It's the 2011 NBA playoffs! Mavs Win!

[TroyF]

Really, really impressive four minute stretch there by the Bulls.

[MikeVic]

I think the fouls on rose have pretty much been legit.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I think the fouls on rose have pretty much been legit.

I think so too.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Really, really impressive four minute stretch there by the Bulls.

yeah, indy...wtf. Get a rebound douches.

[MikeVic]

Nice by Noah.

[stevew]

Funny how the Heat resorted to a white-out to Camouflage the amount of empty seats. I guess the Heat fans can't be bothered to arrive within the first quarter?

[Neuqua]

Originally Posted by stevew

Watch out NBA, if you get within Derrick Rose's imaginary force field, you'll get hit with a foul.

Not sure what game you were watching.

[MikeVic]

Lol fans are chanting MVP for lebron and for wade.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by stevew

Watch out NBA, if you get within Derrick Rose's imaginary force field, you'll get hit with a foul.

He's got reputation now so it makes it even more impossible to guard him. He is so good at getting into the lane and drawing contact he could probably get to the line whenever he wanted.

Might as well get used to him being in that Kobe, Lebron, DWade class now where anything questionable will send him to the line.

The difference is Rose doesnt complain or bitch all the time so the refs enjoy treating him like a star. He only had 2 technical fouls this year.

[MrBug708]

Enjoy it while it lasts

[Young Drachma]

Man, there are quite a few empty seats there in Miami.

[SirFozzie]

The good news for Orlando: Dwight Howard has 31 points at halftime.

The bad news: They're still losing by 7.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Atlanta won a playoff game? Maybe those 2012 predictions are closer to being right than I thought.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

He's got reputation now so it makes it even more impossible to guard him. He is so good at getting into the lane and drawing contact he could probably get to the line whenever he wanted.

Might as well get used to him being in that Kobe, Lebron, DWade class now where anything questionable will send him to the line.

The difference is Rose doesnt complain or bitch all the time so the refs enjoy treating him like a star. He only had 2 technical fouls this year.

How about the Heat shooting 24 more free throws than the Sixers yesterday. Basically impossible to win a game with that kind of differential.

For the record, I'm not saying that free throws should be equal, but that seems to be an extreme difference.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by stevew

How about the Heat shooting 24 more free throws than the Sixers yesterday. Basically impossible to win a game with that kind of differential.

For the record, I'm not saying that free throws should be equal, but that seems to be an extreme difference.

Bill Simmons has a nice couple of tweets about this. Based on FGA inside of 10 feet and offensive rebounding, it makes sense for the Bulls difference but not the Heat. For the Knicks/Celts, the Knicks should have more FTA.

[whomario]

When Hansbrough had that steal and dunk i thought there was absolutely no way they could loose that game, great job by Chicago coming back from that.

Mavs had some FT-luck yesterday, although fact is that Nowitzki just couldn´t be guarded without fouling that 4th quarter and it´s not like it´s unusual that he can flip that switch and get his defenders to panic and revert to defending with their arms rather than their feet.

Also, Kidd propably will go 2-12 the next 2 combined from deep, so someone else better get sth going.

[MrBug708]

Pau Gasol - 0-12 in Memphis postseason history
Marc Gasol - 1-0 in Memphis postseason history

Not a bad trade

[whomario]

Shane effing Battier with the biggest shot of the game and then following it with a big time rebound.

[Warhammer]

Heckuva a last few minutes in that game. Looked like the Griz were going to run away at the end, the Spurs took the lead, then Memphis goes on a 7-0 run to close the game.

[stevew]

Congrats to memphis.

[StLee]

Boy, was I wrong about the Hornets. But I'll take it!

[Logan]

Nice job refs.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Logan

Nice job refs.

If the refs hadn't been working their asses off to keep OKC in the game, the Nuggets would be up by 15 or more now. They dominated every facet of the game. Nuggets called for 10 fouls and OKC has 13 FTA.

OKC called for 1 foul and the Nuggets have 1 FTA (and that was off an illegal defense)

OKC will get their feet and they will make this a game. I'll be interested to see how many calls the Nuggets get when OKC makes their charge. Thus far, it's been comical.

[Neon_Chaos]

How about Ray Allen?

[TroyF]

the refs even up the FT tally and Denver can't hit one. they lose this game, they have nobody but themselves to blame.

[Noop]

I made the mistake of think Durant would score under 31 points. This streak for cash shit is serious business.

[Noop]

What an amazing shot by Durant, very Julius Evering like.

[Buccaneer]

As much as I like Boston beating NY, that last 16 seconds exemplifies a lot of what I hate about the NBA. First, even though Allen is a 3pt machine, a 2 pointer would've given them the lead. On that shot though, why were there two Celtics just standing around? NBA has become known for guys just standing around watching others taking shots. So then the Knicks was down by two and the Knicks guy shoots a three while double-teamed?? What was he thinking - trying to be The Man?

[Logan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

If the refs hadn't been working their asses off to keep OKC in the game, the Nuggets would be up by 15 or more now.

My bad, that was referencing the Carmelo offensive foul call.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by stevew

How about the Heat shooting 24 more free throws than the Sixers yesterday. Basically impossible to win a game with that kind of differential.

For the record, I'm not saying that free throws should be equal, but that seems to be an extreme difference.

Philly isn't going to bring in the same ratings.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Logan

My bad, that was referencing the Carmelo offensive foul call.

It was the correct call. The refs ignored two NY players fouling on the ensuing play prior to Allen shooting on Rondo I think.

[MikeVic]

I don't think you can just look at FTA and cry foul (no pun intended). There has to be a bit more to it than that. It's why I liked Bill Simmons' take on the matter (shots inside of ten feet compared to FTA). Also, some teams are bound to foul more than others. Having said that, of course there are cases that are just so one-sided that it isn't even funny.

[Arles]

They also missed the "sweep the leg" move by Garnet to free up Allen for the winning 3.

[TroyF]

Nice non offensive goaltending call ref. Incredibly nice. Stern's thank you card is in the mail.

Stern's cronies take what was a sensational ball game and destroy it with a call a four year old could make. Disgusting.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Nice non offensive goaltending call ref. Incredibly nice. Stern's thank you card is in the mail.

Stern's cronies take what was a sensational ball game and destroy it with a call a four year old could make. Disgusting.

Maybe if you team could hit more than 64% of their Free Throws, they would've won. Can't blame the refs for poor FT shooting.

[jbergey22]

Two calls went against Denver that were really bad.

Russell Westbrook with a charge that counted as a 3 point play and the Westbrook shot that was an obvious goaltend. Those 5 points decided the game.

On a side note
Im not sure I like the 2 point guard lineup late in the game. It leaves too many defensive issues. They also need to keep Westbrook under control. He could get wherever he wanted most of the game.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by stevew

How about the Heat shooting 24 more free throws than the Sixers yesterday. Basically impossible to win a game with that kind of differential.

For the record, I'm not saying that free throws should be equal, but that seems to be an extreme difference.

Yeah, Lebron, Wade, and Bosh just run into people and get fouls called. It gets sickening.


Chris Paul dribbled around into contact a couple times today just to get free throw attempts today as well. On their side its smart basketball but it really sucks to watch.

Chris Paul had Fisher beat and he knew Fischer would be tailing behind so he basically stopped and had Fisher bump into him to get Free Throws.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Maybe if you team could hit more than 64% of their Free Throws, they would've won. Can't blame the refs for poor FT shooting.

Ya know, the Nuggets could have done A LOT of things better. They could have shot better than 4-16 from the three point land. They could have shot better from the free throw line. They could have played better D on Durant and Westbrook. They could have run crisper fast breaks.

At the end of the day, despite all of that, they are up by a point with under a minute in the game when OKC is allowed to get the most obvious goal tend in the history of the league. Not one, not two, but THREE refs miss the guys hand going through the net and tipping it in.

If the right call is made, the Nuggets have the ball up one with 50 seconds left in the game. There is no lock that they win the game. But they were robbed of the chance to find out because they decided not to call a flat out obvious call that everyone in the arena could see.

Spare me all of the things the Nuggets COULD have done. What they had absolutely no power over was three refs deciding that offensive goaltending is allowed in the final minute of a game if it is going to give OKC the lead. And win OR lose, that spoiled an otherwise sensational game between two teams.

[Arles]

I don't understand how if you can use video to decide a 3 pointer or a shot clock violation - why you couldn't use it to see if something was goal-tending in the cylinder. These aren't really judgement calls.

[Cuckoo]

Definitely a bad call, and I agree with Arles.

That said, Denver didn't score on their next possession and OKC did. Yes, the call certainly could've changed the momentum, but if things continued as they happened, OKC would've had the lead anyway. The Nuggets were terrible in the final seconds, specifically with that in-bounds play and the ill-advised three pointer.

[whomario]

Battier´s wife also gave birth to their 2nd kid yesterday, crazy day for him i guess

Hope that Aaron Gray´s injury is indeed just a mild sprain, he and the whole Hornets bench were great, totally unexpected output from those guys.
Chris Paul was obviously great, hit some big, big shots as well. Overall the Hornets propably set some sort of record for "tough floaters hit over a 7 footer" in that game, at one point they had like 4 in a row of those from different guys

Durant with a pretty spectacular game yesterday, only 1 TO as well to go with his efficient 41 points.
I thougth Maynor and Collison were great off the bench, Collison is just a terrific defender and Maynor is propably the prototypical backup PG in that he seemingly never makes a bad decicion and allways does what is needed on both ends, really gives that 2nd unit structure for those 10-15 minutes where they aren´t getting by on explosiveness with Westbrook on the bench.

Nuggets could have really used Afflalo on Westbrook yesterday, what´s the outlook there ?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by whomario

Nuggets could have really used Afflalo on Westbrook yesterday, what´s the outlook there ?

lol...now that's interesting. Cuz you see, Westbrook probably learned a lot of what he knows about playing ball from Afflalo.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by whomario

Battier´s wife also gave birth to their 2nd kid yesterday, crazy day for him i guess

Hope that Aaron Gray´s injury is indeed just a mild sprain, he and the whole Hornets bench were great, totally unexpected output from those guys.
Chris Paul was obviously great, hit some big, big shots as well. Overall the Hornets propably set some sort of record for "tough floaters hit over a 7 footer" in that game, at one point they had like 4 in a row of those from different guys

Durant with a pretty spectacular game yesterday, only 1 TO as well to go with his efficient 41 points.
I thougth Maynor and Collison were great off the bench, Collison is just a terrific defender and Maynor is propably the prototypical backup PG in that he seemingly never makes a bad decicion and allways does what is needed on both ends, really gives that 2nd unit structure for those 10-15 minutes where they aren´t getting by on explosiveness with Westbrook on the bench.

Nuggets could have really used Afflalo on Westbrook yesterday, what´s the outlook there ?

The hope is Afflalo comes back next game. Of all the Nuggets depth, I think he's by far the most important player. (with Nene a close second)

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Definitely a bad call, and I agree with Arles.

That said, Denver didn't score on their next possession and OKC did. Yes, the call certainly could've changed the momentum, but if things continued as they happened, OKC would've had the lead anyway. The Nuggets were terrible in the final seconds, specifically with that in-bounds play and the ill-advised three pointer.

Again, I don't care about what should/would/could have happened and I'm not saying Denver wins the game if the right call is made.

I am saying that three highly paid professional officials chose not to see a hand going through the basket for a clear GT call. I use the word chose, because I think the only three people in the arena who "didn't" see it were the refs. I know the players all did. I know the entire Nuggets bench did. I know the Nuggets announcers, the OKC announcers and the national announcers did. Not after replay, right away.

I'm not even complaining about the Westbrook charge, that's a judgement call. I'm not complaining about the overall reffing. I thought it was horrible in the first in favor of the Thunder and I thought it was terrible in the second favoring the Nuggets. Outside of that, it was pretty solid.

But I'm still not sure how you MISS that call unless you decide to miss that call. And I don't care what happened afterward, it was spoiled for me because of that. As an OKC fan, you have a right to think "we'd have won anyway, that call didn't change a thing" As a Nuggets fan, I have every right to say that call changed the game and we'll now never truly know who would have won that game (and possibly this series if that's the closest Denver comes to beating OKC in their building) To me, that's a shame and it's an indictment of Stern's version of the NBA.

FWIW, I've said all along the three teams I'm cheering for these playoffs are the Nuggets, Bulls and Thunder. I just wanted to see an exciting game last night win or lose. Instead I got a comical piece of officiating to screw it up for me.

[Butter]

If you (and that's anyone, not just TroyF) believe that the NBA is fixed that obviously, I don't understand why you would continue to watch and/or care.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

If you (and that's anyone, not just TroyF) believe that the NBA is fixed that obviously, I don't understand why you would continue to watch and/or care.

Because I love the game. Love it, love it, love it. Last night was a snapshot of everything good about the game. Fun, fast paced, different styles, etc. It was the way the game was supposed to be played.

Yeah, I'm pissed off that the refs blew that call. Beyond pissed off actually. But it was a fun two hours of basketball.

I might be naive, but I truly believe after Stern is out of there, things will change for the better.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

If you (and that's anyone, not just TroyF) believe that the NBA is fixed that obviously, I don't understand why you would continue to watch and/or care.

I dont think it is fixed but I do think the refs are told "Do whats right for business" At times a team plays so bad in a series that the refs cant even help them out.(Cavs last year)

[stevew]

I'm tired of refs bailing out stars, but allowing regular players to get pummeled. I'm not a big fan of the movement towards the perimeter game. I actually enjoy dominant post players, but they are virtually extinct. Dwight Howard should average 40ppg, but we get to see jackass perimeter players jack up threes.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

If you (and that's anyone, not just TroyF) believe that the NBA is fixed that obviously, I don't understand why you would continue to watch and/or care.

This.

I would never watch a sport if I thought it was as rigged as people say the NBA is.

[Arles]

I don't think it's rigged as much as it's just a bad setup/environment. Expecting refs to see everything unbiased in an element full of 20,000 screaming fans (esp late in a game) is a much tougher request than many people think. Imagine you're presenting religion in a conference room full of angry Catholics/Muslims/Atheists who've been drinking, even the most hard-headed of us is going to modify their presentation a hair - if only for self-preservation. That's what these refs deal with every night in the playoffs.

The only ways to improve this are more accountability by leadership (ie, Stern) on bad calls and using more technology to help. But, right now, the refs feel a bit like they are untouchable and even if they get caught up in the crowd and blow a call - they never have to face the music with Stern. However, if they knew they could get fined/suspended for missing a late call, they might try a little harder to battle through the crowd to get things right.