In 1994, Jack Madden, recognized as one of the best referees in
history, retired after having presided over 35 NBA Finals games.
He continues to follow the sport closely, and we checked in with
Madden for his views on refereeing a Bulls-Jazz series.
SI: Fans and players have the perception that referees are ready
with a makeup call when a clearly bad call has been made on the
other end of the floor. Is that true?
A retired ref says His Airness doesn't walk only on water.
(Michael Zagaris)
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Madden: No, that's a myth. If we did that, we'd make a travesty
of the game. We're human. Sometimes we miss calls. But if we
called a makeup for everything we missed, we'd be trying to even
the score all night.
SI: So is it also a myth that Michael Jordan gets away with more
than most players?
Madden: There's some truth to that. Michael Jordan is the
greatest player I've ever seen. He's so quick with his feet that
he gets away with walking an unbelievable number of times,
especially when he's in the post, with his back to the basket.
SI: Why don't officials call it?
Madden: Sometimes his feet move too fast [for the official to
detect the violation], and sometimes the refs are concentrating
on what the defensive player is doing.
SI: Did you nail Jordan for traveling?
Madden: All the time. He got upset about it, too. I think he
hated to see me walk into the gym.
SI: Does Jordan intimidate officials?
Madden: He intimidates the younger referees. He gets in their
faces, and that can be tough for a new guy. Obviously Jordan
intimidates players and coaches, so you can see how it would
happen with some refs. But not the veterans. They've heard it
all before.
SI: What about John Stockton? His opponents claim he's a dirty
player.
Madden: I never saw that. He's very smart, very competitive, and
other guys are jealous because he's so great for his size.
SI: When you officiated, what did you look for with Stockton?
Madden: We'd probably concentrate on how he was setting screens.
He sets a lot of them during a game. Some are moving
screens—but not as many as opposing teams think.
SI: Do the Bulls get more calls in their favor, the way many
felt the great Celtics teams did?
Madden: I laugh when I hear that. People don't realize that when
you're the better team, you are better in every way, including
how you execute. The great teams deserve all the breaks and
calls they get.
Issue date: June 15, 1998
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NBA Finals
