I won't blame this game on the officials but there were some very questionable calls at the end of that game. Pacers were on a role, blocked Rice's shot and then a foul called on Davis out of nowhere. What was that? That was a back breaker because they would of had the ball back with a chance to take the lead. Pathetic. Then there was the fould on Croshere when Bryant was going out of control to the basket. That was a weak, weak call especially for that late in a championship game. He was hardly touched. I guess NBC got their prayers answered. ------------------
Hello? Didn't you go to www.conspiracy.com and read the advance draft of the game? Of course those were bad calls. It was written. And it shall be done! ------------------ I Want To Thank God For Making Me A Rocketfan [This message has been edited by Almu (edited June 19, 2000).]
Unbelievably, I agree with some of the conspiracy theorists on this one. That call for Rice was unbelievable. I was at the gym tonight watching the game -- big crowd huddled around it -- and it was such a great game. Intense, very close down the stretch .... then that call. Just made me sick that I watched all that and enjoyed the competition and how intense it was and it came to a mysterious whistle blow. ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
I don't really think there was a conspiracy, actually I know there wasn't, but that was just one horrendous call. What a freaking joke!!! ------------------
Yes, you could argue for a ticky tack touch foul on Croshere, but come on, this is the last minute of the NBA Finals. They should let the players decide it and not call the extremely soft fouls. If a guy gets hammered that is one thing, but the foul on Croshere was just too soft to call. ------------------
Watch the replay of the Bryant-Croshere collision from the top. Bryant is moving laterally and putting up a shot. Croshere runs toward him from the basket and makes damn near full-body contact. Yes, it's light, and yes, Bryant is moving, and yes, Bryant is somewhat out of control. But it's understood in the NBA that if you're dumb enough to run out at a guy and make body contact with him while he's shooting, you get the whistle. Croshere didn't need to get that close. His teammate already had the play covered and had forced Bryant into a bad angle. Croshere made tons of clutch plays tonight, but that wasn't one of them.
I saw the birds eye view replay and I just disagree with that call. Croshere's light contact didn't cause Kobe to miss that shot or go flying out of bounds. If your going to call that call everytime for every player, then just about every drive to the basket should be a foul. Just don't make that call in the NBA Finals with 1 minute left. ------------------
Title, Jalen Rose and Reggie Miller got plenty of those calls on the other end -- not in the last minute, true, but maybe it would have helped if they'd been driving to the basket rather than launching moon shots from 40 feet out. And let's not forget that if NBC (& the NBA) had any rooting interest in the game, it was for the Pacers to force a Game 7, for which the ratings would have gone through the roof. And, of course, there were a number of shaky calls that went Indy's way earlier in the quarter (enough to make me start wondering about the whole conspiracy thing). The no-call on Harper's dunk attempt (where a Pacer pushed him in the gut)? And Indiana getting the ball out of bounds after Rice stole a pass and got a necktie near-tackle from Croshere (I think)? And so on, and so on . . . sorry guys, but it really does balance out. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Swopa (edited June 20, 2000).]
There is no doubt that bad calls go both ways. I have never subscribed to the conspiracy theory, but those fouls at the end just seem to have a bigger impact on the game because they occur at the end. There was no conspiracy theory but I think those were 2 bad calls at the end of the game. ------------------
Total bail-out call on Bryant. He had no chance at making a shot. I don't think anything is understood in the NBA as far as officials, Will. If you have to watch a replay to determine whether or not there was a foul, especially if it's the NBA Finals, then there isn't a foul. How is that a foul and the leveling that Shaq put on Steve Smith at the end of the Portland series not a foul? I actually think it's fitting that the game ended on two atrocious calls. I can't think of a better way to end this NBA season, outside of Indiana winning. ------------------ Too-Rye-Aye!
My take on those two calls is this: I cannot believe the call on Davis...total phantom foul. No contact, and Davis was facing the other way (away from Rice)when the whistle blew. Not sure what the ref saw there. I was up pumping my fist, then heard the whistle and almost threw up! I am with Clutch, a total disappointment. The call on Croshere was a foul, but they had been letting them play the entire game and letting those types of fouls go...then all of the sudden they make a call in the waning moments that could have gone either way. After the call on Davis, I saw that one coming. Correct me if I am wrong, but was Shaq not catching several shots above the cylinder and dunking them??? Is that not offensive goaltending? He got 6 or so points that way. Life goes on......
That was just the iceing on the the cake for even the casual fan to see the Lakers got 97 percent of the calls the whole series not just that 1 game. If they were gonna call that foul for Bryant than why not call every foul when Kobe played hack a jack defense on mark jackson the whole series. Bottom line the Lakers got the calls the Pacers didnt. All the lakers had to do was good not great because they had 10 free points from the refs every game on bad calls. The calls did not even out as someone might say. The Pacers on the other hand had to play super superb just to beat the REFS and the Lakers and they did in 2 games but just remember you can only beat the refs so many times before they stick their dirty hands in the mix and cheat for another team. You have to give the refs credit they saw the Pacers were down by 1 and it was golden oppurtunity for them to cheat for the Lakers and they did. It was funny how the refs just ignored those 2 clear fouls when the Lakers fouled Rose at the 9 minute and 8 minute mark in the 4th resulting in 5 points for the Lakers, These 2 blatant no call fouls should not be overlooked because it gave the Lakers the lead and momentum. If the refs make the calls Pacers go up 9 instead of a tie. Overall everone saw the cheating at the end of the game but there were many calls during the game that contributed to the fact that the game was tied so dont forget about them guys. The final verdict is the NBA is fixed and when I say fixed I mean if 1 team gets all the calls. its fixed no way around it. ------------------
Seeing the replay I though Kobe was fouled, but I think they should have let it slip because of the completely bogus Rice foul. They should have had the make-up-call ready. Like Clutch said, it just took all the drama way, and Pacers were owned for the really bad call the time before. I was bummed, would have liked to see the last possesion determine the outcome, the teams and game seemed to deserve that. ------------------ "The Rockets were ahead of the Suns by 20 late in game 2 of the series, but when the going got tough, we just Pippened . We would not be done in the series though."
The whole playoffs have been the officials sucking up to the Lakers. ------------------ I AM SPARTACUS
