2006 Western Conference Semifinals - Spurs vs. Mavs

as much as I hate the Mavs and disrespect Nowitzki's FLOPPING, I don't wish injury upon anyone

The officiating has obviously been on the MAVS side so far... I'd like to see fair officiating with the best team winning, but I don't know if that will happen.. I didn't really care who won this series before as I dislike both teams, but seeing the horrible officiating wants me to hope for the Spurs to win

 

I'd love to see Nowitzki try the same acting job on the 1994 Knicks or the 1989 Pistons...he would have been clothes lined and hammered everytime he came near the paint...

If Hakeem was half the actor Dirk is he would have led the league in FTA. Hakeem has got too much pride and integrity to play the acting game.

The Mavs know they can't win an evenly officiated game so they've taken a leaf from the Lakers playbook and targetted the refs to give them an edge.

 

What a bunch of crybabies. The Mavs outside shots weren't falling so they stopped shooting them drove to the hoop. Result...free throws. It works. Also, the Spurs strategy? DON'T ALLOW ANY LAYUPS! Make them earn it at the line. So that's exactly what the Mavs did. Get over it.

 

No kidding - it seems like after every NBA game now, whoever wanted the losing team just blames the refs, no matter what. It's gotten to the point of just being childish. It's also funny that ref-whiners make fun of floppers, as though yelling about the refs is any better or classy or whatever they claim flopping isn't.

If you don't believe the NBA is fairly officiated, why even watch it?

 

You seem to be implying that the spurs were just hammering guys to prevent layups, but most of the time they were being whistled on contested shots and wild forrays to the basket.

 

Complaining about the officials isn't classy? That's exactly the attitude that allows bad officiating to become as widespread as it has. I know you don't believe in public pressure based on your recent comments in the Gallo debate, but it's a huge factor. If you see consistent mistakes and don't attempt to say or do anything about them, you're part of the problem. To me, the classy thing to do IS complain if the officiating is as bad as it was last night. You're doing your part to try and improve the situation. To sit idly by as these things go on and do nothing is being a bad fan (to me).

I don't like the approaches NBA officials take to officiating playoff basketball games. It doesn't change the fact that I love the game and everything about it. A few bad calls here and there doesn't change the fact that it was a great game last night, and even though my team didn't win, I had a fun time watching it. I'm merely doing my incredibly small part as a fan to help put as much pressure as possible on the officials in hopes that it'll get better for the next time. It's definitely worked many times in the past.

 

It would be one thing if it was isolated to one game - but this happens after basically every single playoff game now. The entire Lakers/Phoenix series, the entire Clipper/Phoenix series, this entire series... After every game, one side complains about the officiating. It's gotten to the point where it just seems comical - no one actually gives credit to a team for winning anymore.

 

Whoever thought the officiating last night did not directly effect the outcome of the game is smoking some mighty fine stuff.

I am a neutral observer. I did not care who won. I hate both teams with a passion. But I do like to see a fair game and the Spers got robbed big time.

Refs are human and everybody understands that. They are going to make mistakes and everybody understands that. But if they are going to be bad, be bad for teams. Don't favor one team over another. Bad calls here and there are okay, those can't be prevented. But these refs have a direct hand in the outcome of a game. Pathetic!

Flopzki does not even look to score when going to the basket. He just looks to create the slightest bit on contact and acts like a little school girl.

And to those claiming the Spers are a slow team and that is why there is a discrepancy in free throw attempts....last time I checked Parker and Ginobilli aren't considered slow by anyone. Duncan is not exactly slow either.

 

That is a broad generalization isn't it?

I've watched the Cavs and Pistons series and nobody has complained about the refs.

Nobody is really complaining about the Nets and Heat series.

The complaints against the refs are usually directed a few people or teams:

The old Jazz teams (flopping):
Lakers (good for the NBA if they win)
Now Mavs (I have no idea why)
Flopowzki
Ginobilli

Seems like the refs are consistently favoring those mentioned above.

 

I don't see a thread on the Nets/Heat series, but this thread:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=112591&page=4

has devolved into a discussion about whether Lebron gets more calls than he should, etc.

Notice that the teams you listed - Spurs, Mavs, Lakers, Jazz - just happen to be the teams Rockets fans tend to hate the most. Makes me wonder exactly how objective people are being.

 

But see, the problem is you're generalizing everything into one category. To me, it doesn't matter if people complain about every game played in the playoffs, or if people complain about no games at all... that has no impact on whether the game last night (and in particular Duncan's sixth foul) was the correct call. It's case by case, and to me, that was a terrible call, and whether fans complain about other games or not doesn't do anything to change that.

Complaining and ref-whining in and of itself isn't necessarily not classy. Yes, many times it is, but in some circumstances it's warranted. It seemed to me that you were trying to group every instance into the former category, and I don't think that's reasonable.

 

That absolute clean block on Flops Ginobili called for a foul at the end of the game was just a weird thing to watch.

 

I really don't like to whine about the refs. Duncan's 6th was legit. And I agree that if you're getting screwed, you just have to nut up and be 12 points better than the other team instead of 2 points better. But in this game, 4th quarter, I just kept figuring the calls would start to even out, and they never did, until that phantom foul on Ginobili at the end. And so many of the blown calls were just awful, I mean, not close at all. Barry tripping Dirk -- that wasn't anything that might even be misconstrued as a foul, it was just a flat-out hallucination. And that was right after Howard stuck his foot out and Parker magically ended up eating the floor. The refs' tradition is, if you're nor sure, err the other way from the way you erred last time. Allow a foul at one end, OK, then allow a foul at the other. But this stuff -- this was inexplicable.

 

Parker has been hobbled. The Spurs are a very old team with Bruce Bowen and Horry in their late 30's. Finley and Van Exel are on their last legs. Duncan's not young and no, he's not quick at all. He is actually relatively slow footed. Asking those guys to guard quick, young guys like the Mavs are throwing at you with Howard, Devin Harris, Stackhouse, Terry, etc is a problem. This is the main reason the Spurs have been called for so many fouls.

Where was this whining about officiating after Game 1 when Bruce Bowen was basically molesting Nowitzki all game long?

If the refs actually called the games by the book, Spurs opponents wouldn't be consistently getting called for offensive fouls on those ridiculously blatant flops by Ginobili. Ginobili would also be getting to the line probably 50-65% less often than he does now, because the majority of his drives he simply flails arms and flat out flops. He's consistently gotten away with murder from Day 1 as an NBA player. Quite frankly, what he brings to the NBA is embarassing.

Similarly, a guy like Bruce Bowen would foul out in the 1st Q of everygame if the game was called properly. He holds and grabs people all the time off the ball. Whereas the NBA inserted rules changes a few years ago to limit contact on perimeter players attacking the basket by eliminating the handcheck, Bowen continues to do it. He bumps Nowitzki on virtually every drive to the hoop, which is a foul on 99% of the rest of the NBA. But Bowen just does it so often, the NBA refuses to call it everytime.

Bowen is allowed to play like a Derek Harper in 1994 when no one else in the league is allowed to do this.

So let's save the whining about how the Sperz were jobbed. No 2 guys consistently game and abuse the NBA's rules moreso than Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili. This game was just a little bit of karma and the bill is far from paid. It's like Stockton and Malone all over again. And the most blatantly bad call last night went against Josh Howard on that "foul" on Ginobili. That was 100% ball.

Duncan's 6th foul is called on most guys IMO in that situation. If he drives the lane and steps on someone's foot and it results in him falling down, there's going to be a foul called whether there was contact or not. Duncan needs to worry more about his lack of help defense and contest some of these shots when the Mavs drive to the hoop instead of incessantly whining about each and every single foul call.

 

My gosh... Steve Kerr's homerism for the Spurs is actually making me root for the Mavs.

Thats a sure-as-fire sign that I really want both of these teams to somehow lose.

 

AMEN!

I dont care much for the Pistons, but I want them to win as they are the only team that could beat Mavs or Spers.

 

Im just hoping for a bench clearing brawl on both sides so somehow everyone gets suspended and both teams go down...I can dream cant I...

 

You know something. The refs need to do a better job period. I see a phantom call on a Dirk fadeaway on one end. Then a Dallas turnover with Manu initiating contact and getting a foul call in transition by running into the opposing player on the other. Those are both BS calls. I though the league was supposed to clean up the flopping this year, but apparently the refs never got the memo.

 

I think I've discovered the key to Dirk's flopping... when he draws contact, he never comes close to trying to make the shot, as he accentuates his arms, flails his legs, and the ball goes flying somewhere off in the stands.

This makes it hard for the ref to NOT call a foul.

Now, take Tim Duncan, Shaq, Lebron, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, or any other player who doesn't flop. They're always trying to MAKE the shot... regardless of contact. Thus, when they draw contact, they keep their form as stable as possible in order to give them the best chance of actually making the shot, despite the apparent foul.

Unfortunately, the ref sees a quality shot attempt, and a lack of "dislodging", and decides that it wasn't enough contact to warrant a foul call.

However, guys like Lebron, Yao, Duncan and Shaq do get several "and 1's", whereas floppers will never have this opportunity... so they do get a little redemption in the end.

 

I don't even think the refs know what their own first names are right now... they're so caught up in trying to make the calls even, give superstar preferential treatment, call flops, call non-flops, call make-up calls.... that they just don't know what to call now.

Here's a thought... CALL THE GAME CONSISTENTLY, and then you won't have to worry about excessive contact, flopping, superstar whining, and makeup calls.