The Houston Rockets believe officiating in last season's Western Conference finals cost them an NBA championship, and in a report since sent to the league, tabulated the net result of 81 potential missed calls and non-calls in Game 7 of that series between Houston and the Golden State Warriors, according to the report and an accompanying memo, both of which have been obtained by ESPN. "Referees likely changed the eventual NBA champion," says the memo, addressed to Byron Spruell, the NBA's president of league operations. "There can be no worse result for the NBA." The Rockets never actually sent the memo to Spruell, because they ended up communicating its messages -- including that they believe officiating cost them the 2018 title -- during in-person meetings with league officials, according to multiple league sources. They did present the league with their analysis of Game 7. As first detailed by The Athletic after Golden State's controversial Game 1 win in the conference semifinals Sunday night, the Rockets' analysis uses the NBA's own official interpretation of the officiating in that Game 7. The full report obtained by ESPN lists 81 total calls, non-calls and violations. It concludes that those 81 instances cost Houston a total of 18.6 points in that game. In its own reports, the league does not attach point values to missed calls and non-calls. "As we told the Rockets, we do not agree with their methodology," Mike Bass, an NBA spokesman, told ESPN on Monday. The league provided Houston with what is essentially a full-game version for Game 7 of the last-two-minute report it releases after close games. The report lists incorrect calls; fouls and violations that should have been called but weren't; fouls and violations that would only have been visible, according to the league, with enhanced video review; and uncalled "potential infractions" where the league cannot come to a definitive conclusion on whether a foul was merited. The Rockets appear to have incorporated all such instances in the report, including those that benefited the Warriors. For instance: with about 6:10 remaining in the first quarter, Stephen Curry drove on the right side of the floor. Gerald Green, the Rocket defending Curry, placed his right arm on Curry's hip as Curry rose for a layup. There was no call. The NBA flagged it as a "potential infraction" -- inconclusive, according to Houston's analysis. The Rockets counted that as a mistake that cost the Warriors 1.8 points -- a figure that appears to have been derived from Curry's career free throw percentage. Similarly, the Houston report flagged an uncalled foul on a James Harden missed layup, but the Rockets retained control of the ball and scored; Houston in its analysis counted that as a net benefit to themselves of 0.3 points -- the difference between the actual basket they scored and the expected value of two Harden free throws. The Rockets attached such point values in every instance in their own analysis. With about 10:40 left in the third quarter, Eric Gordon lost the ball when he dribbled it off Curry's foot. In the game, it was a live-ball turnover. The league deemed it a "potential infraction" kicked ball on Curry, according to Houston's analysis -- meaning it might have been a kick, but there is no way to tell conclusively. The Rockets counted that as 1.1 points lost, using what appears to have been an estimate of their average half-court points per possession, according to league sources. (They used that 1.1 figure for all such plays that ended Houston possessions.) Another: With about 5:05 remaining in the third quarter, Trevor Ariza attempted a runner from just outside the restricted area and made contact with Curry, who tried to draw a charge. No call was made. The league's report flagged that as another inconclusive "potential infraction," according to Houston's analysis. Houston counted it as 1.7 lost points -- again using Ariza's free throw percentage. With about 8:55 left in the third quarter, Kevon Looney rebounded a Klay Thompson missed 3-pointer. As Looney went up for a putback, Gordon made some contact with him that went uncalled. Looney missed. Looney jumped to try to tip the ball in, and Harden leaped to block Looney's shot -- making some contact with Looney's arm and upper body. Again, no call was made. The loose ball ricocheted to Curry, who passed it to Kevin Durant for an open 3-pointer which went in. The league cited Harden's attempted block as a potential infraction -- a possible foul, but one the league could not say conclusively was a foul even upon review, according to Houston's analysis. Houston concluded that the non-call cost them two points. Had the officials called the foul on Harden, Looney would have gone to the line for two shots. He is a 61 percent career free throw shooter; Houston attached an expected value of one point to a Looney two-shot trip to the line. But the foul was not called, and Durant hit a 3-pointer -- two more points than the Warriors would have been expected to score, under Houston's accounting, had the officials whistled Harden. The Rockets contend that 81 possible non-calls and violations from Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals cost James Harden and his teammates a rightful trip to the NBA Finals. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Houston found the biggest negative impact on "landing spot" fouls on Harden 3-pointers -- the same calls that caused an eruption of controversy after Sunday's Game 1, when Harden went to the floor on several attempted 3-pointers. Some of those appear to have been uncalled fouls, according to this description Sunday night from Joe Borgia, the NBA's senior vice president for replay and referee operations. But Borgia said Sunday referees were correct in not calling a "landing spot" foul on Draymond Green's challenge of Harden's potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds; Harden jackknifed his legs forward, Borgia said, invading space to which Green was entitled. (The last two-minute report, released Monday afternoon, confirmed Borgia's analysis.) The report from last year's Game 7 cites uncalled "landing spot" fouls, including a missed Harden 3-pointer with about 3:40 left in the second quarter on which Jordan Bell leaped into Harden's landing space. The referees did not call a foul, but the league subsequently concluded they should have, the Houston report says. (The league indeed deemed that a foul on Bell, sources say.) In their memo -- which, again, the Rockets did not end up sending because they communicated its message in person instead -- Houston recommended adding a fourth on-court referee, and that the league make full-game officiating reports available to every team for every game. They also claim a trip to the Finals would have netted at least $20 million in additional revenue. The Rockets also argue in their memo that veteran officials "exhibit the most bias against our players." "The reason we are in this situation," the memo says, "is the efforts made to improve the referees have been too slow, not extensive enough, and have been held back by entrenched referees who are resisting reform." The Rockets recommended that referee assignments in the postseason should be determined "exclusively" by call accuracy without regard to experience level.<doc-sep>OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 28: James Harden #13, and Chris Paul #3 of the Houston Rockets talk against the Golden State Warriors during the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) The madness continues for the Golden State Warriors as the Houston Rockets have officially submitted a report regarding Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets are only one game into their showdown this year, but the insanity has already begun. After multiple controversial no-calls were made, the Rockets and their fans have been in an all-out uproar. This has gone so far that the Rockets front office has actually audited Game 7 of the 2018 WCF. As reported by Zach Lowe and Rachel Nicoles, the Rockets have formally sent a complaint about the officiating in Game 7 of last years Conference Finals. In this analysis, Houston pinpoints 81 total missed calls that they believe played a significant role in swaying the game towards the Warriors. This type of accusation is nothing new for the NBA. Fans and players have been believing the referees are against them since the first game of basketball was played. But, how much of this is true? As many fans have been pointing out, a number of questionable calls have benefited the Warriors. In contrast, the Dubs have been on the opposite end of a few decisions. For example, does Draymond Green‘s suspension in the 2016 NBA Finals ring a bell? Looking from Game 7 without any bias whatsoever, it is understandable why Houston fans are upset. It is clear that a few calls were missed, one of the most egregious being a blatant moving screen by Jordan Bell that opened up a 3-pointer for Stephen Curry. However, human error is, unfortunately, part of the game. The Warriors have been victims of bad officiating just as every other team in NBA history has experienced this pain as well. Want your voice heard? Join the Blue Man Hoop team! Write for us! At the end of the day, this audit is a distasteful look for the Rockets and the league as a whole. Houston should know very well that nothing will be changed from this report and it only comes off as immature complaining to many people viewing it.<doc-sep>The Houston Rockets are so lame. If you missed it, ESPN came out with a report on Monday that the Rockets performed their own audit on last year’s Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors and found 81 times in which they got robbed by the refs. Really. Imagine being the person who had to rewatch that game and jot down every instance in which it looked like an official might have wronged your team? What a sad job that must have been. NBA media and fans were instantly in agreement that the Rockets are really lame for doing such a thing. And they didn’t hold back: Blew double digit halftime leads in two closeout games Missed 27 straight 3-pointers in Game 7 But no, it must have been the refs…. pic.twitter.com/nmea9ieYKN — Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) April 29, 2019 Warriors: "No team could be more unlikable than us." Rockets: "Hold my audit." https://t.co/h7PvdYfWIE — SportsPickle (@sportspickle) April 29, 2019 Hey Rockets, enough with the complaints! Human error is part of sports. Let's replay Game 6 '98 Jazz v Bulls when MJ pushed off on his iconic game winner, or Showtime Lakers v Bad Boy Pistons when LA won on phantom foul call on Laimbeer in '88 Finals https://t.co/ppKPCPO7Jw — Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) April 29, 2019 The Rockets wrote this memo ostensibly for the league, but never sent it, and instead communicated all of this data-intensive report via a meeting? And then the memo gets leaked to the media. So they basically wrote this memo for the media. — Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) April 29, 2019 Here's my audit: Rockets missed 27 straight threes. — Callum Godde (@calgodde) April 29, 2019 Rockets front office trying to uncover the deep state conspiracy instead of just being a better basketball team pic.twitter.com/LURAGt7S8T — Anthony Nash (@_anthonynash) April 29, 2019 The Rockets are the lamest team in sports — Ross Gasmer (@Ross_Gasmer12) April 29, 2019 Rocket's "audit" of game 7 from 2018… lol How about the 27 straight missed 3's? You make 4 of those (<15%) and you win that game. Absolutely pathetic blaming the refs for this L. Not really surprised though coming from a team with 2 of the biggest cry babies in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/gFzfiwlTT6 — Enrico Suave (@suave_enrico) April 29, 2019 Rockets are saying the refs changed the eventual NBA champs last year? It may or may not be true but going 0/27 on 3s may do something as well. — Lanz (@yeeitslanz) April 29, 2019 Not sure if this is more embarrassing for the league or Rockets being the first team to perform an audit lol https://t.co/x7XqukY5U7 — Vincent. (@_VforVendetta) April 29, 2019 The rockets are the biggest whiners in the NBA by a longshot. Harden went 9/28, while kicking out on almost all of his 3's…. Which, you know, have always been offensive fouls. This is such an embarassing and lame story line https://t.co/ZP1zy0JttI — Noman Siddiqui (@noman_sid) April 29, 2019 Miss 27 3s in a row in game 7 – feat never to be surpassed – blame the refs Lose to the injured/tired warriors – blame the refs “Superstar” player misses final shot – blames the refs Not a fan of the warriors , less a fan of the rockets pic.twitter.com/EgPSsI6ut6 — Chance Clark (@Chance_Clark_) April 29, 2019 Hey Rockets, stop bitching and moaning. You complaining about things that happened yesterday and even last year isn't changing anything. Just get back to ball and find a way to win. Playing the ref card is getting SO OLD — Baseline Hoops (@baseline_hoops) April 29, 2019<doc-sep>
The Houston Rockets didn't completely pull a UCF and claim a championship, but they came awfully close. Just hours after the Rockets lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Warriors on Sunday - a game that had its share of controversy — ESPN reported that the Rockets filed a memo to the league that claimed NBA officials "likely changed" last season's NBA champion. According to the report, the Rockets audited Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals and determined that 81 instances took away 18.6 points from Houston. Seriously. The Rockets had a team of analysts go through tape and issue a memo to the NBA just to whine. Via ESPN: "Referees likely changed the NBA champion," says the memo, addressed to Byron Spruell, the NBA's president of league operations. "There can no be no worse result for the NBA." It continued: The Rockets also argue in their memo that veteran officials "exhibit the most bias against our players." "The reason we are in this situation," the memo says, "is the efforts made to improve the referees have been too slow, not extensive enough, and have been held back by entrenched referees who are resisting reform." The Rockets recommended that referee assignments in the postseason should be determined "exclusively" by call accuracy without regard to experience level. OPINION:Warriors' Game 1 win renews debate over fouls OPINION:James Harden needs to stop flopping KERR:Durant most-skilled basketball player on Earth While the NBA does evaluate the officials in L2M reports, it does not assign point values to missed or non-calls because, well, you can't definitively know what would unfold if a random call with 10:40 left in the third quarter went a different way. The Rockets, though, did assign point values to these instances and predicted how it would affect the game. They said the Rockets would have won because of course they did. Imagine going through this tedious exercise for no reason besides complaining - the Rockets couldn't look worse. This was a game where the Rockets missed 27 straight attempts from 3-point range and finished 7 of 44 from deep. There is no upside in compiling a long - but questionable and subjective - report when the players shot historically poor. Despite the Rockets' determination that they should have been playing the Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, the NBA shut down the memo with a simple response. "As we told the Rockets, we do not agree with their methodology," Mike Bass, an NBA spokesman, told ESPN on Monday. The Rockets can find more to complain about when they face Golden State for Game 2 on Tuesday.