“The game is going to go for three hours.

“Some of them were fouls, some of it is I don’t know. I was prepared for this as I was told by a lot of people there is an adjustment, that’s the politically correct term to use, but to called 53-odd fouls is [bad].

“I’m not saying this because we lost, if we won that game I would be saying the same thing as the game gets bogged down and it’s horrible to play in - it’s just shit basketball.”

The NBL Blitz has often had complaints about referees due to the officials being told to encourage attacking play and reduce holding or restrictive defence - there is also the element of teams playing new players or inexperienced players who struggle to adjust defensively.

Only two NBL referees are full-time officials while most others combine full-time work with their training and appointments so less experienced referees can over-call at times as well.

The NBL also had former NBA referees director Ronnie Nunn, who officiated in the NBA for 19 years, advising their referees during the Blitz.

NBL Head of Referees Scott Butler said his referees had plenty to work on but he also passed a warning to Kings general manager Jeff van Groningen about Bogut identifying a play in the Adelaide game which would have seen Bogut ejected during the regular season.

“When I looked at the footage, in season the guys would have reviewed that and it would have been an ejection because the forearm came up around the neck area,” Butler said.

“I told Jeff, showed him the footage and said this is something you need to pass onto your team.

“That contact is not only illegal but it is a bad look for the game.

“Jeff understood the point I was making.

“I get that happens in the heat of the battle but we are trying to find ways to keep everyone in the game.”

Butler said the NBL wanted to take some more officiating habits from the NBA, especially in how their referees look to allow players freer movement.

“We’ve also made changes but more around the principals of how we do things on the floor,” Butler said.

“It is a guide and a criteria and we’ve taken those things from the NBA.

“For example, things like freedom of movement. We are trying to make sure we clean up the game and that allows the offence to run and not be impeded by illegal defence.

“But if it is legal defence, we want to try and balance it."

Five NBL teams will leave this week for America to play NBA preseason games with the Kings facing the LA Clippers in Honolulu on October 1 while ESPN has announced it will show all seven games starting with Melbourne United facing Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday with coverage starting at 9am.