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The NBA Playoffs Thread
- Thread starter StanFan
- Start date
It was 5 vs. 8 out there! Just a blatant, obvious effort by the ref's and the NBA to give the Lakers the game! There should be an investigation!
The game was much more evenly called tonight. Of course the Boston fans will claim game two was evenly called, but only a Boston fan could think that.
Both teams played terribly. They should have just let Allen and Bryant play one-on-one and let that decide the game. Terrible performances by everyone else... except maybe Vujacic.
Both teams played terribly. They should have just let Allen and Bryant play one-on-one and let that decide the game. Terrible performances by everyone else... except maybe Vujacic.
That was pretty interesting. It's sad that the refs seem so untrustworthy. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I know a foul when I see one (10 years of playing organised ball at a high level will do that). Game two was pretty poor officiating IMO, but I wouldn't say it's a conspiracy.
I tend to agree about the conspiracy feeling. I don't believe the league has mandated that certain teams get certain calls. Although the Fox story about Yao Ming is interesting. I do know that their are different rules for different players, and it started with Michael Jordan, it worked (for the league) so Stern has done nothing to curtail the problem since.
The NBA has some of the most arrogant Arses in pinstripes outside of the Yankees. And the officiating most certainly lacks integrity. A great comparison is to watch Bryants calls versus Pierces Calls. Pierce is one of the most physical players in the league, and regularly uses his off arm or lower body to create position (an offensive foul), many times he goes to the line when he was the one who fouled. Bryant, since the selfish reputation-rape charge days is not the best add revenue star, he has to work much harder to get to the line.
One of the worst cases is Rasheed Wallace, the Pistons will probably have to trade him this year, because of his effect on officials. Rasheed constantly gets called for fouls that no other veteran power forward would get called for. So when he complains and gets a tech, it just feeds on the emotional volcano. Sure he loses it, but from his perspective, he just wants to play like Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan does. Now I'm not excusing Sheed, but the fact is he has NO CHANCE to change, the officials have already decided to keep him in foul trouble EVERY playoff game. It's easy for him to blame the officials because he's right. The other guys aren't complaining like Sheed because they're not getting Sheeds whistle. I think one of the reasons that Larry Brown was so much more successful with Sheed is that Larry Brown would complain about the officiating and take some of the pressure off Sheed. Flip stayed silent, and in Sheeds mind, he felt he had to the complaining himself.
Where I really believe this hurts the game is that it discourages team play in two ways. 1) It makes stars less likely to give up the ball in a clutch situation, realizing that their lesser teammate is far less likely to get to the line if hacked. 2) It discourages teams built on teamwork, and building a team without a superstar. This has really hurt the Pistons, because despite the fact that they were champions, they never got a champions whistle. And in the Miami Heats championship year it probably cost them a trip to the finals. In todays NBA you have to have an "add worthy" superstar to win a title. This is the sad mandate of the Jordan era. And while I'll admit he was the best player ever, I believe that era has destroyed the quality of the game.
I agree. Better called, but the both teams performance could have been a lot better.
I got the article here. I will read it on my break. It seems to make a lot of sense unfortunately.
Agreed. Neither team seemed to really find a good rhythm during the game. I couldn't even believe it was a playoff game the way both teams were performing.
Whoa, imagine that.
Aaaaaand tonight, the count was:
Lakers: 23 fouls
Celtics: 28 fouls
Lakers: 34 FTs
Celtics: 22 FTs
I think those who got all up in arms after Game 1 or 2 should chew on these numbers.
Great post Burk. You could start a Detroit sportsblog and eventually get on ESPN.com. That was way more insightful than the typical MSM sportswriting.
It was 5 vs. 8 out there! Just a blatant, obvious effort by the ref's and the NBA to give the Lakers the game! There should be an investigation!
if ronny turiaf comes off the bench for game 4 and shoots more free throws than the entire celtics team, i would call for an investigation too...
I gotta say, I'm becoming much impressed with Doc Rivers. When asked why the Lakers shot so many more free throws, he replied simply, "They were more aggressive and wanted it more tonight". No mind games, no conspiracy theories, just the truth.
Officialgate is getting thicker. It's no longer so easy to fluff off the 27 times the Lakers went to the line in the fourth quarter of game six of the 2002 conference finals. I remember the finals when MN played LA, an official asking how many fouls Shaq had. It is none of his business. It does seem obvious that guys with big add contracts don't foul out of big or nationally televised games, and never seem to get that deadly second T. I'm sure Kobe's noticed a difference in his calls since the big national add contracts dried up after the rape charge. I'm sure he's saying to himself, I'm not getting hit any less, but I'm going to the line less.
Link Removed
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3437716
Link Removed
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3437716
Yeah, this is an interesting story. I like Phil Jackson's idea of separating the refs from the NBA to lose the conflict of interest. Otherwise the NBA is turning into pro-wrestling. This might also explain why the Generals always lose to the Harlem Globetrotters.
uhmm ,
more likely he didn't want a hefty fine from the NBA front office .
this reminds me of why SPURS coach Popovich said he wouldn't have called
the Laker's Derek Fisher's obvious foul against Barry at the end of the game ...
Doc Rivers learned something from Popovich ... keep your mouth shut and your head in the game .
Has Turiaf had other games like that this year? Powe has.
You may just be right. Funny, but almost too true.
Powe: Gets a free throw for every 4.6 minutes he's played (career)
Turiaf: Free throw every 7.8 minutes.
I was bored and had a calculator.
Powe: Gets a free throw for every 4.6 minutes he's played (career)
Turiaf: Free throw every 7.8 minutes.
I was bored and had a calculator.
kudos to your math but you get my point.
if ronny shoots 14 ft's and they do a halftime special about him, i'm switching over to football...
