I'm trying to find some consistency with the officiating in regards to the Mavs last couple of playoff ventures. I'm having a hard time, so let us examine it a bit deeper. Last Saturday: There's roughly 7 seconds left on the clock. The Mavericks have a foul to give, and they are up by two. Just about every intelligent coach in the NBA will give a foul in this situation, as it limits the amount of time the opposing team has to score the ball. The officials usually know this, and are more apt to call fouls in this situation, because that is the obvious desire of the defensive team. Well, Denver in bounds the ball, and Antoine Wright steps out to pressure Carmelo Anthony, he bumps him once with no foul call. He then knocks the ball from Carmelo's hands due to a reach in foul, but no foul is given. Ultimately Carmelo hits a miracle three pointer and the Denver Nuggets win the game. The explanation? The "let them play" unwritten rule that the NBA has apparently adopted. There are also those who say that Wright should have fouled Carmelo harder in that situation, which may be true, but let's take a step back in time. 05-06 NBA Finals (Mavs vs. Heat): In this scenario Dwyane Wade has the ball in bounded to him. Circles the court, and then drives to the basket. Upon arriving at the basket he misses a game winning lay up, but is apparently fouled in the process (despite several video angles showing that no foul took place, certainly not as much contact as Carmelo received in Game 3 of the Mavs-Nuggets series). Now you may say that it's an issue of how the officials are calling the game, but I'd argue that the games were very similarly officiated (i.e. extremely tight). Was this a "Let them play" scenario in OT of a NBA Finals game? Sure seemed like it, especially if the Wright-Melo situation was a "Let them play." scenario. Let's look at another scenarios involving this playoffs, and the 05-06 Mavs series. 08-09 Boston vs. Chicago Rajon Rondo "makes a play on the ball", and then subsequently makes a play on Brad MIller's face in a key situation at the end of the game. Rajon Rondo almost knocks Brad Miller's teeth out and he requires stitches for the wound Rondo caused. Rondo was not called for a flagrant-2, he wasn't even called for a flagrant-1, he was given a personal foul and Brad Miller was forced to shoot the free throws. 08-09 Houston vs. Lakers Ron Artest, at the end of a blow out game, is awarded a flagrant-2 foul for fouling Pau Gasol. Artest makes a play on the ball, runs through Pau, and Pau falls to the ground. Artest's flagrant-2 is ultimately reduced to a flagrant-1 and is not suspended for the next game in the series. No injuries occured. 05-06 Mavs vs. Heat In this situation the Mavs are getting blown out by the Heat in game 4 of the NBA finals. Shaquille O'Neal is running down the court on a fastbreak, and Jerry Stackhouse fouls him hard while making a play on the ball (as much as Rondo did anyway). O'neal falls to the floor and into the stands. Stackhouse is awarded a flagrant-1 foul during the game, and no injuries occurred from the foul. The next day Stackhouse's foul is upgraded from a flagrant-1 to a flagrant-2 foul and is suspended for a critical game 5 game in Miami. Stackhouse in 05-06 was a critical player for the Mavs, filling the 6th man role, and could have been the difference in a very close game. Where is the consistency in all of this? Well, the only thing you can count on is that when it comes to the Mavs, bet on them getting the short end of the officiating stick.