In the last Give Me Control column of the season, Todd Warnick looks at the plays that gave him cause for concern in this year's final, especially inconsistency in blocking situations and protecting shooters and other decisions, including Wade Baldwin's ejection and Alpha Diallo's 5th foul.
After a rough opening quarter for the referees in the 2025 Euroleague final, which included errors in judgment and questionable game management, the officiating mostly settled down for the remainder of the game.
However, there was a rough patch in the middle of the 3rd quarter and again near the end.
In this Give Me Control column, BasketNews referee consultant Todd Warnick looks at the plays that gave him cause for concern in this year's final, especially inconsistency in blocking situations and protecting shooters.
Todd also takes a deep dive into a key 5th foul call on Alpha Diallo with 2:14 left in the game, as well as the foul called just after that at 1:37 on his teammate, Daniel Theis.
The column also asks questions as to the technical foul called on Wade Baldwin IV at 5:45 in the 4th quarter, which ultimately led to Fenerbahce guard's ejection after getting called for an unsportsmanlike foul at 2:29, which Todd also explains.
This Give Me Control column also points out too many times in this game when referee technique and style were more like 1995 than 2025.
The referees' overall lack of discipline, including the use of inappropriate signals, coverage, and movement (i.e., referee mechanics), directly affected their decision-making and game management.
