Michael Smith had seen Melrose High star James Bradley ... or when he was in grade school captivated by watching NBA referees on television, Smith made the right career call.

The playoff roster features 28 referees who have 10 or more years ... Kevin Scott, Aaron Smith, Michael Smith, Ben Taylor, Josh Tiven, Justin Van Duyne, James Williams, Sean Wright and Zach ...

Michael Jordan returns to the NBA ... with ESPN preparing to bring TNT’s Inside the NBA crew—Charles Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson —into its programming lineup.

The incident occurred after the forward received two technical fouls for swearing during the Dec. 6 game Ronald Cortes/Getty NBA star Zach ... towards referee Michael Smith as the cameras quickly ...