I've been beating the "FOUL HIM!" drum for years, but I can't blame the Clips for not fouling here. There were only three seconds left, that's not enough time. Refs are duped time and time again, they fall for the silliest charge calls and flops, and I would trust my defenders and a tough 23-footer falling out of bounds over Crawford/Javie/whomever. The Suns are full of guards, they're already going to catch the ball in the shooting motion, and there were only three seconds left. It was too dangerous. I said it going into the play, and I still think they made the right call. Bell hit a brilliant shot.
I agree that you should try to foul in that situation, but I don't think the Clips could have the way they were defending that play. Bell pushed off Ewing to get some space and was behind the 3-point line. He was ready to take the shot without any dribbling. If Ewing fouls, Bell either gets a 4 point play or 3 free throws. So it was better to just hope Bell missed a difficult shot. The Clips should have guarded the perimeter like Kenny was saying. It's just not as easy to foul a guy in that situation as some of you are implying
it seems clear this suns team is a team of destiny right now. it's gonna take a vastly superior team (i.e. SA or dallas) to beat them. they have about 4 guys (bell, thomas, diaw, barbosa) playing by far their best basketball of the season. bell, thomas, and barbosa just don't seem to miss 3's no matter what, the team seems to get rebounds in critical situations even when outsized, miracle 3's go in for them, nash does everything he can to throw the game away in OT but gets bailed out by bell (just like thomas bailed him out after missing a wide open 3 to tie in game 6). except for game 4 against the lakers, stuff just works out for them. bell is suddenly the most respected defender in the league whose every flop is rewarded with an offensive foul (was that one in the 4th not amazingly obviously a flop?). i mean do the refs not watch tapes of the games afterwards and say "gee, he keeps flopping and we keep calling it a foul, what say you we stop doing that?" they're going to win this series, that much is obvious. someone kill me if they win the next one (i think i'd actually rather see SA or dallas win, and i ****ing hate SA and dallas). and steve nash has done more bad than good at the end of games over the course of these playoffs. that's why it's hard for me to think of him as an mvp. he's not stepping up, it's just that everyone else is. man cuttino sucked and while cassell had some big shots, he also sucked quite a bit in crunch time situations. the 8 second call, taking that shot waayyy too early (you have 9 seconds, wait til 1 or 2 are left before you shoot, not 7), some other play i can't remember right now, and some other play i can't remember right now (damn, i had them before i posted). either way, sam was a mixed bag at the end of the game. cuttino was just blowing everything (although i did like the one jump shot where it was blatantly obvious nash hit him on the arm and the shot came up about a foot short and the refs still didn't seem to think anything happened). i don't know what's up with him. as for fouling at the end, there was no way to foul w/o it being on the shot the way they played it. trying to bearhug a guy in .5 seconds isn't going to work unless you are right on top of him (which ewing wasn't). like kenny said, and dividend mentioned, you have to keep them from a 3. guard the line at all costs and make them either come 30+ feet out to get it or throw it inside for 2. what the hell good does it do to play behind him and let him get to the 3 point line (he pushed off but it was bell so they're not going to call it)? a 3 is the only possible thing that can beat you. any version of 2 points is good, even if it's just a free layup. i swear how coaches fail to acknowledge stuff like this is amazing. i would guard 3's so well as a coach it would be ridiculous. not just end of game situations, but all game. no one would ever hit a 3 on my team. maybe they'd hit 2 after 2 and score 150 points, i don't know, but my teams would know how to guard 3's and stop the big scoring and momentum swings that go along with them. i can't stand overplaying penetration and leaving good 3 point shooters open when the penetrator only had a tough 2 to begin with. on that last play. my team would've been planted all around the line and i would've just begged them to throw it in for a layup. but alas, this is the suns, and teams apparently want them to win and so it worked out for them.
as for the end of regulation, what the hell was all that? cassell managed an 8 second violation as i was screaming at the screen for him to get it across. the number of players who walk the ball up and get it over right at 17 or so already pisses me off. why can't you just ****ing briskly jog up the court and get it over in a comfortable 4 or 5 seconds. do you have to be a moron and just chance it? i mean why in bound it so far in the backcourt, why just walk it up. so friggin' stupid. get down their and then sit around all you want once you're past halfcourt. it's really not that hard. then nash takes a bad 3 and misses. then cassell rushes up and just pulls up for a 3 out of nowhere with 7 seconds on the clock. then thomas grabs the rebound with 3+ seconds left and doesn't call timeout. when did this become a trend? between washington inexplicably inbounding and throwing up a 3/4 court shot after a lebron game winner even though they had a timeout and then cleveland inbounding after arenas big 3 in whatever game (6?) when they had a timeout left (and then using it but not being able to move to midcourt), i don't get it. in every game in nba history, including every game this season, when another team makes a basket at the end of a close game the team that gets the ball calls timeout and sets up a play. whenever the defense in a close game secures a rebound with time left, they call timeout. everyone does it, almost no matter what. what the hell are these people thinking? what is the huge rush to inbound the ball and throw up a horrendous shot? i mean washington threw it in like they had to get a shot off in the next 2 seconds or it was all over. they didn't even try to throw it long. just in and shoot. how it doesn't cross your mind to call timeout and instead act like it's a college game at the half where the clock doesn't stop is just amazing. like they really had to rush to get off a 3/4 court shot. God knows cleveland was gonna be all over that and not running back on D b/c no one wants to give up a 3/4 court shot. cleveland, varejo (sp?) grabbed the ball and immediately looked for someone to pass to exactly like the washington guy. and lebron was calling for it, 90 feet from the basket, back to the basket, 1.8 seconds left, like he was going to do something with it. call timeout dumbasses!! and now thomas, over 3 seconds left, and just holds it and throws it the entire length of the court. i didn't even want phoenix to win, but even i can't believe he did it. i mean when did calling timeout at the end of games suddenly get phased out?
i cant sleep. this game has angered me. i dont remember being so disturbed since the rockets blew that huge 20pt 4th quarter lead with dan marley hitting 3s . then the whole choke city label by eddie sefko. hopefully sam can bring back all the things he learned from the 'backs to the wall' rockets teams.
Shaun Livingston and Cuttino Mobley were worthless on the offensive end in those overtimes. Every time the ball swung over to them, it was a missed shot or turnover. They would have been better off with Maggette and Ross in there instead. Better rebounding and better offensive players.
Keep your chins up Clippper fans. It isn't over yet. This was a very tough loss but they can win the last two.
Mobley will never change. He has a big heart but a pea sized brain to go with it. On several occassions he chucked up bad shots when he could have made one extra pass to an open teammate for a better shot. An incredibely frustrating player to like. Sam was awesome as always.
I think you're forgetting Game 2 of our playoff series last year against Dallas. Down one...McGrady, Yao, and Van Gundy decide not to take a time-out to surprise Dallas. Yao sets the screen and McGrady hits the game winner.
Difference there was that there was a timeout called by dallas right before it and it was designed that way if dallas happened to make a shot. Also there was plenty of time left in the game. McGrady jogged up the ball. ALSO there was 2.2 left on the clock and Dallas did call a timeout to get the last shot sorry just still upset over the loss last night what seems to bother me the most about the refs is how it seems barbosa, marion and espeically especially diaw somehow are allowed an extra step when they drive.
dont forget nash. he takes like 5. whats funny about the nba officiating is if a post player moves his feet 2 inches...they call it. a star runs 5 steps for a layup, nothing.
i never understood why coaches even have their players playing defense INSIDE the 3 point arc with so little time left in such a situation. just leave your best shot blocker in the paint and have the other 4 people guarding the arc. they have to shoot a 3 in that instance. putting a player in the post just in case they want to go for a quick 2, but with 3 seconds left, it's not enough time to do that.
