Rugged play on rise in playoffs

The old saying “basketball is a contact sport, football is a collision sport” sure doesn’t apply to the NBA these days.

- WIGGINS' WORLD Dave Wiggins

The opening round of The League's playoffs has really proven that.

The play in those games was as violent as Wiggins’ World has ever seen. Bodies were flying all over the court and welts, cuts and bruises abounded.

Near fights and verbal jousting took place in almost every contest.

Another old saying may explain all the rough stuff in these playoffs: “The referees are letting them play.”

They sure were in the opening round, at least.

Calling every little bump or bit of incidental contact a foul was the norm during the regular reason. But not so far in the postseason.

In these playoffs, downright muggings are ignored and not called.

One such example of no blood, no foul refereeing may have cost the Detroit Pistons their series with the New York Knicks.

Detroit were losing by a point in the closing seconds of game four, in a series they trailed 2 games to 1.

The Pistons’ Tim Hardaway Jr took a jump shot from the corner, drawing heavy body contact from his Knicks’ defender — an obvious foul.