HoopsHype.com Rumors

Richie Phillips, a hard-charging negotiator for NBA referees and Major League Baseball umpires, has died. He was 72. Phillips' death was reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, which said he died Friday of cardiac arrest at his second home in Cape May, N.J. His death was confirmed by the D'Anjolell Memorial Home in Broomall, where a viewing is scheduled Thursday. Boston Herald

Referees, Richie Philips 

Chris Palmer: LeBron on tech: "I thought it was a pretty bad call. I had to run down the court to stop from being ejected." Twitter @ESPNChrisPalmer

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Referees 

Erik Spoelstra talks about the charge on LeBron that led to two technicals on the Heat. "We don't want the focus to be on the officiating,'' Spoelstra said. "They made the call. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree.'' Sulia

Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra, Referees 

The NBA suspended Andersen one game without pay because he "knocked Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough to the floor, escalated the altercation by shoving Hansbrough and resisted efforts to bring the altercation to an end" in the second quarter of Game 5 on Thursday. "I have to deal with repercussions of it and I'm missing this game. I know my guys are going to go out there and they're going to handle business," Andersen said. "It was just the heat of the moment. The heat of the battle pushed me out of my comfort zone. I got out of my composure and I let it get the best of me. But now I'm dealing with it." USA Today Sports

Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Tyler Hansbrough, Chris Andersen, Referees 

Spoelstra had a private conversation with Andersen but did not divulge specifics. "We have to accept it and move on and we already did. We went through that process yesterday and today," Spoelstra said "It's irrelevant whether you agree or disagree. We talked with the league yesterday about what they decided. Next man up. We're ready for the game tonight, and that's all our focus is right now. We're leaving the shootaround understanding we have a great opportunity right now and we want to take advantage of it." USA Today Sports

Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Tyler Hansbrough, Erik Spoelstra, Chris Andersen, Referees 

Scott Agness: Officials for tonight's Game 6: Monty McCutchen, Tony Brothers, and Jason Phillips. #HeatvPacers Twitter @ScottAgness

Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Referees 

There has been plenty of debate about whether the suspension was warranted, and TNT analyst Steve Kerr chimed in with his own thoughts on the matter: Steve Kerr: Count me in the minority on the reaction to the Birdman suspension. An ejection from the game? Okay. A one game suspension? I don't get it. Steve Kerr: Nazr Mohammed didn't get suspended for doing the same thing as Anderson (and more excessively). Shouldn't suspensions be about precedent? SheridanHoops

Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Steve Kerr, Tyler Hansbrough, Chris Andersen, Referees 

In his postgame press conference, Pacers coach Frank Vogel wisely didn’t touch the subject. “I don’t really want to say anything about any calls or any officiating,” he said. Hansbrough’s explanation as to what happened: “I felt like I got hit pretty hard. I just jumped up and my emotions got the best of me real quick.” “I don’t know why he did it … We’ll leave it at that.” Pacers.com

Indiana Pacers, Referees, Frank Vogel 

David West said NBA will review Chris Andersen’s altercation with Tyler Hansbrough and see if he gets suspension. “It’s not my call to make,’’ West said about whether Andersen should be suspended for Saturday’s Game 6. “He did what he did, but we got to move on with it. All the reviewing the NBA does, I’m quite sure they’ll review it and whatever happens, happens.’’ Sulia

Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Tyler Hansbrough, Chris Andersen, Referees, David West 

Ira Winderman: Wade assessed a Flagrant 1 for his elbow to Stephenson but WILL be available tonight. No suspension. No other NBA rulings. Twitter @IraHeatBeat

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, Referees 

The split-second decision backfired after Ginobili was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul, leading to a four-point possession that tied the game and forced overtime. (Flagrant 1s are defined as “unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent” per the NBA rule book.) Catastrophic as the call might have been, Ginobili said he had no major problem with the call a day after the Spurs escaped with a 93-89 victory to take a 2-0 series lead. “It was sort of a 2 on 1 or 1 against 0, and I tried to foul him,” he said. “I thought I had him well in the arm. It was not like a dangerous play or anything like that. But I guess it was. “Yeah, I was surprised. I know I grabbed his arm. I kind of hold him…but I guess he fell awkwardly. When you have three refs watching a replay 1,000 times, I guess they made the right call.” San Antonio Express-News

Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, Tony Allen, Referees 

As Derek Fisher was shooting from the right corner near the Grizzlies' bench, Tony Allen tried to distract him by moving his hands and yelling. Unfortunately, he had a shirt inside the towel in his hand and lost his grip on the shirt. It flew onto the court and he was whistled a technical foul from the bench. It clearly wasn't something he planned on doing and he regretted it immediately. But that didn't stop the Thunder from using it as a catalyst to make a run to get back into the game. CBSSports.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Derek Fisher, Tony Allen, Referees 

Maybe a $35,000 fine from the league office was enough to change Tom Thibodeau’s tune when it comes to officiating in the NBA playoffs. Three days after he insisted his team wouldn’t get any calls against Miami, Thibodeau said the series isn’t about officiating – and never has been. Daily Chronicle

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Tom Thibodeau, Referees 

The call in question awarded the ball to the Warriors after a scramble for the rebound of Manu Ginobili's missed 3- point attempt with the score tied at 84. Warriors center Andrew Bogut initially grabbed the rebound, and televised replays clearly showed his right foot over the end line, out of bounds, while the ball was trapped on his hip. The referees did not make an out-of-bounds call at that point, and when the ball was knocked out of Bogut's hands, Warriors guard Jarrett Jack gained possession long enough to call a timeout. San Antonio Express-News

Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, Andrew Bogut, Referees 

NBA spokesman Tim Frank on Monday acknowledged that the out-of-bounds call that should have been made on Bogut had been missed but said the referees were correct in not asking for a video review. San Antonio Express-News

Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, Tim Frank, Andrew Bogut, Referees 

The playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat has been more physical than usual, but this play makes no sense. After wrapping LeBron James up and drawing a technical foul on LeBron, veteran Bulls forward Nazr Mohammed shoved James to the ground. Mohammed was subsequently tossed, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. For The Win

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Nazr Mohammed, Referees 

Tim Bontemps: LeBron on why he didn't come back at Nazr after push: "If I get kicked out and Nazr Mohammed gets kicked out at the same time, who wins?" Twitter @TimBontemps

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Nazr Mohammed, Referees 

KC Johnson: Thibodeau on Nazr/LeBron play: "From my angle, I just saw a guy basically flop. And I’m going to leave it at that." #Bulls Twitter @KCJHoop

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Tom Thibodeau, Nazr Mohammed, Referees 

KC Johnson: Thibodeau on Nazr: "I didn’t think it warranted an ejection. I understand a flagrant foul. But an ejection nope." #Bulls Twitter @KCJHoop

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Tom Thibodeau, Nazr Mohammed, Referees 

When everyone else watched Chicago's Nazr Mohammed make a run at James, shove him tumbling onto his back on Friday night, the Bulls witnessed something else: confirmation of a conspiracy. Mohammed earned the ejection, and the rest of these Bulls earned the indignation and outrage that they need for public retaliation. "We're well aware of what's going on," Thibodeau seethed late Friday. "I'm watching how things are going. I watch very closely. What I'm seeing is… "…We'll adjust accordingly." Yahoo! Sports

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Tom Thibodeau, Nazr Mohammed, Referees