http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4676782/ref-danny-crawford-comes-and-goes-quietlyquote:
DALLAS -- Chalk it up. The Dallas Mavericks are now 3-16 in the playoffs when referee Danny Crawford is on the floor.
There was plenty of pregame chatter about Crawford coming to town as the lead official for Tuesday's pivotal Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the end, Crawford exited with a solid, non-controversial performance and the Mavs got a needed victory, 101-89, to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Dallas had lost 16 of 17 and six in a row with Crawford blowing the whistle.
--SNIP--
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4676693/refereemavs-nemesis-danny-crawford-is-in-dallasquote:
The Dallas Mavericks are 2-16 in playoff games officiated by Danny Crawford. The Mavericks are 4-14 against the spread in playoff games refereed by Crawford since 2001 compared to 47-41-1 vs the spread in all other playoff games in that span (according to information from Covers.com). The reason this is important is that the spread is essentially one of the best ways to look at what a team is expected to do in a game. Historically, the spread has been shown to be an accurate predictor of what happens in a game – that is, teams are generally .500 against the spread over large samples of games. Therefore, the fact that the Mavericks seem to underperform compared to expectations (as proxied by the spread) in games reffed by Crawford is possibly more compelling evidence than the 2-16 overall record.
Not saying he's crooked. Not necessarily saying he's got it out for the Mavs or even Cuban. I will say that he calls a type of game that doesn't favor the Mavs style of play.
