Okay, I know that refs aren't supposed to be influenced by a home crowd. But the truth is that when there is contact (or even sometimes just the appearance of contact), the indignant roar of the home crowd increases the likelihood of the whistle being blown. I'm sure that Morey, Cuban, Hollinger, et al have some kind of secret stats to back this up, but I think we all know this to be true just from watching the games. With the foregoing in mind, when Yao and Przybilla begin wrestling for position on Friday night, I think everyone in the building should start yelling about it. This does not mean booing every time Przybilla touches the ball or when he just checks in. I'm talking about the crowd getting on him and getting on the refs every time he starts grabbing, hooking, and pushing Yao. Let the refs know that it's not legal and not fair. I'm sure that if everyone was on the same page it would end up in Yao getting a few more calls, and that by itself could be huge in a close game. Getting Przybilla in foul trouble, getting Yao free throw attempts, forcing Przybilla to give Yao a little more room - multiple benefits. We need to truly be the 6th man here.
I vented about this more in detail in the game three adjustments thread but if the Blazers are going to front we need to pull Yao away from the basket and run more PnR's and PnPop's. I'm sick and tired of Yao picking up offensive fouls while struggling for position when the defender fronts him. It's body-to-body contact that realistically could be whistled either way. Yao picks up far too many offensive fouls this way to just ignore this.
Totally disagree, Yao had 4 fouls for like FOREVER when he clearly had committed at least TWO looking at replays. Refs didn't cost the game. The Rockets missing free-throws, not getting the ball to Yao, Yao being a big twat and not able to get position, the team being impatient...you know. The normal dumb ****.
Seriously? Being a big twat?? I wanna see you wrestle with 2 grown-ass men who weigh the same as you for 35 minutes, as they pull and push and grab at you, and see how easy it is to get position. It's one thing to be frustrated that we haven't found a viable solution to fronting.....it's really another thing to be downright insulting. And if you think the refs didn't at least have a small effect on that game, you're delusional. I'm not saying that the Blazers didn't play well, but when Yao gets his 4th foul mid-way through the third on a lame-ass belly flop by Przycanibuyavowelbilla, you can't possibly tell me that doesn't have an impact on the game. You'd think that the Rockets were down 0-2 with the next two games in Portland by the way some of you guys are posting. Calm down.
I would be down for this for sure. I'm not prepared to say that the refs cost us the game, but I am prepared to say that the way Yao has been being pushed and hooked and just generally beat up his whole career and especially in his playoff performances is bull****.
that's because the refs had already given yao at least 2 questionable fouls, as controlling as they can be, they're not going to foul out yao after deke went down, they were trying to keep the game close, not give Portland a blowout, but i agree it wasn't just the refs fault...
This thread doesn't seem to be about Game 2 officiating...but how can we intimidate the Refs in our favor. Maybe we need to ask the j*zz fans for help on this because our crowd does get pretty rowdy when the calls are not going our way...but it never seems to work for us. With that said, in OUR building Artest and Battier should be allowed to play defense on Roy and I like our chances. Before the series remember how many of the media analyst said "If they call the game tight it favors Portland, if they let the teams play it favors Houston." Well the first two games show that. Portland has NO CHANCE at beating us if they let the players play. Aldridge doesn't like to get physical, and we are just better playing like this. Plus we are used to it because the Jazz have played us physically the past two years. Then the second game, they called it tight and it really helped Portland. Scola wasn't allowed to body Aldridge, that's why he had such a big game. Then Hayes tried to guard him and they called two quick fouls on him. In our building though, we should come out and establish to the refs...We play tough physical ball here in Toyota Center both the team and our fans.
