No offense JV, HP, etc. but I don't understand this mentality?? The only reason it makes sense because it is the apparent standard in these situations. Except as some of the videos in this thread prove, that's not even true. And where do you draw the line? At some point, the contact should be called, right? So now it's a matter of a pretty artificial line, left up to the refs, on a case by case basis? The real issue at play here is the fact that there are tons of ticky tack calls throughout the game that don't get called and the refs don't want to make mistakes, especially on the last play of the game. The solution is obvious. One instant reply per team, to be used at their discretion whenever they want. Refs look at a [5] second clip in question, and make the appropriate call. The instant reply can only be used at the same times the team would be able to use a timeout. If it was a missed call and the other team got the rebound, fast breaked for two, you could use your instant replay, if it should have been a foul the fast break is negated, time goes back to the foul and if it should have resulted in FTs, you start play from there with FTs. Relatively simple, each team only getting one means you really have to save it if you think necessary (or Scotty could have used it on the blown goal-tending call if he thought it made sense then). Moreover at the end of the game Lebron might have been less likely to foul knowing that the reply option was available for OKC. The biggest complaint will likely be: "We don't want to see games decided by FTs". Ok, and? A foul is a foul. Moreover, I think there will be a little of both more games decided by FTs but more games where there is less contact on the final plays thus resulting in truer outcomes with potentially more exciting finishes.
Thats why I do no like LBJ. He lets the Refs run train on his Mom so that he always gets the benifit of the doubt on the court...
Of course that was a foul. But if NBA refs always call a foul a foul, it wouldn't have been NBA. Even last night, wouldn't KD have fouled out before that last shot/foul?
There is actually only one video of LeBron being rewarded free throws and that was because there was a collision and both players fell to the ground the ref has to make a call at that point. Otherwise the situation is always treated the same way. There is always going to be contact on the last shot. Moreover, in the post game interview Durant himself said the contact didn't effect the shot he just missed. As long as it's consistent I prefer them to call it this way.
Of Course Lebron Would Say It Didnt Affect The Shot!!!!!!! what do you expect him to say? "oh yea i fouled him a couple times on that shot, just enough to alter the shot but not get called..." OF COURSE NOT... look the easy truth is this... it was a foul plain and simple... not just once, but two or three times on that shot... should durant have been in the position to make that shot? no because he clearly charged earlier... BUT the biggest deal breaker was the phantom golatend... even if it wasnt already blocked(which it was) the ball was already descenting and below the rim when it got re-blocked... the goaltend was the huge momentum shift... it turned what was a run by okc into a 5 point swing for miami... but lets face it, if okc didnt start out 18-2 all of this is blah... but since it did it adds for controversy and drama... and guess what sells? controversy and drama...
now we're blaming a goaltending call early in the game?. that's about as bad as blaming that phantom call thabo got when he missed a fastbreak dunk in game 1 how about okc makes their free throws?
i blamed it on the 18-2 start... there were numerous missed calls and numerous incorrect calls... it all boils down to them not starting the game (again) ready to play...
I don't think anybody is blaming anything but the Thunder. They also happen to be pointing out poor refereeing. In my case I was proposing as obvious and simple a solution to the problem as possible. It's 2012. So there's no flying cars yet... fine, that's a tough one. Instituting instant reply doesn't seem that complicated.
Imagine if the ref called the mj push off play on Byron Russell an offensive foul. The j*zz would have a championship, and one of the most famous plays ever would have been negated because of a ticky tack foul
i don't blame the refs for some calls in this series because the speed and athleticism in this series is ridiculous. i'm sure it's hell trying to determine whats going on while on the floor.
I don't follow the NFL much anymore: I thought you can't use the instant replay on a no-calls, wrt penalties. Like say you think there is a clipping penalty, holding, interference, etc. Isn't it only possession plays and out-of-bounds/over the goal-line? Wouldn't this play be the same. Why doesn't the NFL allow replays on penalties that weren't called.
Jazz were not going to win game 7...are you kidding me? Jordan had never been in a game 7 finals before...you really think he would have lost a Game 7 vs Karla?
Clear foul. The only question is whether it should be called. I think it affected the shot enough that it should have been called
I don't think that's even true. It was a foul, but a ticky-tack foul. If the refs called that level of contact every time throughout the game, teams would live at the free throw line. It has to be a ref's discretion to keep the game from being jumbled with useless whistles. If they had called a foul here, we'd have all the Lebron lovers making a thread, instead of the Durant lovers, complaining about how Durant got bailed out by the refs after missing an easy shot. There is literally no winning at this. Even with instant replay, the ref still needs to decide if the foul was worth calling.
The tough thing about basketball is that all foul calls are essentially subjective. There is little point to reviewing any foul plays. For almost any foul call you can find 1000 examples where the play was called in the same way or the opposite way. NBA games are reffed like politics, not in black-and-white. Refs give stars favorable calls b/c they understand people want to see stars play. When they make a bad call one way, they give a makeup call the other way so that the players and fans will feel that things are fair. They make foul calls based on how hurt people act, rather than how much contact there was (see Yao Ming). This political approach doesn't bother me that much, because most players and fans understand that this is the system and there's not a great way to improve it. However, what IS important is that the calls be made consistently throughout the game and that relatively non-subjective calls (out of bounds, goaltending, traveling, 3 pt scoring) be made correctly. In theory, charges are also supposed to be non-subjective (based on the circle and having your feet set), but refs make a huge number of subjective calls on these and treat them the same way they treat other fouls. I think that's the area where refs have done the worst recently.
It was a foul but it was usually not called in that situation. So it has nothing to do with superstar, or conspiracy. It's the so-called "don't let the refs decide the game" cliche, which I think makes no sense. A non-call is as much a ref decision as a call. If that play is called in normal time, it should be called at the last shot.
A default non-call means giving the defensive player the advantage in those situations. Is that what you want? I'd prefer they call the game the same way any time in the game. Why do you want to give the defense advantage for last second plays? Or are you saying that that kind of contact shouldn't be called at all, which I have no problem with?
Did anyone already mention the jumpstop Lebron early in the game did after which he took one more step to jump? They showed a replay before going to commercials. That's traveling baby.
