[The Oregonian]Blazers whining about officials Link Perhaps if the Blazers had anybody other than Roy taking it to the hole they might get more foul calls?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/04/mcmillan_blows_whistle_on_offi.html McMillan blows whistle on officials Posted by Mike Tokito, The Oregonian April 27, 2009 20:21PM TUALATIN -- The Trail Blazers broadcasters have harped on it. Fans continually bring it up. Finally on Monday, coach Nate McMillan addressed what has become a major talking point in Portland's first-round series against the Houston Rockets: Officiating. Despite the possibility of a fine from NBA executive Stu Jackson, who among other duties oversees officiating, McMillan without prompting criticized the officiating in the series. In particular, McMillan focused on the two games in Houston, both won by the Rockets. "I don't want Stu to be calling me or anything like that, but if you look at the stat sheet and you look at the way the calls have gone the last couple games, it's not consistent," McMillan said. McMillan is particularly unhappy with the fouls called against his centers, Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden, who have the already-challenging task of trying to contain Yao Ming, the Rockets' 7-foot-6 All-Star center. In the Rockets' 86-83 win Friday night, Oden had five fouls in 21 minutes. Przybilla was called for four fouls and played 20 minutes. Then, in Sunday's 89-88 Houston victory, Oden picked up five fouls in 10 minutes, several coming when Yao did not have the ball and Oden was fighting to keep him from getting deep post position. Przybilla had four fouls and played 27 minutes. Yao, meanwhile, played 36 minutes and had three fouls Friday, and went almost 44 minutes while picking up one foul Sunday. Brandon Roy, the Blazers' All-Star guard, rarely fouls out of games, but he did Friday. Meanwhile, Ron Artest and Shane Battier, the Rockets' stellar defenders who split the duty of guarding Roy, have stayed out of foul trouble, picking up a total of five fouls in the two games in Houston. "Our guys, Greg and Joel, are getting called for touch fouls against Yao, and Artest and Battier are riding Brandon Roy every time he runs or he penetrates to the basket," McMillan said. "I'm just saying that it needs to be called both ways." For the series, the Blazers have been called for 101 fouls, Houston 83. Portland has shot 79 free throws to Houston's 106. Officiating was a major topic for the Rockets after they lost Game 2 in Portland as Houston coach Rick Adelman complained Thursday that the Blazers had been allowed to manhandle Yao. "In the first six minutes, they must have called seven or eight fouls on both teams," Adelman told reporters. "Hand-checking, everything else. Then it was like, 'Let's don't call anything else the rest of the game.' They literally put their hands on him from outside the free-throw line all the way down." McMillan said he was well aware that Adelman had used the media to get this point across. "No doubt, no doubt," McMillan said. "He's talked about that, (then) our guys have been whistled for those calls. What I'm saying is, if you're going to call it on one end, then call it on both ends." On Sunday, the Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice wrote a column in which he reflected Adelman's contention that the Blazers were manhandling Yao, writing, "When did basketball become mixed martial arts?" McMillan said the Blazers have sent tapes of the games and their complaints to the NBA. Among the complaints is that Portland was called for 18 more fouls -- 52 to 34 -- than the Rockets were in Houston, resulting in a free throw advantage for Houston. NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league doesn't comment on specific calls, but that teams frequently send disputed plays to the league for review throughout the season, a process made easier with a new online system that allows teams to upload the videos. In Friday's game, only two Portland players had free throw attempts, and Sunday only three Blazers shot free throws. "They're playing just as aggressive, just as physical (as we are), and you look at their stats, and those guys, they have one or two fouls, "McMillan said. "The free throw line, there's a huge difference there. So it's something we have to address."
I posted this in another thread, but check out the whining on the Portland play by play guys blog. And read the comments afterward. http://mikebarrettsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/blazers-nipped-again.html Someone should send this guy a case of Kleenex.
They don't get foul calls because they don't take it to the freaking rack. They are soft. Roy is constantly driving to the hoop, and he was rewarded with 13 free throws. I really want to know how they think they should be able to play Yao. They have literally been climbing on his back while "hooking" him from behind. I guess I'm kind of a homer, but I felt the last two games were officiated pretty damn well. And it was Roy's fault that he fouled out
Maybe Portland's centers wouldn't be in foul trouble if, you know, they played legal defense on Yao rather than hacking, hugging, grabbing, and wrestling with him all the time. It's actually sickening that Portland's up in arms because the game was called fairly in the post in Game 4. Where'd Yao get that bruise on his face and all those claw marks on his arm? Through Oden and Flopzilla's brilliant legal defense or because they were hammering him all series? Screw Portland.
Every team is biased, so it makes sense. But, if we were to send tapes also, there would probably be no debate.
Poor Nate. He doesn't like his jump shooting PFs and his slow-footed centers. Ain't our fault only Brandon Roy takes it to the hole to draw the foul. Welcome to playoffs basketball.
Brandon Roy? Jumpshooter. Lamarcus Alridge? Jumpshooter. Travis Outlaw? Jumpshooter (mostly). Rudy Fernandez? Jumpshooter. Greg Oden/Pryzbilla? No offense, period. Gee, I wonder why they don't get the fouls called. They can cry me a river as far as I'm concerned. I feel no sympathy for them because of the nonsense we've had to go through with Yao and officials throughout the years.
Now it becomes a mind game. Refs will likely call a lot fouls on Rockets. Portland obviously went to the rim less than Rockets except Roy, and about 14 of those fouls were game ending desperate fouls. Roy got much more calls than Yao despite much less contact.
The more I read these comments the more angry I get. Say I buy that the officiating was bad. Fine. But you know what? If your guys can't secure an offensive rebound, and you let Travis Outlaw shoot a huge three at the end of the game that he clanks, that's not on the officials. That's the Rockets beating the Trailblazers because they're a better team.
Is this guy freaking blind??????????? A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an opponent by extending a hand, forearm, leg or knee or by bending the body into a position that is not normal. Contact that results in the re-routing of an opponent is a foul which must be called immediately. I've never seen anyone get pushed and shoved the way Yao does when they front him.
This is awesome. Portland players stand out on the perimeter hoisting jumpers all night and then the coach wonders why they don't get calls. Then, the officials start calling the painfully obvious fouls committed by Pryzbilla and Oden and I'm waiting for McMillan to say "we used to always get away with beating the hell out of the guy so why not now? whaaaaaa!" Nate McMillan is in over head and he isn't doing anything to boost the confidence of his players or motivate his team when he publicly blames the officials for the losses. Somewhere along the way this Blazer team watched too much Sports Center and started believing they were better than they are. All they had to do was remember how many times they have been beaten by the Rockets if they wanted an honest assessment of their chances of winning this series.
