The Pacers beat the Lakers 79-77 last night. With 1:15 left and the score tied at 74-74, referee Joey Crawford called a key foul on Lakers PG Chris Duhon, and promptly danced his way to mid-court in five hops to announce the call.
Here's the video, analysis and GIF below:
As a general rule, we're in favor of anything that makes sports more entertaining.
But referees are different than players. They're supposed to be impartial observers, blind to the moment and immune from getting swept up in the frenzy of the game. They're supposed to blend into the background, not make themselves bigger than the game. Crawford violated pretty much all of those rules.
And while his dance was admittedly excellent, with 1:15 left in a tight game, it was neither the time nor the place to try and be silly. Save it for a blowout or, maybe, an exhibition game.
It was also a bad call. Duhon had his feet set and was outside the semi-circle — it's either a charge on Indiana or a no-call.
Funny dance, really terrible time to do it:
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