the Christmas spirit that we bring you the not-so-nice list of the NBA's scoring scrooges, the Top 5 Under Referees so far this season:
Dick Bavetta (5-15)
No surprise here that the NBA's oldest referee also prefers an old-school brand of basketball, but here's some irony: The ref who holds the record for the over on age (69), seasons (34) and games worked (almost 2,500) also holds the distinction for officiating the most under-the-total games.
Bavetta, widely respected around the league for his longevity, has had his character called into question in the recent book by Tim Donaghy, the whistle-blowers' whistle blower, saying Bavetta consistenty made an effort to keep games close.
While statistical data has proven that claim to be unfounded, maybe Donaghy was on to something. If Bavetta did increase his foul calls to keep games close, it would have a chilling effect on the total, killing the leading team's momentum and disrupting the up-and-down flow of the game.
Not saying Bavetta had a vendetta against the over, but if he truly told his crew ''Let's not embarrass anybody,'' as alleged in the book, his efforts to keep them close could have had an unintentional impact on both sides of the scoreboard. Or perhaps the old guy just likes low-scoring games.
Or maybe he's just trying to do the NBA referee's equivalent of a golfer shooting his age. In any case, Bavetta tops the list with an average score of 188 per game.
Marc Davis (6-17)
You may remember Davis as the bald guy who got a kiss on top of the head from Orlando's Rafer Alston during last postseason's Game 7 against Boston.
Bettors who have taken the under in his games this season might want to line up to do the same. After all, a man who has been this consistent against offense deserves a little smooch on the dome.
Davis may not be getting any at home after his wife, Julie davis, wrote a much-publicized letter to the NBA ripping commissioner David Stern during the threatened referee lockout in the fall. Maybe now Marc feels compelled to use his whistle and give the commish his money's worth.
For whatever reason, Davis has been solid money against totals of 205 or higher this season, with all seven of those games hitting the under. Davis' games are averaging 192.2 points per game
Curtis Blair (3-13)
OK, so maybe we should let the second-year NBA ref slide on this one. After all, he hasn't called a game this year with a total of 185 or less.
But stats don't lie. Blair's average score per game of 194.8 is among the lowest in the league, and 12 of his 15 games have gone under the total.
This isn't the only top-five list Blair is on. He's also among the top five all-time scorers at Richmond. Apparently Spiders don't like to see their nets ripped.
Mark Wunderlich (7-16)
Up until last month, Wunderlich was better known for sharing the same name as the test frequently given to would-be draftees to measure their mental aptitude.
But Wunderlich finally made a name for himself on Nov. 10, when he was at the center of the controversy involving a last-second shot in the Nuggets' 90-89 victory over the Bulls.
Brad Miller's would-be buzzer-beater was initially ruled good before Wunderlich took the TV replay screen for almost five minutes, eventually asking for another angle from the ESPN truck. That picture produced the perfect angle to show Miller's fingers still on the ball with the clock at 0.0.
That game would have stayed under even if Wunderlich would have ruled Miller had hit a 25-pointer, which has been the case with several of his games this season. All six of his games with a total of 205 or higher have gone under and his 188.7 points-per-game average is higher only than Bavetta's.
David Jones (4-13)
Jones is already a close second in the Top 5 NBA Homer Referees, giving Eli Roe a run for his money for the Most Likely to be Influenced by a Crowd crown. But he's also going for the double crown by earning a spot in the top 5 for NBA Under Referees list.
Jones is the ref who experienced dizziness during the Suns-Lakers game on Dec. 6 and had to be transported to a hospital, but he certainly isn't letting games be played at a dizzying pace.
Davis is 0-6 against the over in games with a total of 205 or higher and the one game he has called with a total of 185 or lower also went under. His average points per game of 195. He is limited road teams to an average of 93.62 points, lower than the other four guys on this list.
How do you know the Three Wise Men were not an NBA officiating crew? Because the real ones understood the meaning of the word ''travel.'' Besides, the blue crew never would have found Bethleham without the use of instant replay.
And some referees do not come bearing gifts for over bettors. They seem to think points are more precious than gold, frankincense and myrhh, whatever the hell myrhh is.
So it is with the Christmas spirit that we bring you the not-so-nice list of the NBA's scoring scrooges, the Top 5 Under Referees so far this season:
Dick Bavetta (5-15)
No surprise here that the NBA's oldest referee also prefers an old-school brand of basketball, but here's some irony: The ref who holds the record for the over on age (69), seasons (34) and games worked (almost 2,500) also holds the distinction for officiating the most under-the-total games.
Bavetta, widely respected around the league for his longevity, has had his character called into question in the recent book by Tim Donaghy, the whistle-blowers' whistle blower, saying Bavetta consistenty made an effort to keep games close.
While statistical data has proven that claim to be unfounded, maybe Donaghy was on to something. If Bavetta did increase his foul calls to keep games close, it would have a chilling effect on the total, killing the leading team's momentum and disrupting the up-and-down flow of the game.
Not saying Bavetta had a vendetta against the over, but if he truly told his crew ''Let's not embarrass anybody,'' as alleged in the book, his efforts to keep them close could have had an unintentional impact on both sides of the scoreboard. Or perhaps the old guy just likes low-scoring games.
Or maybe he's just trying to do the NBA referee's equivalent of a golfer shooting his age. In any case, Bavetta tops the list with an average score of 188 per game.
Marc Davis (6-17)
You may remember Davis as the bald guy who got a kiss on top of the head from Orlando's Rafer Alston during last postseason's Game 7 against Boston.
Bettors who have taken the under in his games this season might want to line up to do the same. After all, a man who has been this consistent against offense deserves a little smooch on the dome.
Davis may not be getting any at home after his wife, Julie davis, wrote a much-publicized letter to the NBA ripping commissioner David Stern during the threatened referee lockout in the fall. Maybe now Marc feels compelled to use his whistle and give the commish his money's worth.
For whatever reason, Davis has been solid money against totals of 205 or higher this season, with all seven of those games hitting the under. Davis' games are averaging 192.2 points per game
Curtis Blair (3-13)
OK, so maybe we should let the second-year NBA ref slide on this one. After all, he hasn't called a game this year with a total of 185 or less.
But stats don't lie. Blair's average score per game of 194.8 is among the lowest in the league, and 12 of his 15 games have gone under the total.
This isn't the only top-five list Blair is on. He's also among the top five all-time scorers at Richmond. Apparently Spiders don't like to see their nets ripped.
Mark Wunderlich (7-16)
Up until last month, Wunderlich was better known for sharing the same name as the test frequently given to would-be draftees to measure their mental aptitude.
But Wunderlich finally made a name for himself on Nov. 10, when he was at the center of the controversy involving a last-second shot in the Nuggets' 90-89 victory over the Bulls.
Brad Miller's would-be buzzer-beater was initially ruled good before Wunderlich took the TV replay screen for almost five minutes, eventually asking for another angle from the ESPN truck. That picture produced the perfect angle to show Miller's fingers still on the ball with the clock at 0.0.
That game would have stayed under even if Wunderlich would have ruled Miller had hit a 25-pointer, which has been the case with several of his games this season. All six of his games with a total of 205 or higher have gone under and his 188.7 points-per-game average is higher only than Bavetta's.
David Jones (4-13)
Jones is already a close second in the Top 5 NBA Homer Referees, giving Eli Roe a run for his money for the Most Likely to be Influenced by a Crowd crown. But he's also going for the double crown by earning a spot in the top 5 for NBA Under Referees list.
Jones is the ref who experienced dizziness during the Suns-Lakers game on Dec. 6 and had to be transported to a hospital, but he certainly isn't letting games be played at a dizzying pace.
Davis is 0-6 against the over in games with a total of 205 or higher and the one game he has called with a total of 185 or lower also went under. His average points per game of 195. He is limited road teams to an average of 93.62 points, lower than the other four guys on this list.
