I'm starting this thread hoping to open the discussion on the way the Rockets have be judged by the NBA refs in general under JVG. We all know JVG brings a physical, Eastern Conference style defense to the Rockets. As the results, the refs had to adjust their calls based on the style the Rockets have been playing. In that regard, we got away with many physical pushing, shoving, and grapping, which would have been called foul last season. However, this is not the one-side story. As the refs decided to call the game based on the way we have been playing, they naturally let the other teams get physical with us. The consequence is that Yao hasn't received as much "protection" from the refs as he did last season; the same goes with Steve and others on the team. That's why we've seen more complaining about the officiating from the Rockets players, coaches, and of course us the fans. My question to you is, do you agree with my observation? Is it in the Rockets advantage that way since we have some great offensive firepower, giving more leeway to defense will hurt us more? Peace! --daoshi
i've noticed that they get many calls or i'd guess you'd say non-calls on defense because the are always the more aggressive team. seems like they can a little more physical on D because they are the best and the refs know it. the more agressive team always gets the call. but for all the hustle and great defense, they are not agressive enough on offense. the refs know that so they are not going to bail the rockets out, just like they won't bail out the other team when they are against the rockets D. i say it works both ways because the rockets are each end of defensive and offensive spectrum
That might be true, but do we lose more than we gain by doing this? I don't make any suggestions since I really don't know the answer. When I looked at the good physical defensive teams in the past, I see the Pistons, the Knicks, and the Heats with Alozo. The Bulls and the Spurs are very good defensive teams, but their defenses based more on the atheism than the physical intimidation the above teams posses. What's common with those teams are they didn't have great offensive power as a team, none of them could score enough points to win in a consistent bases, without tough defense. Now, the Rockets are different. They have Yao who is primarily a finesse player; Steve, an athletic high scoring guard; and Mobley, a sharp shoot/slasher. I'm not saying we should give up the defense, but make an argument that IS IT possible that the offensive advantage the Rockets have could be reduced due to the way the refs let the other teams be physical with us. --daoshi
I don't agree with your position. I think the refs call an inconsistent game. I think refs mess up a call, and then try to make it better with "make-up calls" that anger me more than the missed calls. I think refs favor the home court and the famous names. Instead of letting the players decide the outcome of the game, sometimes the refs abuse the power their whistles give them. I don't believe they go into a game saying, "Well since the Rockets play good defense, we're going to give them body contact down low but no reach-ins on the outside." I think they go in with a mentality of, "Okay, the home team really needs a win. We can get Yao 2 or 3 fouls early, but we can't foul him out of this one. If the Rockets are down by 10 or more, we'll give Francis the benefit of the doubt on those aggressive drives, but if they're up or it's a close game, he's gonna have to put the ball in the basket regardless of the contact." Too situational. Too inconsistent. Just call the game fairly, is that so much to ask?
Toast, I feel your pain. I've seen enough bad calls against us over the years! I do think the refs call the game not only based on the HOME COURT & the BIG NAMES, but also the style of the teams and the players. Use Shaq as an example. Refs have a different set of rules when it comes with Shaq, that's because a small bump from him can send others fly out of the building. On the other hand, your push, attack feel like the wind comes by for Shaq. The refs have to make the calls based on who they deal with. Another example is the old Pistoins. Most in the league considered the Pistons played not just physical, but dirty, but if you look at the foul call distribution over the years, it's about even between them and whoever they played. I'm not sure if the Refs just LOWER their standard with the Pistons because if they used the same rule, then everyone from that team would foul out in the 1st qtr; or the other teams played the same physical games because of the way Pistons did to them. --daoshi
I think a good example of the kind of defense we play is the spurs. They are pretty physical, and Duncan gets away with body contact when he goes for the block because he is a great defensive player who the refs respect. The difference between us and the spurs is that if Duncan gets hacked or pushed while shooting, the refs call it. Yao, on the other hand, has no such luck.
hey toast, i agree with everything you say but your point is confusing to me. so say the refs favor the big names. aren't the rockets the number 1 name in defense right now. they do blow alot of calls but my point is they'll blow them in our direction more often on defense than offense because we are the more agressive team. these numbers may not be correct but i think on d we are 1 and on offense 28 or 27. ive posted 3 times today and nobody has insulted me. i'm on a roll
I was talking big individual names, not team names. But you do make a valid point. If we're known for good defense, shouldn't our defense get the calls? But I'd go with no. It doesn't make a team sell jerseys if they play lock-down defense. It does sell another #3 jersey if Franchise dunks over Bateer, though, so they'll give him an extra step to catch more air. You're absolutely correct about the aggressive team typically gets the calls in their favor, though. BUT you gotta show hustle in the "right" way. Kinda like when guys get fouled in the act of shooting. Sure, they jump into the defender, but they make it look like they were jumping to shoot, not to get a foul. If you just go hunting for a foul (regardless of whether you actually get fouled), they won't blow the whistle. You have to make an aggressive basketball play. On a not-so-related topic, I started a thread a week or so ago expressing my opinion that Yao gets penalized because he's a good free throw shooter. I think refs are more likely to call hack-a-Shaq than hack-a-Yao because Shaq shoots 50% from the stripe and Yao is closer to 80%. But again, if we're getting beat, suddenly the refs see the foul. It's almost a pity call. "Well since you're losing, we'll call the foul."
