If the NBA gets stupid and tries to suspend Artest for that crap, I will not watch another game in the playoffs this year...unless the Rockets still make it to the finals. hahaha But I am sure they will see that this is crap and do nothing. But I am losing some serious respect for the NBA this year. They have been biased toward Yao his whole career and now this treatment in the playoffs....I don't know how much more I can take. If they do anything to Ron for this, no one should show up to the Toyota Center for the next game to send the NBA a message to kiss our Azz! It would send a message around the world about the NBA to have a playoff game played with a freaking empty stadium.
Even that foul wasn't even close to being a flagrant, Ron shouldn't have been put in that situation in the first place., we shouldn't have been doing that stupid fouling crap when it was clear we were gonna lose.
As somebody who harshed on Ron for losing his head in the last game, I'm totally proud of the way he handled this bullshevik call. He was a model of calm and self-restraint. If only the referees were as rational.
I could not believe the call... just couldn't believe it. Totally based on Ron's past. I was surprised they were reviewing it but thought for sure the replay would clear him. For them to come up with a Flagrant-Two out of that deal ... just stunning.
the problem is that wasn't even a flagrant, now he is in the same situation as kobe, he can't afford to be called for another flagrant or he gets a 1 game suspension.... they need to downgrade it all the way to a personal foul. But what if it had been a close game at the time and the refs made the same mistake? Even though ron tried to shoot his way out of his slump, which was stupid, i still feel bad for him in terms of getting respect from officials
Three referee's reviewed this and they came away calling a flagrant 2. Dumb a$$ referees. Ron made a play for the ball it is not his fault Gasol fell hard like that and there was not even much contact. It was a two shot foul at the most. NBA is no longer a mans game.
The moment Artest spoke about Stu Jackson and the "type of person he was" regarding Kobe's elbow, this series was over.
kobeyashi Starting Rotation FROM lakers forum: Yep, this. Any other player it wouldn't have been a flagrant 2. Javie was just being cautious, game was already over and it looked like Artest was going to go psycho mode soon. He didn't want any unexpected things to happen with the game already over. They'll review it and rescind it. Poor Artest, sorry buddy but you have no one to blame but yourself for your rep. But if this is considered a flagrant 2, then Rondo's foul on Brad Miller is a flagrant 4 lol.
Ron can't get a call - hasn't all year. He can go into the lane and get hammered and nothing gets called. I almost have to throw that into consideration when you go to offer a contract to him. He can't get a call, and he constantly bulls his way into the lane to get whacked and hammered. No winning here.
It's a borderline call. Ron got a lot of contact with his off arm to the body, and there was some to the arms. You check a player like that while he's in the air, and a flagrant foul is always a possibility. I don't he was being dirty, but it was arguably excessive and that's all it takes to get called for a flagrant foul.
We need a competing league to the NBA. Another league with high caliber talent but FAIR officiating and not scripted outcomes based on short sighted financial purposes. With the advent of international basketball streaming on the Internet and NBA players playing abroad, it's not too far fetched to think that one day a league, maybe in Asia or Europe, would become the premier basketball league in the world. Hell, anything's better than this fixed garbage.
i just believe thats a good hard playoff foul. He was going for the ball and thats what should be looked at....as well as pau being surrounded by 3 players on that play didnt help the perception
This game was not on the refs, but if that's the way they are going to call things, we might as well sit this series out and get prepared for next year.
I love artest's hustle and heart, but if this is how he will be treated, I think the Rockets should sign and trade him. I'm not dissing on aRon, he is THE MAN, however if his rep is going to effect whether or not we can win a playoff series, then his hustle and heart isn't worth it.
