HoopsHype.com Rumors

Gary Washburn: #celtics VP of basketball ops Danny Ainge and Asst GM Michael Zarren had an animated convo with NBA VP of Referee Ops Joe Borgia after game Twitter @GwashNBAGlobe

Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Referees, Michael Zarren 

They did some kind of a dance here late Wednesday night, Borgia and Ainge, the NBA official delivering his explanation, and Ainge, the ultimate contrarian, challenging the premises. And hey, how could Paul Pierce foul out again? How could the Heat get to the free-throw line 47 times? These were the things on Ainge's mind, and there would be no satisfaction coming out of here for these Celtics, no solace out of an epic effort and a historic performance out of Rajon Rondo. Ainge was persistent, polite and Borgia finally relented that he'd watch the film of the Heat's 115-111 Game 2 overtime victory "I'm sure we missed five or six calls somewhere," Borgia said. Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Referees, Michael Zarren 

Well, wonderful. That's true every night in the NBA, but the Celtics were feeling victimized, like they were on the wrong end of the whistle. Down the hall inside the visiting locker room, coach Doc Rivers didn't need to see the film. Here he was, standing in a doorway to the coach's room, lurched forward and slapping himself upside his head and recreating the moment where everything started to slip away in these Eastern Conference finals. Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Referees, Michael Zarren 

Rivers seethed, but he could change nothing late Wednesday night. "LeBron James took 24 free throws, and our team took 29. Paul Pierce fouled out of a game where he was attacking the basket. I guarantee you right now, they're distracted, our team, in the locker room. "But we have to get it out of us and move on." Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Referees, Michael Zarren