In a perfect world, we are all robots as officials. We see a play, apply the rules from the rule book, make the correct decision, and either call a foul or violation or not. However, most of us, at least the good officials, know this is never the case. However, context is a very powerful concept that an official must understand and use in order to become great.
We had all heard the advice to stay away from making calls at the end of the game that we have not called all game. No 3 seconds for the first 37 minutes? No problem, don;t call it the last 3. No handchecks yet? OK, then don;t call any at the end of the game. This advice taken literally is flat out stupid, but the real gem in it is how context is important.
End of game situations nonwithstanding, context is huge on calls that are not either not readily seen by most people in the gym, or are obscure by nature. "Let the fouls call themselves" is a great sound bite that I love. Player A gets beat, there is contact, there is a consequence, and you have a foul on Player A. No whining, no complaints. Easy game. However, that's no always the case. Call a foul in a corner well away from a bench, you may catch some grief because the bench and many fans cannot see it clearly. Muddled and messy bunch of bodies in the key and you have a foul? Not everyone can see that. You have one of these, it's no big deal, but there are times you catch a run of those, say 3 in 3 minutes, with no other whistles during that time. They might be the right calls, but you have to expect some negative emotions from players and coaches during those times. And you also should try your hardest to let your partners take the next few calls--if you can--to allow the attention to go away from you.
End of game, remember the key is "ultra-high certainty". If you haven't called 3 second all night, but it is very obvious to everyone that some players gets an advantage (easy scoring chance) from being parked in there for what seems like a lot more than 3 seconds, you have to get that. Horrible screen that sends two guys down? Gotta get it. Just make sure that everyone in the gym knows it was the right call. If you don't, things can get ugly. You can be right, but still pay a price due to our friend Context. You may enter a crosswalk legally, but if a truck runs you over, while you were still right, you're also a cripple. Think about that.
The ending point here is, don't let context be your enemy. Out of context calls are "outliers" and make you stand out. Some outliers are tremendously positive and can pump your reputation with coaches, players, peers, and fans to the stratosphere. Those are the calls that ramp you up, and you have to be competent and ready to have the courage to make those when the context is right. However, most "outlier" calls are negative, and make you stand out like a sore thumb. Those really damage your credibility and reputation, especially if they become one of your calling cards.
Make sure your "outlier" calls have a 3:1 postive:negative ratio, and watch what happens to your schedule and how your treated by your peers.
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