First, I'd like to note how the Rockets largely ignored the refs and just played better basketball when they got screwed. I loved Shane's reaction to Kobe's bullcrap - laughing. It just made Kobe more angry, and he played even worse. I decided to start a list of bad calls after the Lakers got the benefit of about 5 back to back to back to back to back calls when the Rockets were threatening to blow them away early on. (At that point we had about a 7 point lead but the refs kept them in it for a while). Here's the result of that list. I didn't write the times of all the plays down, but if you check the game log you could find them. Partial List of Lakers' Calls in Game 1: Shane elbowed and kneed intentionally by Kobe, no foul called. Shane hit hard in face, knocked to ground by Vucacic (face badly bloodied). Not only do refs not notice, Shane has to run up to them and demand that they stop the game for the 30 second officials' timeout when someone is bleeding. Mystery foul, Odom got 2 free throws, which he missed both of. Karma. 9:40, 3rd quarter, Kobe leaps into still players' bodies. Foul called. 1:32 3rd quarter, Yao standing still, Gasol runs into him, no call. Odom then runs into him (Odom had the ball), foul called on Yao. Kobe runs into Yao, banging his knee against Yao's. Yao (standing still) collapses in pain, no foul called. 1:24, 4th quarterKobe jumps into Yao, while Yao stands there. Foul on Yao.
Sorry for the bad edit, kinda in a rush, and vlc doesnt do frame advance. It doesn't look like kobe gets his hands around the ball, and after the last (bottom) pic, the ball goes upward as if scola swiped up which he does do and i try to sequence the 3 pictures to show it. Regardless, both are very close to call, and Lakers got more than their share of calls in the first half. If anybody would whine about overturning calls, then the Kings should also be given the WCF in 2002, and Kobe should be in jail anyways.
Odom takes 2 full strides along right along the sideline. He's out but the 2nd step is clearer. If they're arguing about it they're using a screen of the first step out of bounds he takes you cant tell anything from those pics without the motion. live and on replay it's clear that Kobe got it last. you're right that they are close calls but not too close to call. it's clear to the impartial observer that those were the correct calls. I was watching it with people in NY and not one dude in the bar yelled out about those calls except a couple guys in Lakers jerseys. it's funny that Lakers fan talk about calls at the end of the game when their last consecutive scoring possessions came from Kobe wading into the lane and being bailed out by calls. almost as funny as Kobe kneeing/elbowing/pushing/stepping on Battier then crying about "physical" play at the press conference
