Spencer Dinwiddie recorded a team-high 20 points with three rebounds and three assists; and despite the loss, everyone’s talking about Dinwiddie

After winning two consecutive games and outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves with Karl-Anthony Towns and scoring-machine Jimmy Butler, the Nets, as they readied themselves to go up against the Boston Celtics, were ready to show and prove that they can play with anybody. The Brooklyn Nets players were amped up and so were the fans.

Then, down the stretch, fans, reporters, analysts, and even the coaching staffs could see that the Nets were not getting legitimate calls in their favor by the officials. Towards the end of the matchup, it was the conversation heard by those entertaining the viewers watching on television, in the corridors at the Barclays Center, and in the locker room. It’s okay for fans and reporters to talk about NBA officials, but for players and coaches, absolutely not, or risk the hammer coming down from the NBA.

However, one player, who is in his fourth year in the league and who spent some of his time in NBA Developmental League, out of frustration, spoke up.

“It's funny you mention it being physical and not a lot of calls,” Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie said in responding to a reporter’s question. “It's a tough loss for us. It makes us 0-3 against the Celtics. Obviously, we wanted to be there and these are games we feel we should have won. It's become a trend this year. As a leader of the team, I can express our frustrations. We’re losing guys to whatever random contact, people are driving to the basket and getting knocked down- things of that nature. To see the same type of respect not reciprocated is very frustrating for us.”

“The other thing that is very frustrating as well,” Dinwiddie continued, “is we have these meetings right, as teams, or with PA about respect and so we want to treat everybody with respect because everybody is doing their jobs and they're trying their best including us. We turned the ball over calls are missed whatever it is. But when you approach somebody and they shush you or they wave you off like you're not a man or something of that nature that's also very frustrating. To already be in the position of feeling like you're not getting the same respect whether true or false it is an opinion at the end of the day. It’s very subjective. That is an opinion. But to have that and not just in one case but time after time, and like I said to be shushed [as] if you're not a man, those are the things that are really frustrating for guys on this team for sure. Especially games that are so hard-fought that come down to the last second.”

As thrilling as last night’s Brooklyn Nets game against the Boston Celtics was, it is a wake-up call, a clear sign that it is time for the NBA to clean up its officiating house.

I know, the common response is, just play and don’t look for the refs to bail you out. But if the calls were evenly distributed on the merits, perhaps, the officiating in the NBA wouldn’t be an issue. Imagine if this game was an early game during the Olympics and USA Basketball was playing the Russian team. During the game, you notice the Russian team is getting preferential treatment because the officials feel they need to help the Russians because USA Basketball is better. Or, if this was any game during the NBA Finals, the favored team gets all the favorable calls. No one would be silent.

So, Dinwiddie started the conversation this season, now it is time for anyone that cares about NBA Basketball, to speak up for the integrity of the game. Do away with the preferential calls because a player is a superstar, or it’s the home team, or the team is the best in its conference, etc. At the end of the day, preference distorts stats for players and teams.

The #NBA needs to do better and clean up its officiating act for the integrity of the game.

#DinwiddieIsAbsolutelyRight!