A UNIQUE LOOK AT THE NBA THROUGH THE EYES OF LONGTIME REFEREE JOE CRAWFORD

One of the most colorful and readily identifiable NBA officials of recent times is Joe Crawford, who spent 39 pounding the court in arenas across the United States and Canada. There isn’t a more outspoken or brutally honest official in any sport. Crawford was in the middle of the action from the rebirth of the league behind Magic and Bird, through the Jordan years and then the era of the super teams. Among the topics that Joe opens up and discusses:

*The rigors of officiating; staying in shape, staying alert*His maturation; learning who was honest; the guys he respectedwhen they told him he missed a call*Do analytics improve the quality of officiating?*The Tim Duncan incident; how it made him a better ref andhelped with anger management