Think you've got a problem with authority?

Well, this is how conflicted people around the NBA are about the officiating at the moment: On Sunday, Rasheed Wallace actually restrained someone else from going after a ref.

That someone was his coach, Larry Brown, who put the finishing touches on one of the most lawless stretches in memory by getting himself tossed out late in the first quarter of an eventual 100-83 win by his Detroit Pistons over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The details aren't worth recounting beyond the man-bites-dog angle that Wallace, one of the league's genuine matchheads, provided by stepping between Brown and referee Bill Spooner as a peacemaker. Then again, a lot of people in the NBA have been acting funny around the officials lately.

Orlando star Tracy McGrady kicked off ref-a-palooza in a game against Denver 10 days ago. Upset over a call, McGrady punted the basketball into the stands, and as soon as it was returned, punted it back into the crowd. That same night, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan began ripping official Leon Wood right after the final buzzer and didn't stop until security guards intervened. Sensing rebellion in the air, Seattle's normally mild-mannered Ray Allen went off on the refs that night, too, though he saved his rant for the postgame.

The league responded with the usual wrist slaps, fining McGrady and Allen $10,000 each and letting Jordan off with $7,500. Fat lot of good that did. Two nights later, the Wizards' Jerry Stackhouse vented his frustration over a call by tossing a basketball into the stands, a heave that cost him $5,000. But all those episodes did was set the stage for Wednesday night's game between the Lakers and Nuggets at Denver.

With the Nuggets leading 111-109 late in the game, a shot by Denver's Andre Miller appeared to brush the rim and teammate Carmelo Anthony got the rebound. Before he could put the ball back up, referee Michael Henderson blew the whistle for a shot-clock violation. But after huddling with fellow officials Jack Nies and Jess Kersey, they decided to instead label the call an inadvertent whistle. The Lakers won the subsequent jump ball, and Kareem Rush hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left.

After the buzzer sounded: Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik started raging about being robbed and had to be restrained; the refs made a dash for the tunnel while being pelted with ice by fans; and Nuggets center Marcus Camby followed them into the hallway throwing curses and a towel.

Some people have argued that the league's officiating has never been worse. After sorting through reports from the Lakers-Nuggets game the next day, Stu Jackson, the league's lord of discipline, gave them some more ammunition.

``This was an unfortunate call at a highly critical point in the game, and we very much regret the error,'' Jackson said.

Henderson hasn't worked a game since and is due in New York for a meeting Tuesday with the league's officiating supervisors. Though Jackson refused to label it a suspension, National Basketball Referees Association attorney Lamell Morris did just that and called the action ``unprecedented.''

But then a funny thing happened. Support for the refs started pouring in.

In a show of solidarity, 28 of the 30 officials working Friday wore their jerseys backward with a hand-lettered No. ``62'' _ Henderson's number _ on the back. Quickly getting into the spirit of things, the Clippers Quentin Richardson pulled his jersey out of his shorts in the third quarter _ ``I told them I was protesting with them; I was going to protest whatever they was protesting,'' he said _ and then the Knicks' Stephon Marbury followed suit.

``He saw me doing it and he said, 'I'm protesting too,''' Richardson recalled. ``It was funny.''

While the refs calling the game happily looked the other way, NBA commissioner David Stern wasn't laughing.

``Last night's display was woefully inconsistent with the professionalism with which NBA officials normally conduct themselves,'' Stern said in a statement. ``There is nothing more to say at this time.''

True to its word, the league has said nothing since, perhaps because the loss may wind up costing the Nuggets a chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

But it hasn't stopped traffic in the other direction. Until the NBA beat up one of its refs, players and coaches lined up most nights and volunteered to do it for them. Now, they're providing testimonials instead.

``The referees are like any human beings. We don't suspend players for making mistakes,'' Dallas coach Don Nelson said. ``If we did, we'd have nobody on our roster.''

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Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org