diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/AbstractPlotRenderer.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/AbstractPlotRenderer.java
index 10d37ea..a641dee 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/AbstractPlotRenderer.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/AbstractPlotRenderer.java
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ protected void paintCommit(final PlotCommit<TLane> commit, final int h) {
 			drawCommitDot(dotX, dotY, dotSize, dotSize);
 
 		int textx = Math.max(maxCenter + LANE_WIDTH / 2, dotX + dotSize) + 8;
-		int n = commit.refs == null ? 0 : commit.refs.length;
+		int n = commit.refs.length;
 		for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
 			textx += drawLabel(textx + dotSize, h/2, commit.refs[i]);
 		}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/PlotWalk.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/PlotWalk.java
index 53020f4..ea2437f 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/PlotWalk.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revplot/PlotWalk.java
@@ -114,14 +114,13 @@ public RevCommit next() throws MissingObjectException,
 
 	private Ref[] getRefs(final AnyObjectId commitId) {
 		Collection<Ref> list = reverseRefMap.get(commitId);
-		Ref[] tags;
 		if (list == null)
-			tags = null;
+			return PlotCommit.NO_REFS;
 		else {
-			tags = list.toArray(new Ref[list.size()]);
+			Ref[] tags = list.toArray(new Ref[list.size()]);
 			Arrays.sort(tags, new PlotRefComparator());
+			return tags;
 		}
-		return tags;
 	}
 
 	class PlotRefComparator implements Comparator<Ref> {