It tells us that JVG is actually using a Jedi mind trick... he has the force! OR, he's just the ultimate puppetmaster! Looking back on the year, I've realized that Yao gets fouls when he STARTS the game out aggressive.... it sets the whole tone of the game. Last night, his first move was a fadeaway that got blocked... the refs then must have thought, "Hmm... this Ratliff guy leads the league in blocks... he must be able to stop Yao as well... we'll let them play." Of course, our arguments would have been strengthened had Yao been in foul trouble, and Ratliff not... but luckily that wasn't the case last night. Yao will start getting his fair share of calls... eventually the league will either change the rules, or treat him like the superstar that he is. Nobody will be able to deny him position. He'll start making 10-15 FT's a GAME... and this will bump his scoring up to around 30 ppg. BEWARE OF THE FUTURE...!
So, is he complaining or isn't he? First you say JVG is probably already complaining but then you say that even if he isn't, it's the right thing to do? IMO, part of a coach's role is to make sure your guys get a fair shake. You can't let the officials dictate the game, especially when your players do need to concentrate on the game. Maybe we are the whiniest bunch because our coach refuses to put himself out there. I didn't mean for JVG to start complaining because I assume he already does. But, at the right time, get on the refs back and dare them to 'T' you up, especially if they can cost you the game (like last night). He has about two technicals this year and maybe a handful of blow-ups. IMO, if he shows his team that he'll take care of the officiating, they'll worry more about the game itself.
I believe that JVG has been WANTING to address the issues with the refs - in fact, I have been surprised by the fact that he stands by some of the crap they pull on Ming. That being said, I believe that HE feels the player should shut up and play and the coach should worry about shouting down the refs. SO.... since SF3 and Cat were fairly quiet (for the first time all saeson) JVG took the chance to stand up for them and Yao and make his complaints. Hopfully, the backcourt duo will see that JVG will stand up for the them if they stop acting like babies... there is nothing inconsistant about a coach wanting his players to play through the bad officiating - but still making HIS opinion known. I guess I grew up in a different time. We were NEVER allowed to even question the refs or talk trash ONCE when I played ball in school. Our coach (on the other hand) received a liberal dosage of technical fouls... ...the players never lost focus and we won district two years in a row
I would like to say no, but sometimes there are people who let their worser instincts get the better of them. Then again it could also have to do with the fact that they suck as refs.
I'm sure that most of you don't realize this, but teams send tapes to the league after almost every game and have meetings with officials pretty much every week. This is a fairly common practice in most professional sports. Most coaches and GM's don't publically discuss the officals because they don't want to be fined or hurt their teams changes of getting a fair call. But, they also don't say anything in public because there is already a process in place for them to air their grievances with the league behind closed doors. So, don't make the assumption that JVG isn't doing anything just because it hasn't shown up in the Chron until now.
In the first quarter season or so -- when everyone was complaining that Yao wasn't getting the calls he deserved -- I did a little analysis in which I ranked the 50 top scorers in the league by their FTA/FGA. Then, Yao was 3rd in the league with only Maggette and Shaq getting more free throws per field goal attempt. I just did it again to see how he has progressed. He's fallen in the rankings a bit. He's not 6th in the league in FTA/FGA, with O'Neal, Maggette, Kirilenko, Duncan, and Gasol ahead of him. If you think of it in terms of the respectometer, I don't see why Maggette, Kirilenko and Gasol are so high. Or why Kobe Bryant is only 8th. Or how Andre Miller got 9th. Here's the 50: RNK NAME FTA/FGA 1 S. O'Neal, LAL 0.79 2 C. Maggette, LAC 0.61 3 A. Kirilenko, UTH 0.53 4 Tim Duncan, SAS 0.49 5 Pau Gasol, MEM 0.47 Yao Ming, HOU 0.46 7 C. Billups, DET 0.45 8 Kobe Bryant, LAL 0.45 9 Andre Miller, DEN 0.45 10 R. Jefferson, NJN 0.42 11 Z. Ilgauskas, CLE 0.41 12 S. A.-Rahim, POR 0.41 13 Allen Iverson, PHI 0.41 14 Paul Pierce, BOS 0.41 15 Lamar Odom, MIA 0.39 16 Ron Artest, IND 0.37 17 Steve Francis, HOU 0.35 18 C. Anthony, DEN 0.35 19 Juwan Howard, ORL 0.34 20 Kenyon Martin, NJN 0.33 21 P. Stojakovic, SAC 0.32 22 S. Marbury, NYK 0.32 23 Tracy McGrady, ORL 0.32 24 J. O'Neal, IND 0.32 25 Carlos Boozer, CLE 0.32 26 Mike Bibby, SAC 0.32 27 K. Van Horn, MIL 0.32 28 Dirk Nowitzki, DAL 0.32 29 Michael Redd, MIL 0.30 30 R. Hamilton, DET 0.30 31 Zach Randolph, POR 0.30 32 Vince Carter, TOR 0.29 33 Eddie Jones, MIA 0.29 34 LeBron James, CLE 0.29 35 J. Richardson, GSW 0.29 36 Kevin Garnett, MIN 0.27 37 Jason Kidd, NJN 0.27 38 Sam Cassell, MIN 0.26 39 Baron Davis, NOR 0.25 40 L. Sprewell, MIN 0.24 41 Rashard Lewis, SEA 0.24 42 R. Wallace, DET 0.22 43 Jason Terry, ATL 0.22 44 S. Jackson, ATL 0.21 45 C. Mobley, HOU 0.21 46 Q. Richardson, LAC 0.19 47 Shawn Marion, PHO 0.19 48 Joe Johnson, PHO 0.18 49 J. Crawford, CHI 0.18 50 M. Finley, DAL 0.17
JVG said it best. Yao doesn't always get calls because he doesn't complain and I'm not talking about whining after every call or no-call. Most players will go to the refs and explain things that are happening on the court the refs may or may not see. Refs use that feedback to keep an eye on things. They don't officiate in a vaccuum. As a result, if Yao doesn't tell them on a regular basis what is happening, they either may not see it or think that it isn't an issue for Yao and consider it incidental. Yao has to learn to speak up to the refs and let them know what the problems are so they can pay attention to them.
Wouldn't that probably be because they penetrate and go to the basket much more often than most? I know Maggette and Kirilenko definitely do.
Take off your homer glasses for a second ... what would you have Ratliff do? Allow Yao to gain position, unimpeded? Of course he's going to do whatever he can to muscle Yao out. You sound like a Lakers fan crying about Shaq.
It also hurts Yao's ability to adjust to the refs. Like baseball (mentioned previously by Dallas Rocket), different refs will make different calls. Players can certainly figure it out quicker if they can ask the refs what's acceptable or not. Well, if Yao won't ask, then he has to feel his way through it. By that time, he may already be in foul trouble or get frustrated.
Cry wolf all you want, but nobody will hear you. Remain silent, and they will listen when you do speak.
We are not sure if he is or not during the games, that's my point. It's not really replying to you directly, it's to all of the fans who think that JVG don't back up his players during games. We are not the whiniest bunch because JVG refuses to put himself out there. We've been whiny for years! Ideally, it's the referee's job to give everybody a fair shake, and coaches should not get distracted by theses zebras too much during games. Blame it on the source of your problem.
Uh no. But maybe he could do things that are, you know, legal? Two hands in the back pushing is illegal, last I checked. Yao is huge and monstrous, but not even Yao can stand up to another NBA center just flat-out pushing him. Duh. There are a myriad of other ways to screw with Yao. Pull a Najera and take advantage of the Rockets' lousy entry passes by being quicker, or swarm him and rely on the rockets' inconsistent outside shot.
I think JVG did a good job and picked a perfect timing to express some light complaint. I actually believe it would take effect in some officiating this time. Steve and Cat complain about every play, and that's just annoying for the refs. They are human too, when they get annoyed, we get even less calls, despite the complaints, or even because of those complaints. JVG never did that, he waited and waited and waited, after so many announcers said that, after newspaper talked about that, and after a gusty win and great performance from Ming, and more importantly, with the regular season closing down and playoff coming up. He complained, in a manner of just expressing his opinion. Look, we won, we are not seeking excuses, but we have to express our concern. I believe the league will take notice, and he did a great job. Now, the more important thing is, for the players to understand his strategy and quit complaining during the game after every single play. But it's always easy to say than to do.
Excellent post as to the timing of his complaint. Notice it's after a win and not making it seem like an excuse after the GS or Sacramento loss.
i believe that we had a tape sent in to the league earlier in the year. i've seen van gundy barking up a storm at the refs. steve has called out the refs on national tv. i always see MoT, Steve, Mobes pleading their case with the officials. i'd say that our team...everyone from the top to the players has complained about the officiating. i don't think we've done nothing. in fact it seems to have given us the label of whiners. in any case, i disagree with the notion that we've done nothing to voice our displeasure with the lack of calls.
I'm just happy we could win in spite of the poor officiating. It seemed to me that the refs were obviously penalizing the team, and particularly Steve, for comments made in the Sacramento game. What I noticed was in the 1st, 2nd, last half of the 4th and in the overtime, the Rockets played their game and executed. In the 3rd and first half of the 4th, they got caught up in the ref game and really started falling apart. Not b!tching about the refs doesn't work. B!tching about the refs doesn't work. It's time to just accept the lowsy officiating and keep on playing our game & executing in spite of the 5-on-8 mismatch that's obviously happening on the court. Now THAT'S how you earn respect.
