From the Times, "Working the Refs Is Part of a Coach’s Game Plan."

Not exactly what I expected. Reading it makes me kinda think the NBA refs have a sweet gig. *grin*

Rudy Tomjanovich, a former coach of the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, said he held firm to one simple rule: “Never get personal. It’s always about the basketball play — the way I see it and the way they see it. I never say, ‘Well, you aren’t doing this right.’ It can get as heated as you want about a basketball play, because you aren’t talking about the guy.”

At halftime, an N.B.A. coach may cycle through game film, especially if he has forcefully argued a call only to see it go against his team.

If he criticized a referee’s call and then saw it validated on film, D’Antoni said he would apologize. “I’ll do it all the time,” he said.“They’ve got to know I’m whacked out. Not because of them, but because of the situation. That I want my guys to play hard or feel the emotion.”

Or, maybe it's just that some women's basketball coaches could learn some lessons from the NBA.