Boston Celtics: The 25 Most Hated Opponents
By Bill Speros
22. The Refs
The refs are on every team’s most-hated list. While it may seem hard to believe for some fans outside of Boston, the Celtics and their fans are often complaining about bad calls and non-calls. The Celtics have been robbed by every ref in the league at least five times in each game since 1956 – just ask former player, coach and announcer Tommy Heinsohn. He now works as an in-studio analyst for the team’s Comcast Sports Net New England broadcasts and is quick to point out any shortcoming when it comes to officiating.
Legendary Boston announcer Johnny Most, too, would often scream with incredulity about the injustices committed against Johnny Havlicek, Dave Cowens or Larry Bird. The atrocities continue. Just last April, Boston’s Jonas Jerebko was on the wrong end of “NBA’s worst non-call ever” during a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jerebko raced to the basket after a steal but Carter-Williams came up from behind and hacked Jerebko on the right arm. Referee David Jones called it a block, and gave the Celtics ball out of bounds.
Next: No. 21 -- The Draft Lottery