Here are some quotes from the article, you can expect a lot of foul calls tonight. http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...407.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers He opened with this, "Twelve hours later, it's hard to imagine what the mind-set of the referees is when they come into a ballgame like that," Jackson said. "Because the league just sent out an instructional video on what's going to be called in the playoffs, as far as fouls and violations and travels. You can take that tape and send both of them back to the league and ask, 'Can you redefine this please?' then he pad the officials, Actually, the crew was pretty good, but it turned into a mud-wrestling contest. I don't think that's what the teams really want. Maybe Houston wants to play that kind of game, but it was just so physical, I don't see how the referees could sort anything out in that ballgame." finally, the shot at the official, "I have no complaints if that's the way the game is going to be played," Phil Jackson said, "but for a person who really likes basketball and likes seeing some nice ball movement, player movement, it really gets mired in pretty quickly. You can take that tape from the league and put it in the garbage."
Well, he didn't win 9 championships just with his talent. The guy knows how to work things to his advantage. If the refs call a lot of ticky-tacks, though, I don't know which team it will benefit more. The Lakers will find it easier to get in a flow. Yao will be on the bench quicker because no matter how tightly they call it, Shaq will still be allowed to jump into his defender.
I don't care how the refs call the game. As long as it's fair and they call it on both sides of the court. And the refs did a good job of being fair on Saturday for the most part. If they call it tight tonight, they better call ticky tack fouls on the Lakers too!
The Lakers had 28 FT attempts to the Rockets 16. Foul totals were pretty even, so I don't think Phil has much of a case. Phil just wants an open game, because that allows Kobe and GP to operate without having to deal with physical defense. I wonder how Phil feels about Shaq's quote in the Houston Chronicle. "I thought it was a well-officiated game," he said. "No problems. Hopefully, they'll let the titans battle it out."
That was a well-officiated game, it's how a playoffs game supposed to be. Props to the refs in the last game. Would the Fakers really be happy if the refs calls like the Miami game where 10 offensive fouls was called?
I'm having flashbacks. Didn't Jackson have this same dispute with Pat Riley, back in the heyday of Bulls/Knicks?
Shaq also said he was exhausted towards the end of the game. That's good, hopefully he'll be too exhausted to wear Yao down.
I wouldn't call it "a well-officiated game" because it's a bit too physical. I don't think the league likes it either because the game is not watchable for ordinary TV fans. But it's a fairly called game, so I'm happy about it. We need it this way more than the Lakers.
Agreed. Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say a well-officiated game, but it was about what I expected. And although you can point out the 12 or so differential in free throw attempts, I don't think it's because the refs were picking on us or calling any sort of 1-sided game. I think that's just the way the game went. I would say the refs did an acceptable job of officiating game 1 and hope they continue to do so.
yes - the Zen Master does play the mind games, but that is because he doesn't have to worry about complex in-game strategy.
He was still trying to convince our guards that 16 turnovers is entirely too much. I think he lost his voice saying it so much this year. DD
If Malone made half of his wide open jumpers and if the Rockets had made half of theirs the game would have been a lot prettier. It wasn't that bad. Both teams missed a lot of opportunities as well. I thought it was a fair match. Although very physical.
