you completely miss the point. it wasnt about a disparity in foul shots, it was about an important blown call at the end of the game that would have sent l.a. home packing. all im sayin is if you wanna bitch about the refs, at least man up and say 1 of those 3 peat rings was a farce. (if not 2 of em) if not then shut your faggot asses up.
NBA Finals: Celtics vs. Lakers
- Thread starter KrazeeRDM
- Start date
you'll be the one crying tonight, when that so-called #1 defense is getting shutdown by the refs. I expect the calls to favor the home team, so I usually don't care about some bad calls being made. game 2 was just taking it too far though. the best player in the league should not be sitting on the bench(in the goddamn nba finals) over some ticky tack fouls. jordan used to get away with murder.
Free-throw disparity crucial in Celtics' Game 2 win
By Mike Kahn
Veteran sportswriter Mike Kahn is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.
Updated: June 9, 2008, 4:03 PM EST
Maybe it would be over the top to say they got hosed.
Maybe.
Then again, how much over the top is that perception as opposed to Leon Powe — yes, Leon Powe — coming off the Boston Celtics bench to shoot 13 free throws compared to 10 free throws for the Los Angeles Lakers as a whole?
To say the free throw disparity wasn't the key to the Celtics bizarre 108-102 win Sunday night would either be the perspective of someone in steep denial or somebody else who didn't watch the game.
And while the Celtics hold a powerful 2-0 lead in the series, the Lakers played much tougher inside, drove to the basket more and deserved a better shake from the officials compared to their ultra-soft display in the Celtics' 98-88 win in Game 1.
There was a classic example in the final three minutes Sunday night when the Lakers were in the midst of cutting a 24-point lead with 7:40 left in the game to just a deuce with 38 seconds left.
Kobe Bryant drove from the wing and missed, but Vladimir Radmanovic was there to put it in for the Lakers. Both players took hits as they shot with no foul called. And when Celtics point guard Rajon Rando forced a drive late in the shot clock with no significant contact — he was bailed out with a foul. Granted, he missed a pair of free throws, but that was the tone of the entire game.
That's not to diminish the aggressiveness of the Celtics on either end of the floor until those nearly historic final seven-plus minutes of the game. They earned the victory and the majority of their foul shots. The Lakers just didn't get their share.
Bryant had 30 points and eight assists but once again struggled to get to the line after shooting just six free throws in Game 1. He had seven in Game 2. That's three less free throws than he had averaged in the previous 15 games of the playoffs, and that trio made a huge difference Sunday. The frustration even drew a technical foul from Bryant as well.
The problem was the Lakers never got a read of how to get to the free-throw line all night. Lakers center Pau Gasol spent a lot more time in the lane Sunday, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds but shot only one free throw. He converted one of the great field goals of the playoffs when he drove hard down the lane with Kevin Garnett all over him, flicked the ball off the glass with his (off) left hand while Garnett hacked him.
No call.
That was the story all night. Bryant had seven free-throw attempts, Gasol one, and Derek Fisher two. That should tell you the tone of the calls. The officials were clearly infatuated with the men in green.
Meanwhile, Powe played less than 15 minutes and was 9-of-13 on his free throw attempts on the way to a career playoff-high 22 points. He did have 27 points in the final regular season game against New Jersey, but this was an entirely different deal. Powe came into the game in the first half and immediately began going to the glass. And every time he went, the whistle blew and he was firing freebies.
That's not to diminish what he accomplished, nor what he had done leading into this game. He had already taken 47 free throws in the playoffs going into Sunday's game, so he had obviously shown the proclivity to earn the free trips with strong interior play. But for him to shoot the same amount of free throws in 15 minutes as Bryant shot in the two games combined is an astounding statistic.
That isn't really the point either. There is no rule that says both teams can't go to the line. In the opening game, the Celtics shot 35 free throws and the Lakers 28. Anybody who watched the two games saw the Lakers were much aggressive in Game 2, and yet none of the contact inside drew the attention of the officials this time.
The inclination most of the time is for the home team to be the aggressor, and along with the partisan crowd, receive more free throw attempts. But there is an even better solution that continues to preclude logic as it always has in the playoffs. Why not stick a group of officials on a series and leave them there in every round?
Take the highest graded officials and put them in the conference finals, and then take the best three out of the conference finals for the Finals. It would create a sense of continuity for the officials. They would be much more familiar with the teams and the individuals' style of play because of the familiarity produced by the continuity.
And in turn, it would translate into the players and coaches getting a better feel for the way the games would be called. Just from the result of this game Sunday night, there should be some meeting of the minds to prevent it from such an obvious problem occurring. To rectify it, are they going to abuse the Celtics over the next three games in Los Angeles to compensate? Not overtly anyway.
Yes, Leon Powe was impressive Sunday night and deserves respect. But when he shoots 13 free throws, the Celtics shoot 38, and the Lakers 10 — to quote a slew of NBA players — it just ain't right.
By Mike Kahn
Veteran sportswriter Mike Kahn is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.
Updated: June 9, 2008, 4:03 PM EST
Maybe it would be over the top to say they got hosed.
Maybe.
Then again, how much over the top is that perception as opposed to Leon Powe — yes, Leon Powe — coming off the Boston Celtics bench to shoot 13 free throws compared to 10 free throws for the Los Angeles Lakers as a whole?
To say the free throw disparity wasn't the key to the Celtics bizarre 108-102 win Sunday night would either be the perspective of someone in steep denial or somebody else who didn't watch the game.
And while the Celtics hold a powerful 2-0 lead in the series, the Lakers played much tougher inside, drove to the basket more and deserved a better shake from the officials compared to their ultra-soft display in the Celtics' 98-88 win in Game 1.
There was a classic example in the final three minutes Sunday night when the Lakers were in the midst of cutting a 24-point lead with 7:40 left in the game to just a deuce with 38 seconds left.
Kobe Bryant drove from the wing and missed, but Vladimir Radmanovic was there to put it in for the Lakers. Both players took hits as they shot with no foul called. And when Celtics point guard Rajon Rando forced a drive late in the shot clock with no significant contact — he was bailed out with a foul. Granted, he missed a pair of free throws, but that was the tone of the entire game.
That's not to diminish the aggressiveness of the Celtics on either end of the floor until those nearly historic final seven-plus minutes of the game. They earned the victory and the majority of their foul shots. The Lakers just didn't get their share.
Bryant had 30 points and eight assists but once again struggled to get to the line after shooting just six free throws in Game 1. He had seven in Game 2. That's three less free throws than he had averaged in the previous 15 games of the playoffs, and that trio made a huge difference Sunday. The frustration even drew a technical foul from Bryant as well.
The problem was the Lakers never got a read of how to get to the free-throw line all night. Lakers center Pau Gasol spent a lot more time in the lane Sunday, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds but shot only one free throw. He converted one of the great field goals of the playoffs when he drove hard down the lane with Kevin Garnett all over him, flicked the ball off the glass with his (off) left hand while Garnett hacked him.
No call.
That was the story all night. Bryant had seven free-throw attempts, Gasol one, and Derek Fisher two. That should tell you the tone of the calls. The officials were clearly infatuated with the men in green.
Meanwhile, Powe played less than 15 minutes and was 9-of-13 on his free throw attempts on the way to a career playoff-high 22 points. He did have 27 points in the final regular season game against New Jersey, but this was an entirely different deal. Powe came into the game in the first half and immediately began going to the glass. And every time he went, the whistle blew and he was firing freebies.
That's not to diminish what he accomplished, nor what he had done leading into this game. He had already taken 47 free throws in the playoffs going into Sunday's game, so he had obviously shown the proclivity to earn the free trips with strong interior play. But for him to shoot the same amount of free throws in 15 minutes as Bryant shot in the two games combined is an astounding statistic.
That isn't really the point either. There is no rule that says both teams can't go to the line. In the opening game, the Celtics shot 35 free throws and the Lakers 28. Anybody who watched the two games saw the Lakers were much aggressive in Game 2, and yet none of the contact inside drew the attention of the officials this time.
The inclination most of the time is for the home team to be the aggressor, and along with the partisan crowd, receive more free throw attempts. But there is an even better solution that continues to preclude logic as it always has in the playoffs. Why not stick a group of officials on a series and leave them there in every round?
Take the highest graded officials and put them in the conference finals, and then take the best three out of the conference finals for the Finals. It would create a sense of continuity for the officials. They would be much more familiar with the teams and the individuals' style of play because of the familiarity produced by the continuity.
And in turn, it would translate into the players and coaches getting a better feel for the way the games would be called. Just from the result of this game Sunday night, there should be some meeting of the minds to prevent it from such an obvious problem occurring. To rectify it, are they going to abuse the Celtics over the next three games in Los Angeles to compensate? Not overtly anyway.
Yes, Leon Powe was impressive Sunday night and deserves respect. But when he shoots 13 free throws, the Celtics shoot 38, and the Lakers 10 — to quote a slew of NBA players — it just ain't right.
which call & what game you talking about ?...im just asking you to back up what your saying..aint no body bitching about refs,you brought up the kings series..one blown call doesnt equal a handed trophy in a 7 game series..if horry had missed that 3 pionter in game 4 or the kings had hit more of thier free throws in game 7 instead of blowing 16/30 from the line,we wouldnt be having this convo,thats all im saying..
Wow calm down there lil buddy.The E-Bangin levels are reachin an all time high here.
I dont know where you got all that shit from. Maybe some laker fan club article or some shit but I never said any of this. Nor heard any of this.
Like I said all Boston has done was won the games it was supposed to win... BARELY.
And why would Boston be the underdog? Just because some so called experts on ESPN picked them to win?
I dont know where you got all that shit from. Maybe some laker fan club article or some shit but I never said any of this. Nor heard any of this.
Like I said all Boston has done was won the games it was supposed to win... BARELY.
And why would Boston be the underdog? Just because some so called experts on ESPN picked them to win?
Its not justification, but there is a precedent for this type of thing and the Lakers were the ones getting rings behind it. Now that its not the Lakers getting the calls every Laker fan thinks the league is out to get them, never mind the rings they have to show from when the refs gave the Lakers bullshit call after bullshit call.
I think you guys take shit a lil too far. Nobody thinks the NBA has it out for the Lakers. We simply think like other fans of other teams that these two games have been called pretty bad especially game two.
The Lakers werent givin shit in 2000 or 2002 so all you sour ass Blazer and Kings fans stop bitchin over old shit.
The Lakers werent givin shit in 2000 or 2002 so all you sour ass Blazer and Kings fans stop bitchin over old shit.
