Do you think Boston fans are blaming Wednesday's Celtics loss on the weak play of team's veteran core? No, of course not. They're blaming it on the refs. That's just what Boston Celtics fans do. They may have a long list of rivalries with other actual teams, but everyone knows the uniform they despise most in the NBA is the stripped white-and-black one. At least when the game doesn't turn out their way.
So now Celtics fans are planning to protest the refs by wearing masks of disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy during tonight's game.
Donaghy is, of course, the disgraced NBA ref who spent 15 months in prison back in 2008 for gambling on the NBA and influencing games enough to affect the point spread. He's the mascot of sorts for people who believe crookedness among NBA refs goes much, much deeper.
So, Boston sports radio duo Toucher and Rich, the area's number one radio duo (and subjects of a pretty interesting recent profile, if you're into reading about such things) are trying to get fans to wear masks with Donaghy images to protest what they see as corrupt officiating. The local CBS station even has the masks available for download.
The belief that the refs handed the game to the Heat is running deep in Massachusetts at the moment, as evidenced by web memes like this.
The New York Times is even on the case.
Of course, they're whining about Dwyane Wade's apparently uncalled foul of Rajon Rondo in overtime, and LeBron getting a little, uh, kick is far from the right word, so let's go with "foot contact" on Kevin Garnett, but still benefiting from a foul call.
Of course, after a Miami team loses, Miami fans simply mutter "our team sucks," and ignore the team until they get better. In Boston, they blame anyone else but the players. The Red Sox went decades without a World Series win? It's a curse, of course. They lost a close playoff game to a team that blew them out in Game 1 after they completely broke down in the third quarter? It's the refs, and the NBA surely has it out for one of its biggest, oldest and most devoted markets. Of course!
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