Sydney Sixers are firming as the likely Big Bash League destination for AB de Villiers, as part of a package deal with Cricket Australia and broadcasters that may be worth more than AUD350,000 for a stint at the back end of next summer's tournament.

CA and broadcasters both confirmed to BBL clubs that they would offer financial assistance to help secure de Villiers' signature ahead of a season where the men's ODI team will be absent from Australia during a chunk of January - CA's contribution understood to be up to $50,000 in return for marketing services. The Sixers appear to have the inside running for reasons over and above than the playing, marketing and broadcasting deal they are able to piece together for the South African and his management.

All eight BBL clubs were believed to have submitted offers to de Villiers last week, with the Sydney Thunder's proposal strengthened by the salary cap room afforded to them by the retirement of Shane Watson, who will restrict himself to shorter overseas T20 jaunts rather than the longer and more demanding BBL schedule.

However, the Sixers have a couple of advantages not able to be found elsewhere. Not only will de Villiers have a friend and former team-mate on hand in Morne Morkel, who will be spending six months of the year in Sydney with his family, he will be able to play home games at the SCG, the venue of his memorable 162 from 66 balls for South Africa against the West Indies at the 2015 World Cup.

"We would be absolutely delighted to have AB join the Sixers and have made an offer for this summer," Sixers general manager Jodie Hawkins told ESPNcricinfo. "We understand there are a number of BBL clubs wanting to welcome AB, but we believe we offer him a great option to experience the Big Bash, living in Sydney by the beach, playing at one of his favourite grounds, the SCG, and just enjoying what Sydney offers in summer, that's a pretty good proposition. He'd also be great working with some of our young stars like Josh Philippe, and meeting our incredible fans."

Ad hoc high profile signings with financial assistance from CA and broadcasters such as Fox Sports have been a part of the BBL's history, most notably Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen with Melbourne Stars, and the news that the Australian ODI team would be pressed to honour a pre-existing commitment to tour India next January has helped add impetus to the push to secure de Villiers for at least part of the next competition.

But the creation of a more equitable marquee system for high profile international names remains strongly desired by numerous clubs, while others within the Australian system would prefer an auction for overseas players. The Australian Cricketers Association has blocked attempts by CA to add one more overseas place to BBL playing lists for next summer, arguing that the length of the tournament is a greater barrier to the world's best players taking part rather than the money or squad positions available.

Andrew McDonald, coach of the tournament-winning Melbourne Renegades, told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year that the BBL's credibility demanded a more even system for high profile overseas players. "I think the only way you could do that is to have a marquee [fund]," McDonald said in February. "[CA] is talking to us. Everyone is talking essentially. Our CEO is talking to us as coaches, that's going back up to Cricket Australia.

"We've identified that there is a problem or a potential problem, if we don't get it right going forward. I think the only way to do it is if we have eight marquee spots available, get 16 players from around the world to nominate, and then you have a marquee draft. Just have a lottery draft. Pull the Melbourne Stars out of the hat first, whoever out of the hat second and they pick eight marquee players, and those marquee players have to sign up for the entirety of the tournament."

The Stars and Melbourne Renegades are among other clubs believed to be heavily interested in de Villiers, but there is also a parallel competition to secure Andre Russell, whose star has shone evermore brightly in this year's IPL, resulting in his recall to the West Indies ODI team for the World Cup in England later this year.

Other BBL recruiting moves are afoot, with Fawad Ahmed set to join the Perth Scorchers to form a spin bowling tandem with Ashton Agar, and the West Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile likely to be unveiled by the Melbourne Stars among their signings for 2019-20.

Alex Hales has been withdrawn from all England squads ahead of the international season in the wake of his 21-day ban for using recreational drugs.

According to an ECB statement, Ashley Giles, ECB's managing director of England men's cricket, and the England selectors, headed by Ed Smith, took the decision after considering what is in the best interests of the England team.

"Consideration was given to creating the right environment within the team and ensuring that there are no unnecessary distractions and that the team is in the best position to succeed going into this crucial period," read the statement.

Hales will not travel to Ireland for a one-off ODI on Friday in Malahide and has also been removed from England's squad for the T20I, the one-day series against Pakistan, and the preliminary World Cup squad.

"We have thought long and hard about this decision," Giles said. "We have worked hard to create the right environment around the England team and need to consider what is in the best interests of the team, to ensure they are free from any distractions and able to focus on being successful on the pitch.

"I want to make it clear this is not the end of Alex's career as an England player. The ECB and the PCA will continue to aid Alex and work alongside his county club Nottinghamshire to give him the support he needs, to help him fulfil his potential as a professional cricketer."

England will name a replacement for the ODI series against Pakistan in due course.

Last week, it was announced that Hales had failed a drugs test, having tested positive for a recreational drug in recent weeks.

He is currently serving a 21-day ban after returning a second positive test, having pulled out of Nottinghamshire's Royal London Cup campaign, shortly after the World Cup squad was announced, for undisclosed personal reasons.

The drugs violation is understood to have been detected after Hales underwent a routine hair-follicle test, which all professional men's cricketers and centrally contracted women's players undergo at the start and finish of every season.

This incident is just the latest disciplinary issue to have affected Hales' career. In December, he was handed a six-match ban - four of which are still suspended - and fined by the ECB following the Cricket Disciplinary Commission's inquiry into the fracas outside Mbargo nightclub in September 2017 that led to Ben Stokes' arrest and subsequent trial for affray.

Hales has not been a first-choice player in England's white-ball squad since being dropped in the wake of that incident, with Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy forging a successful partnership at the top of the order.

However, in June last year, Hales' 147 from 92 balls was the key innings in England's world-record total of 481 for 6 against Australia at Trent Bridge, and the strength that he would have added to England's squad depth will be keenly missed, especially now that his most obvious understudy, Sam Billings, has been ruled out of the season due to a dislocated shoulder.

England have until May 23 to finalise their World Cup 15, and so the coming series against Ireland and the Pakistan matches represent a huge opportunity for a replacement batsman to make his case for selection. The current front-runner would appear to be Hampshire's James Vince, who made a career-best 190 from 154 balls against Gloucestershire last week.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Australia's best female cricketers Meg Lanning, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry have missed out on an IPL payday in the region of US $30,000 each for a mere three matches, after Cricket Australia formally informed them that the BCCI would not reverse its decision to omit the trio from the exhibition tournament to be held next month.

The cash on offer for the IPL exhibition dwarfs even the payments on offer for the Women's Big Bash League, the world's premier Twenty20 competition, where a minimum contract retainer for 2019-20 will be around A$11,000 and average retainers a little more than A$20,000 for a full home and away tournament of 14 matches plus finals.

Lanning, Healy and Perry remained hopeful of a compromise over the four days since the BCCI announced IPL exhibition squads devoid of Australian players on April 25, but were finally told the bad news by interim team performance chief Belinda Clark on Monday and are understood to be highly frustrated by the turn of events.

CA had been acting as a collective agent on behalf of the players and, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Clark had told the BCCI on April 5 that their availability would only be confirmed after talks between the CA chief executive Kevin Roberts and his BCCI opposite number Rahul Johri resolved a parallel scheduling conflict over an Australian ODI tour of India in January.

CA has denied using the players' availability as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the men's ODI series, but on Monday issued a public apology for how a "communication breakdown" had cost Perry, Lanning and Healy.

"We have always been supportive of the Women's IPL and had every intention of participating," a CA spokesperson said. "We are also very keen to ensure a strong working relationship with the BCCI.

"While we are in regular contact with the BCCI, there has clearly been a communication breakdown on this occasion and the women have been impacted as a result. We're sorry this has happened and are determined to ensure our relationship with India remains open and collaborative to avoid future such incidents."

Roberts and the CA chairman Earl Eddings are expected to visit India next month as part of their efforts to improve a relationship with the BCCI that has broken down to the visible cost of Perry, Lanning and Healy, as well as CA's broadcast rights holders Fox Sports.

The pay television operator paid the majority share of a AU $1.18 billion rights deal last year, largely for exclusive coverage of men's ODI and T20I cricket in Australia and are now facing a 2019-20 schedule devoid of the former.

This is not the first time Australia's elite women have been embroiled in wider negotiations.

During the most recent, and often hostile, bargaining between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association over the players' Memorandum of Understanding, the Australian Women's team were left out of contract at the conclusion of their 2017 World Cup campaign, along with domestic players who were on semi-professional contracts.

At the time, both CA and the ACA made tempting financial offers in their proposals. The players chose to keep solidarity with the ACA, increasing pressure on CA to make a deal.

Bangladesh's biggest player will be missing from the team's official World Cup picture - and all because he'd left the ground before the photo session took place. It's left the picture with a legend-sized hole and also left the BCB president fairly angry about it.

Shakib Al Hasan, who had arrived in Dhaka on Sunday and had come to the Shere Bangla National Stadium to report to the team management, apparently left before the team gathered for the photo on the outfield. BCB president Nazmul Hassan said that he came to know Shakib was informed of the team's schedule on what was officially the final day of training in Dhaka, before the team's departure for Dublin, to play a tri-series against Ireland and West Indies, on May 1. And with the players getting Tuesday off, the BCB had crammed all their programmes, including the captain's press conference, team lunch with the president and directors, the photo sessions and other commercial-related work for Monday.

"It is disappointing, what else can I say?" Hassan said. "It was the team's photo session. I came and asked about him. I didn't know he had arrived last night. I called him, and he said he is going to come to my house at night. I said to him to come to the ground. He said I have already left. I asked everyone here, and they said Shakib was informed of the photo session. He didn't turn up for training but we hoped for his presence in the photo session. But he wasn't here.

"I think the rest of the team is used to it. What else can I say? I think it is his misfortune that he couldn't be in the team photo before the team leaves for the World Cup. There's no question about [giving him too much leeway]. The team is leaving day after tomorrow, so we don't want to talk too much about it. But it is definitely disappointing."

Shakib didn't respond to ESPNcricinfo's message regarding the BCB chief's reaction.

Despite having some run-ins with the BCB on several other issues, Shakib is not known to have missed any official team photos or similar affairs in the past.

The NFL and the players' union have reviewed the audiotape that a TV station aired last week on which Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his fiancée discuss injuries to their child, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The league has historically declined to use the commissioner's exempt list in the offseason but is considering making an exception in this case, likely as early as this week, because Hill is in the middle of an ongoing criminal investigation. The designation is a way to keep a player off the field while the league reviews a charge or allegation and reaches a conclusion on discipline, and the league usually waits until the legal system concludes its process, which was just reopened last week in Kansas City after prosecutors received the audio from a local TV station.

The exemption usually works as a suspension with pay, but because players aren't paid in the offseason, that doesn't apply in this case. While on the commissioner's exempt list, Hill would be prohibited by the NFL from taking part in practices and other team activities.

Hill has been suspended from all team-related activities in the wake of the audio that surfaced Thursday in which he discusses abusing his son. Hill also told his fiancée, Crystal Espinal, that she should be "terrified'' of him during an 11-minute discussion that took place in a Dubai airport.

The audio surfaced one day after prosecutors declined to press charges against Hill following a domestic violence investigation. They said at the time that they were convinced a crime had occurred but were unable to determine whether it was Hill or Espinal who hurt their son.

The prosecutor, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, reopened the case on Friday after receiving the audio file from KCTV in Kansas City.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Saturday that the team is conducting its own internal investigation, though it's unclear how much information the Johnson County District Attorney's office will make available.

There was speculation that the Chiefs could release Hill once this past weekend's NFL draft was over, but Hunt declined to discuss those internal deliberations. He said Saturday that "there are a couple of ongoing investigations relating to Tyreek, and we're going to have to let that process play out.''

The NFL draft drew record numbers both on site and on television.

The league said Monday that more than 600,000 attended over the three days in Nashville, easily eclipsing the 250,000 that came to watch two years ago in Philadelphia.

Nielsen reports that the draft on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network averaged 6.1 million viewers at any given time over the three days. The draft averaged 5.5 million viewers last year, which was the first time all seven rounds were on broadcast television.

The average numbers were up despite the ratings for Thursday's first round being flat. The combined average for the three networks was 11.1 million, which was down from last year's 11.2 million. The ABC broadcast averaged 4.5 million, which was up 21 percent from last year's 3.7 million that watched on Fox.

"By every metric -- from the hundreds of thousands of fans who filled the streets of Nashville to the record-breaking ratings and viewership -- this event was an unqualified success," Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president for club business and league events, said in an email.

Next year's draft is slated to take place in Las Vegas and will be the first significant event hosted by the Raiders in their new home city. The Raiders will play their final season in Oakland this year before moving to Nevada.

MILWAUKEE -- The Boston Celtics have known for the better part of three months that if they were to make it to the NBA Finals, they would have to go through the Milwaukee Bucks. More specifically, they would have to try to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo, a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player of the NBA.

Whether they had three months, three weeks or three days, the Celtics knew that when these teams met in the postseason, how they fared would depend on how Al Horford played. On Sunday, he showed the world why.

In a spectacular individual performance that epitomized the best 48 minutes of basketball this Celtics team has played all season, Horford finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks and no turnovers as Boston cruised to an emphatic 112-90 victory over Milwaukee in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at Fiserv Forum.

"We've said all year you can't overstate Al Horford's importance to our team," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "The numbers back that up."

The numbers certainly backed it up on Sunday. As the Celtics had their way with the Bucks at both ends of the floor, bringing to the fore every doubt that has hung over Milwaukee's charmed run to the NBA's best record this season, Horford found himself in the middle of all of it. Some of that came offensively, as his shooting spaced the floor and created room for Boston's guards and wings to wreak havoc in the paint, and where he and Kyrie Irving (26 points and 11 assists) had tremendous success running pick-and-pops against Milwaukee's defense.

More of it came defensively, as he led the charge against Antetokounmpo. The Bucks' star finished with 22 points and eight rebounds but shot just 7-for-21 from the field (including 4-for-16 the first three quarters of the game) and had things made difficult by the Celtics as a group -- and Horford in particular -- with every step he took.

Against Horford, Antetokounmpo shot 1-for- 6 on the day, according to ESPN's Stats & Information. Against Aron Baynes, whom the Celtics moved to the bench to try to ensure that he or Horford was out there virtually every second that Antetokounmpo was during the game, Antetokounmpo went 1-for-4.

"They were loading [the paint] a lot," Antetokounmpo said. "Lots of guys in the paint. Whenever I got in the paint, when I spin or try and change direction, the second guy was right there.

"I've just gotta go watch tape. If they are going to play like this the whole series, I have to be able to make the right pass, trust my teammates to knock down shots."

Boston entered the game with a clear game plan, which Antetokounmpo alluded to, whether Horford was on the court to guard him or not: Pack the paint, and force him to settle for jumpers. Antetokounmpo responded by going 3-for-5 from 3-point range, tying his season high for makes in a game.

But even if he makes three more in each of the remaining games of this series, if Antetokounmpo shoots 25 percent on 2-point shots -- after he hit 64 percent of them during the regular season -- the Celtics will take that tradeoff. They might not have as much success -- and they are unlikely to have more highlight blocks like the one Horford had in the third quarter -- but it's a formula that should prove successful for the Celtics if they can keep implementing it.

"I just think that our group, we all understood how we needed to defend and how dangerous he is once he gets it in the paint," Horford said. "So constantly tonight, we had a couple of breakdowns, but for the most part, I feel like everyone was very aware. Our guards really did a good job of helping and closing down lanes and things like that, and we just wanted to challenge and contest every shot as best we could."

It was a team effort that began and ended with Horford. Boston has spent the season carefully managing Horford's minutes and games played, trying to keep him as fresh as possible for the playoffs. At times earlier this season, when Horford was dealing with tendinitis, some scouts wondered if he'd be able to return to the form he showed during last year's playoffs.

But those days have been long forgotten, as Horford has been consistently excellent for Boston the past few months leading into the playoffs and remained so in Boston's sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round. It certainly didn't change in Game 1 of this series, either, as Horford delivered precisely the performance the Celtics needed to seize home court in this series and show why they still have a chance to do what so many expected them to do when this season began.

"He was the Al Horford we all know and love," Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said. "Knocking down shots, being able to space the floor, also taking advantage of smaller guys in the post and around the rim. Defensively, he was all over the place. [He] really did a good job on Giannis. I thought our team for the most part did a good job on him.

"It's one game, though. They're going to come back even stronger with more energy next game. So it's a good start."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is in the midst of one of the greatest postseason runs of his storied career. The 30-year-old forward continued his brilliant stretch by scoring 35 points and grabbing five rebounds in a 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday. Durant's recent play drew a comparison to Warriors coach Steve Kerr's former teammate with the Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan.

"There's this guy named Michael something," Kerr said as the assembled media chuckled. "Can't remember his last name. No, but Kevin's run this past week has just been off the charts. I've said it a few times this week: He's the most skilled basketball player on Earth. He's one of the most skilled basketball players to ever play the game. There's never been anybody like him. Six-[foot]-11, handles the ball, shoots 3s, passes, defends. He's just an unbelievable talent. And I think after we lost Game 2 to the Clippers, I think he just felt like he had to turn it up and lift us up another level. That's exactly what he's done."

Durant, who is averaging 40.2 points in his past five games, including 50 points in Friday's Game 6 series clincher against the LA Clippers, is dominating at a level that is leaving his teammates and coaches a bit in awe.

"He's playing great right now," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "He's being extremely aggressive, and when he's being aggressive as he's being, I don't think there's anyone in the NBA, maybe the world, that can stop him. So when he's being aggressive like that, that's always a positive for us. It's a challenge for the opposing team."

For his part, Durant is taking his recent play in stride. He was confident throughout the season in his ability to take over games when his team needed him to do so. His recent play hasn't come as a surprise to him.

"I try not to compare," Durant said. "Each stop along the journey has been -- I've just been tailor-made for the moment, I guess. I learned a lot so far as a player up until this point, so I think I'm starting to put everything together on both sides of the ball. I'm not looking at points or shots that I get up, just how focused I am for each possession."

Durant and the Warriors head into Game 2 on Tuesday buoyed by the fact that they found a way to win despite both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson coming into the game with sprained right ankle injuries. With the All-Star backcourt feeling better and expected to get more treatment on Monday, the Warriors feel good knowing that the rest of their weapons will be healthier and will give Durant even more space to operate.

"He has been amazing," Curry said of Durant. "He's been so aggressive on the offense end. Found his matchups, taking his shots. Defensively he's been present. He just understands kind of what we need when we need it. And he's been playing with the ultimate confidence. I know he always has confidence, but it seems like it's been amped up in these last five games."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Houston Rockets guard James Harden pleaded for a "fair chance" from officials after Houston's 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Sunday's Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Harden and the Rockets were specifically upset about what they believed were several incorrect non-calls on his 3-point attempts, on which the Warriors were allowed to close out without giving Harden the required landing space. According to Harden and coach Mike D'Antoni, the referees admitted at halftime that they missed four such calls in the first half.

"I'm going to try to be a nice guy because I really don't want to give the charity to them. I'd rather have my charity have the money," D'Antoni said, referring to a potential fine for criticizing officiating. "So, I mean, the response was they came in halftime and said they missed them. That's what they told me. They missed four of them. That's 12 foul shots. So be it. They're trying to do the best they can do."

Harden also thought he got fouled on a pair of 3-point attempts in the second half, including by Draymond Green on a potential game-tying attempt with 7.4 seconds remaining. Klay Thompson was the defender on the other non-calls that upset the Rockets.

"I mean, I just want a fair chance, man," said Harden, who scored 35 points but was 9-of-28 from the floor and 4-of-16 from behind the 3-point line. "Call the game how it's supposed to be called, and that's it. And I'll live with the results."

Joe Borgia, the NBA's senior vice president of replay and referee operations, later told NBA TV that Green did not foul Harden on his last 3 attempt because Green was going across, not into, Harden's path, and Harden "jackknifed" his body so his feet made contact with Green.

Harden was 13-of-14 from the line, but the Warriors were called for only one foul when he attempted a 3-pointer. That occurred in the first quarter, when Harden's shooting arm was clearly hit by Golden State forward Alfonzo McKinnie.

Harden referenced the series-ending injury suffered by Kawhi Leonard in the San Antonio Spurs' Game 1 loss to the Warriors in the 2017 Western Conference finals, on which he landed on Zaza Pachulia's foot after shooting a jumper, as a reason referees need to be vigilant about enforcing the rule requiring 3-point shooters to have space to land.

"We all know what happened a few years back with Kawhi," Harden said. "That can change the entire series. Just call the game the way it's supposed to be called, and we'll live with the results. It's plain and simple."

Rockets guard Chris Paul and D'Antoni were called for technical fouls for protesting a non-call after Paul made a 3 with 35.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter. They were irate that Golden State guard Shaun Livingston was not whistled for not allowing Paul any landing space.

"To shoot a 3-and-1, get a tech, I mean, it's tough," Paul said. "But I gotta be smarter because that didn't do nothing but hurt our team."

Paul was ejected after receiving his second technical foul with 4.4 seconds remaining. He appeared to make contact with referee Josh Tiven. Asked about the incident, Paul said, "I ain't seen it yet."

Team sources believe that any contact between Paul and Tiven was minimal and inadvertent and should not merit any discipline from the league office.

Harden, who has led the league in free throws attempted and made in each of the past five seasons, gets fouled while shooting 3s far more than any other player in the league, in large part because his step-back is so difficult to contest without making contact.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, officials called fouls on Harden 3s 95 times during the regular season and five times in the Rockets' five-game first-round series against the Utah Jazz.

"All I'm going to say is we've been getting [those calls] all year," said Rockets guard Eric Gordon, who had 27 points. "It should be no different now."

During the second half, Jazz center Rudy Gobert chimed in via Twitter on the inconsistency in how Harden was being officiated.

My guys were not allowed to contest shots like that last week...or maybe i'm crazy and it's just camera angles ? https://t.co/RvqYdCWzuC

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 28, 2019

Green was a dominant force with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while anchoring the Warriors' defense as a small-ball center in Game 1. He scoffed at Harden's take that he didn't get a fair whistle.

"I've been fouled by James on a James 3-pointer before," Green said. "No, I ain't going with that one. ...

"I think we can all sit here and complain about calls after every game. That's just the nature of the game we play. Refereeing is an inexact science. So it is what it is."

Green strongly hinted that Harden causes most of the contact on his 3-point attempts.

"Gotta contest the shot," Green said. "When you land 3 feet ahead of where you shoot the ball from, that really ain't my issue."

The officiating was certainly not the Rockets' only problem in Game 1. They had no answer for Warriors star Kevin Durant in the second half, in which he scored 24 of his 35 points. Golden State dominated the glass despite playing a small lineup, winning the rebounding battle by a 38-26 margin. Center Clint Capela was a complete nonfactor, finishing with four points and six rebounds in 27 minutes in which the Rockets were outscored by 17 points.

But the officiating left the Rockets frustrated and bewildered.

"We just need to suck it up and don't worry about how they officiate and sit there and take it," D'Antoni said. "I'm getting a little old for that, but that's just how it goes. I try not to curse. I try not to completely be a jerk. Obviously didn't work. So I don't know. I don't know. It's beyond me."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The worst-case scenario for the NBA, its fans and the game itself is for the Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets series to come down to a he said, he said on officiating.

This is a series rematch that has been a year in the making, perhaps the series that will determine this season's champion, as it was last season. History and legacy are on the line -- it's that type of series. Then there's the short term, specifically the free-agency implications.

But the officiating angle might be inevitable.

The Rockets have a strategy that pushes the limits of the rules, and the Warriors are as sly as any team in history. They're both fantastic at what they do. And they are both relentless on the officiating -- there were four technicals and an ejection right out of the gate in Game 1.

No one wanted Game 1 -- an ugly but still highly competitive and entertaining opener that ended in a 104-100 Warriors win -- to be defined by calls or non-calls. But, largely, it was. There just might be no end in sight.

It's easy to forget there are three teams on the floor at all times. Ideally, one of them remains anonymous and forgettable. The stakes and the nature of these teams make that most difficult.

When referees prepare for games, they go over film and tendencies, just like the teams. It is well known that the Rockets have a penchant for drawing fouls on 3-pointers. This is a part of their attack. James Harden drew 95 fouls on 3-pointers this season. He is one of the best in the history of the game at it.

It was clear that part of Golden State's game plan is to crowd the Houston 3-point shooters. And the Houston game plan involves 3-point shooters twisting their bodies and ripping their arms into their defenders. Both teams are good at it.

So here it was. There were 10 seconds left and the Rockets were down 3. Harden, one of the greatest ever at drawing a foul, takes a 3-pointer to try to tie the score. Draymond Green, one of the great defenders of this era, leaps to challenge it.

Green comes forward into Harden's area. Harden's legs jackknife toward Green and Harden spills to the ground. Two officials, Courtney Kirkland and Josh Tiven, stare and call nothing.

"Call the game how it's supposed to be called and that's it," Harden said. "And I'll live with the results. But especially we all know what happened a few years back with Kawhi. That can change the entire series."

Harden is referring to Kawhi Leonard getting undercut by Zaza Pachulia in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in 2017. This is a reference to the stakes. That play changed that game, that series and perhaps that season's champion.

But then you listen to Green.

"When you land 3 feet ahead of where you shoot the ball from, that really ain't my issue," Green said. "I've been fouled by James on a James 3-pointer before."

But here's the thing. After this crucial moment that was the culmination of an afternoon full of this cat-and-mouse game, Chris Paul grabbed the offensive rebound with a cunning backdoor sprint to get into the paint. He looked to send it back to Harden for another chance to tie. But Harden was on the ground, out of the play. Put there by, well, circumstance. Call it a foul, call it a flop.

In a perfect world, he'd get another chance, and Green another chance to stop him. But this is Rockets-Warriors in the year 2019. So instead Paul got stuck and ran over Klay Thompson, triggering another intense non-call sequence that led to another technical foul and Paul getting ejected. Paul might've bumped Tiven in the heat of the moment, yet another thing for the league office to review.

After the game, in the visiting locker room, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni demonstrated exactly what the rule is for how much space a shooter is supposed to get when he takes off for a jumper. He knows the chapter and verse, including what rights the defender has. It's a constant topic, given that it's a big part of what his team does.

D'Antoni thought the Rockets should've had 20 more free throws.

Meanwhile, over in the Warriors' locker room, they whispered about how the Rockets get away with putting two hands on Kevin Durant when he drives to the basket, a violation under the rules. Durant is so dominant with his height and shooting skill that once he gets the ball up and squared, there is really no way to stop him. So teams try everything they can to keep him from getting that ball up over his head.

The Warriors felt Durant should've been on the line a lot more.

These were just the Game 1 arguments. In Game 2, it might not be the 3-point landing fouls, it might be Harden's ability to create contact going to the basket. He's an absolute master. Or Durant's use of the rip move, he's so used to guys trying to slap the ball out of his hands before he raises it that he's an expert.

Harden finished the game with 14 free throws. Durant had 15.

This is mind-numbing. It's not the way this should be settled.

But here's Paul barking at the officials and getting tossed. There's D'Antoni screaming. Green is claiming he's wronged over there. Durant is chirping.

They're all so good at what they do. They're all so smart. They're all setting up the next call, the next game.

In a rivalry that's so competitive with such narrow margin for error and a seam or two of bad blood, perhaps this is what must be accepted. The search for an edge is relentless between these two teams, it's part of their DNA.

"That's just the nature of the game we play," Green said. "Refereeing is an inexact science. So it is what it is."

Guess so.