Tony Brothers officiating Game 2 is a bad sign for the Celtics
Mar 11, 2019; Cleveland, OH: NBA referee Tony Brothers looks on during the fourth quarter of a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)
From the NBA Newswire at 985TheSportsHub.com
The NBA has announced the officiating crew for Game 2 between the Celtics and Bucks on Tuesday. It’s bad news for Boston.
Tony Brothers will be the referee for Tuesday’s game at Fiserv Arena, when the Celtics will look to go up 2-0 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Milwaukee. Marc Davis will be the crew chief to go with umpire Tom Washington.
Brothers, though, is the issue here. Over/Under 98.5 host Dan Lifshatz tweeted some damning information as it relates to the Celtics and Brothers-officiated games. Namely, they’re 1-8 in their last nine postseason games with Brothers as the ref, and 0-13 in their last 13 road games.
Celtics in their last 9 Playoff Games Officiated by Tony Brothers: 1-8
— Dan Lifshatz (@DanLifshatz) April 30, 2019
Celtics in their last 13 Road Games Officiated by Tony Brothers: 0-13
In that span the Celtics are a sub .250 team ATS with Brother as the ref
The referees association said that it determines the officials for the first four games of every series before they begin. So it’s likely that Brothers’ presence on Tuesday night is just a coincidence for Boston. But that Brothers wasn’t announced as the referee until Tuesday is certainly enough to make fans suspicious.
But the Celtics will have to hope that Game 2 doesn’t go like their recent games with Brothers officiating. The fact that the Bucks aren’t likely to make any adjustments may bode well for them.
Listen to the latest Over/Under 98.5 podcast below:
Click here for all Celtics/NBA updates from 98.5 The Sports Hub.
