AccuScore provides industry leading sports simulations, game forecasts, betting predictions, and fantasy tools for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAAF and NCAAB.

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the NBA has decided to lock out its referees. 

Why does this matter to AccuScore users?  Because no matter what you think of the quality of basketball referees, they are the best in the world.  Basketball is an extraordinarily difficult sport to officiate.  Watch a Euroleague game sometime or any big international competition and you wouldn't believe what does and doesn't get called.  Better yet, just go down to your local rec league or turn on a college ball game.  The level of officiating is not up to par.  

Replacement refs will now be used for the NBA season (at least to start, until a deal is reached).  That means simulations will be much more volatile because there is no way to predict poor officiating.  In games where every point matters for who wins or loses, or who covers one bad or missed call could swing the result and yet there will be no possible way to predict that variance.  Let's all hope for a quick return for the real referees.