Bickerstaff says ref Goble entered game with bias against Pistons - ESPN

DALLAS — Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff singled out crew chief John Goble as «not objective» after their 116-114 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Bickerstaff never specified the official by name during his terse postgame media availability, but he repeatedly referenced calls made by Goble, including a technical foul and ejection of Pistons forward Ausar Thompson during the second quarter and a technical foul on Bickerstaff seconds after the halftime buzzer.

According to Bickerstaff, Goble told him during the game, «Night by night, this is how our interactions are.»

«So, that says to me that the referee is coming into the game not being objective,» Bickerstaff said. «OK? That same referee, at halftime, I get my technical foul. I don't say anything to him. I go to grab Cade [Cunningham] to get Cade off the floor. He gives me a technical foul. That's my job to get my player away from the referee, get us back to halftime so we can have the conversations that we need to have.

»So, the same referee who comes into the game who's not objective, and then he goes out and makes those calls. [That] same referee, if you take a look at the play where he ejects A.T, he steps towards A.T., right? That's where the minimal contact happens, where he steps towards him and initiates it."

Goble told a pool reporter that Thompson was ejected «for aggressively approaching and making contact with an official.»

Goble cited «continuous complaining» for why Bickerstaff was assessed a technical at halftime. Cunningham, who was complaining to Goble before Bickerstaff intervened, had been called for a technical foul with 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The Pistons rallied from an 18-point deficit in the