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A Conversation With the NBA's Head of Officiating Monty McCutchen

Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.

The best referees subscribe to a simple credo: It’s best not to be noticed. The point being that if fans and media are talking about you, it’s probably because something went wrong. Monty McCutchen gleefully broke the code last week, though for all the right reasons.

McCutchen—the NBA’s head of officiating, and previously one of its top-rated refs—made an impromptu TV appearance to discuss a disputed traveling call against Knicks star Julius Randle, made in the final seconds of a loss to the Nets.