It amazes me how biased some people can be (you prove it with your calling Sasha a p***y). I love players be tough and playing hard noised. It is what makes Rafer as good as he is but that doesn't justify him show boating a guy. Just because he plays tough doesn't mean he can do what he did (which was wrong really people stop pretending to yourself Rafer did nothing wrong). Plenty of players play tough but you never see them show boating at the end do you. Its called class, its called sportsmanship, its called rising above your opponents, its called being professional. From what you said about the Lakers pressing you must believe its always unsporting to press. Team's should avoid contact because its not right. You complain about the Lakers pressing with 3:30 left. You do know why a team presses don't you? They sacrifice the chance the other them can break it and get a fast break in order to try and force a turnover. Its common place in all levels of basketball. I guarantee the next time the Rockets are down late (if that ever happens) they will switch to a full court press. Seriously dude just stop posting that crap. You also complain about a Laker stealing a pass and laying it in. As Dickie V would say "Are you serious?" What do you expect him to do with his team down not try to score. Lastly: - I watched the whole game and saw the stuff before but as I've said that doesn't justify what Rafer did. - I like Rafer just fine especially lately. - I have never given Sasha a second thought until I saw what happened. - I despise message board trolls and would never stoop to doing that.
true that. exactly what happened during the game. and honestly, the last few moments for me were the best ones of the game. i agree with all the sportsmanship and staying humble and all that, but it makes a difference when others like the arrogant lakers going at you first. what rafer and scola did imo were exactly what's appropriate, not over-doing it.
Stop saying let him run out the clock. IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. We still had to attempt a shot before the game clock would reach 0 hence the Lakers still playing defense. A team with a winning mentaility (which the Lakers have and every team otehr than the Heat have) would play hard defense until the team had the ball and couple waist all the remaining time.
Yeah 5 posts in six months or so how bout you continue to never post. And admins do everyone a favor and demote people like this. Just ruins good arguments.
OK fine then if it was still a game why was Rafer in the wrong? If I was being played that aggressively I would want every right to get away, even if that means getting a little fancy. Rafer didn't do anything crazy, just a little fancy dribbling. I think Chilly_Pete summed it up the best: Vujacic was mad at Rafer so he tried to rough him up a bit. But the whole thing blew up in his face when Rafer made him look like a rag doll so he fouled him hard out of frustration. Rafer was burning time (not letting the clock run out, but burning time). Vujacic had every right to play hard D but it wasn't neccessary. Rafer had every right to school him like that but it wasn't neccessary. That's how it started and that's how it ends. End of discussion in my opinion. I could be wrong.
Rafer didn't do anything wrong. If Sasha didn't want to look like a fool he wouldn't have tried to play pressure d on a guy with some of the best handles in the nba when Rafer was just trying to milk the clock. Him fouling Alston at the end just shows how he can't hang.
The game was decided but the Rockets did have to attempt a shot and any team who has a winning mentality doesn't givfe up any easy shots. Playing hard good defense is the same as showing a guy up in your book? According to your post you think so. And you would be wrong
Um...you still intentionally tried to do it right? Which means you were trying to get your opponent pissed off so he can get punished for it right? Sasha, is that you? Tell Luke I said hi.
LMFAO ain't that the truth? After Rafer got away from Sasha he should have stopped. The between the legs dribbling was completely uncalled for regardless of who hit who, who trashed talked who, the score, whatever. This is PRO basketball and well, we haven't done anything yet (not at all taking away from the streak). I'm sure RA gave him an ear full.
levin, you obviously value the dirty, hard working, on the floor type play. great, so do i (its the only way i got time in high school). the thing is, rafer and unspellable name were going at each other all game. it was a matter of each guy going to their preffered weapon. unspellable name was bodying up and pushing him, like a physical player would and rafer responded with his handles, like a graceful player would. each was playing their role in the fight, resorting to their strenghths. that being said, rafer didn't bounce the ball off of the guys head or throw it between his legs, he just pulled a little spin move and go some separation. yeah, the between the legs dribble around half court was a little "eff you" they had been exchanging them all night. just because you like one players strength over another's doesn't mean the latter is classless, it was personal and they both showed a little classlessness, it happens constantly in pro sports, deal with it.
You should change your name to Mr. Arrogant. Just because we disagree doesn't mean we can't have a good argument. You need conflicting opinions to have an argument. It's the name of the game. I respect everyone's position I just don't agree with many of you just as you don't agree with me.
Levin, you're in the wrong here. After Rafer brings it up Vujacic lagged behind and was obviously going to go for the steal. Rafer stops because he knows Vujacic is after him, which is definitely not classless. Instead of going around him Vujacic bodies him up and tries to reach in for the ball and Rafer takes exception and puts the moves on him. I don't think it's classless at all. I also really liked watching it. It was entertaining. The NBA is entertainment. Was it bad that Skip got into it after he got fouled? Sure, but it looked like he got slapped in the crotch or maybe elsewhere, and if someone had been going at me all night with physical defense and then made a cheapshot foul after I burned him, damn straight i'd be up in his face. Really, stop trying to villify Rafer, what he did up to the point of the foul was perfectly fine. Seriously, this reminds me of that one thread where the guy was trying to argue that standing up at games was classless (or something to that effect, I can't recall exactly what it was but was similarly ridiculous)
I don't know if they showed it on TV, but after the buzzer, Odom and Scola had a man-hug and all was good.
