The hak-a-whoever mentality has no place in basketball. I get the argument that if the players are so good, they should be able to make unguarded shots, but it has no place in the modern game and detracts from the talent and skill on display by simplifying the game into something that has nothing to do with the flow of the game, nor does it often allow the rightful winner to claim the deserved victory. The refs called 23 more fouls in this game than in any other 1st round opening game. Refs should not determine the outcome, and I feel that intentional fouls should be called anytime someone selects to use the cheating hack-a-whoever method. One technical free throw and the ball to the team that was fouled outside the flow of the normal game. After 5 intentional off-ball fouls, the fouled team should receive 2 free throws and the ball. This would certainly curb this petty and unsportsmanlike conduct of fouling the worst free throw shooter on the opposing team. It would be akin to only letting Lillard down low to attempt to rebound. He is short, he wont get most rebounds against better rebounders. If he was the only one allowed on the block, he wouldn't get but maybe 1-10 rebounds. Fouling a poor free throw shooter away from the flow of the game is cheating, and a petty, pathetic example of sportsmanship. It didn't get any of these teams into the playoffs, and it shouldn't be allowed to help determine the outcome of playoff games. Pathetic
I thought it was a makeup call for the play where Howard got the FT rebound by shoving Lopez to the ground.
I've been saying this for ten years. It's just not basketball. All they need to do to fix it is to say any intentional offboul foul is like a T where the team can choose the FT shooter. Problem solved.
Will the NBA publicly apologize like they do when Chris Paul gets the wrong side of a missed call at the end of the game? I doubt it.
That's bull though. Because on the replay you can clearly see Howard was tripped by Lillard...so it should have been a foul either way.
If you had any smidgen of a brain you would realize how god awful scott foster was in the first half...did we shoot a single ft? Did you not see how many put of position calls he made? Open your eyes and shut your mouth. So pissed right now...
The premise of this thread is so flawed. I couldn't care less what a "good look" is. I care about winning. Do you know how you get something so ridiculous as the most-fouled team in the entire NBA shooting ZERO FREE THROWS for an entire half? It's because you whine and complain like Portland and their fans have done incessantly since March 9. They do it because IT WORKS and has for years. Anyone remember Mark Cuban and the 2005 Mavs/Rockets first round? Same thing. You can have your "look". Me on the other hand, I'd like to try and win... and the best chance to do that is publicly holding the officials accountable for their actions.
I believe fans tend to only see the bad calls that go against their team. Check out the Blazers forums, they feel they were getting screwed the whole game. With that being said, refs called this game EXTREMELY tight! Most of the time, on close plays, they simply err'd on making a foul call. This really raises the importance of freethrow shooting, where Portland has a clear advantage. I'll be worried if the refs continue to call it this tight.
I know you think your being subjective, but I heard webber on 4 different occasions blast the refs for how we were being called. Not once did I hear that about the blazers calls. They TOOK AWAY a technical foul on Lopez!? I've never seen that. Beverley gets called for a tech for get hyped at the crowd but Aldridge doesn't get one the very next play for getting in the refs face 3 illegal screens called on Asik when they were doing the same to our guys. The blazers passed their free throw attempt avg in the first half! While we didn't shoot ONE If you don't see this your blind
Refs didn't matter. They were fine until Dwight was getting hacked, then Portland went on a run. Their best player wasn't on the floor at the end and ours was. They've gotta get better at tightening their D during those situations becuz, its all they have with Dwight getting hacked.
Portland commentators mislead the fans on officiating. The call on LaMarcus ALdridge screen against Patrick Beverly when LaMarcus ALdridge's feet weren't set is a perfect example. It was a stupid move by LaMarcus Aldridge and a foul but the commentators argued otherwise. The rockets got the benefit of the calls from the refs. The rockets lossed the game.
