A valid point, but if the Rockets' opponents have been averaging more fouls recently than their season average, then that means the Rockets were getting the calls and momentum at some other point in the game. The only reason you guys are noticing fouls right now is because you guys are hypersensitive about the trades, the tightening playoff race, and Kobe's comments. Harden has also been missing shots he normally makes due to him being a little banged up, and so you guys think the reason he missed is because of a foul. So it seems as if he is getting less calls.
It is easy to see how a call affects a game when it is made in the closing minutes. It is harder to see the effect a call has in the second quarter. But this is assuming that other teams are getting calls down the stretch and the Rockets aren't. I'm not even sure that is the case.
For the number of shots we take at the rim, and all our PnRs, and not settling for mid-range jumpers, we should have a bigger foul advantage. I think sometimes refs just think ... "bloody Harden, you've got 10FTA already, I'm not going to call another one for you unless absolutely necessary" ... or "Harden, you've made me call 8 fouls on the defense already ... Lin/Parsons/Asik you're not going to get a call unless you can sell it as good as your superstar". Or even ... "we've called so many damn fouls when Harden drives to the rim, we better give the other team some as well" ... when Asik or Parsons did a tremendous job just holding their ground.
I don't think fouls per game is a good metric to see if the refs are against you. Our team focuses on scoring at the rim or at the 3 point line, so naturally we will get fouled more often than other teams who shoot mid-range jumpers all day. We also have Asik, who is a foul target. In addition, we have the best foul-drawer in the league. We may not be getting shafted by the refs this season (mostly because we have a superstar now), but fouls per game isn't the metric to tell that by.
My question is, which team do you think Stern would prefer to see in the playoffs? The current 9th place Kobe, Dwight, and Nash led Lakers or the current 8th place Harden and Lin led Rockets?
You are clueless.... Very frequently Refs make up calls all the time in the 4th quarter when the game has already been decided...
YA... Especially when it doesn't look like we foul the opposing team AT ALL! What I think it is, is that the refs do NOT respect the Rockets on defense. Whenever we make a stellar defensive play (steal or block, for instance) they (more often than not) call a foul on us, especially when we are at home... Whatever happened to getting a "home call?" Is that long gone now?
This is the point I'm trying to make. No respect for the smaller market teams, (when in comparison to the TOP BIGGER marketed teams) even if they are exciting and up and coming. It's ALL ABOUT the LA's, the NY's, the Miami's... All about playing and giving the call to the "favorites"
Stern would love to see his Lakers in the Finals his last year. The company men will do what needs done.
if he wanted Lakers in the Playoffs, why did he veto the CP3 to LA deal which would have guaranteed a legit franchise PG coming up to play with Kobe?
Fans of Every team in the league think the refs are biased against them. Even Lakers fans think this (of all people). Go check out Lakersground. You'll see.
Lakers have had some ridiculous free throw advantages since the All-Star break, even on the road. More than the usual ridiculous amount.
You guys are "out there" if you are paranoid about Stern being against the Rockets so that the Lakers can get into the playoffs instead. The stuff fans come up with to justify things in sports... No, it can't be that other teams are playing harder after the all-star break and that the Rockets aren't playing good defense and were affected by the trades, it is MUCH more logical to believe there is a conspiracy orchestrated by David Stern to force the referees to make calls favorable to the Lakers and against Houston so that the Lakers can get into the playoffs instead. Makes much more sense.
