Behind the crucial calls NBA refs make on the biggest stage

FOR TWO GLORIOUS hours on Thursday night, all is right in the basketball universe. From where Monty McCutchen is sitting in the raucous lower bowl of Oracle Arena, about 20 rows up from Game 1 of the NBA Finals, a multitude of spotlights bathe the court with a warm glow.

The NBA's new vice president and head of referee development and training, McCutchen observes the Game 1 crew move with precision from end to end. McCutchen, after a 25-year career as one the league's most highly-regarded game officials, is pleased with what he's witnessing tonight. It isn't merely that the calls are decisive and clean -- with the world's top players even, at times, raising their hands in acknowledgment that…