How about when the camera crew and and Blazer anouncers zero'd in on how Kobe was trying to intimidate Batum by literally punching him in the gut? That was some good camera work. It was very interesting to me to see how ________ (Enter word of choice: crafty, dirty, physical, smart) Kobe is. And how well Batum took it.
I think it was a flagrant 2 foul but even if the NBA changes it to a 1 I didn't like the way Ariza acted after the foul. Please at least look like you didn't do it on purpose idiot! He is a compete douche bag and I now have another Laker to hate. He is a piece of shit low life puck and the Lakers can keep him.
I agree with the wrist grab part. Ariza may have been trying to hold Rudy up but was going at a such an angle to him that he just pulled him over in mid air. Could have been Ariza was just making sure he did not score in which case it was just dirty.
looked to me like he went for the ball and hit him in the head with his elbow. he should have known he couldn't have made that block cleanly and that it was a dangerous play, though
Actually there were some angles that you may not have seen that show that Ariza actually did get his wirst and that appeared to me to be the main reason for Rudy's odd landing.
When a player has left his feet and you hit him from behind, your actions puts that player at risk. It has nothing to do with intent. It's a dangerous play that puts another player at risk for a serious injury. It is, therefore, by the league's definition, a flagrant 2. Intent to injure, whether or not he "went for the ball" is all irrelevant. Both of those would require reading the mind of the person committing the foul. So, they were wisely excluded in the writing of the rule. It's the action that warrants the flagrant foul (and subsequent suspension), not the intent. BTW, it's not like Ariza doesn't know this is a big no-no. I don't care if you're playing YMCA ball, CYO, high school, college, or the NBA, you are taught from a very early age that when a player leaves his feet he is very vulnerable and you don't bring him down from behind. It's just not done. It's a reckless, dangerous play. A player in mid-air is in a very vulnerable position. Hitting him from behind, regardless of intent, is a stupid, careless thing to do. BNM
laughable that you're calling us biased and defending that dirty play in any way. Truly ridiculous. Ariza took a vicious swipe at an exposed player and hit all head. If he wanted to make a play on the ball, he should have used his other hand and not wound up. He'll be suspended because he deserves it. STOMP
You need to go back and re-read that book. Nowhere is intent or "going for the ball" mentioned in the rule on flagrant fouls. It is irrelevant. It was unnecessary and excessive contact that put another player at risk for of serious injury. It was a blow to the head and arms delivered from behind to a player that had left his feet and was in a very vulnerable position. The call at the time, by definition, was correct. And, I suspect Ariza will receive at least a one game suspension for his actions (not his intent). BNM
OK, here is my playoff fantasy. Blazers, with home court, win the first round, preferably against the Hornets as I'm tired of hearing "should have drafted Chris Paul" every 10 minutes. In the second round vs. Lakers, Blazers surprise them with a Game 1 win in LA. Lakers come back and blow out Portland Game 2. All the pundits say the Lakers have re-asserted their dominance and will win in 5. Blazers continue tradition and win both games at home. Lakers take Game 5 in LA. Game 6, Portland wants to close out, LA wants Game 7 where everything will be on their side. Game is nip and tuck. On national TV, the announcers including Bill Walton say over and over that no way does LA lose this game. Portland is too inexperienced and LA shits gold bricks. Late in the game, Kobe Bryant hits a shot to give LA a two point lead. Announcers drink his urine and pronounce it champagne. Blazers don't score so Lakers have ball up by 2 with 2 seconds left. Game is called a Laker win and it is solemnly proclaimed Lakers will win Game 7 and go on to win the NBA Championship. But wait! Oden, back from knee injury, steals the Lakers inbounds pass! Tips to Rudy, back from rib injury. Rudy at the buzzer hits a 3!!!! Blazers win! Blazers win! Game, set match! Crowd goes crazy. Odom faints. Kobe looks like they stole his favorite diamond ring. Ariza bursts into tears. Gasol, sad-faced, congratulates his countryman. Phil Jackson has a heart attack but is saved by Blazers medical staff. Crowd shouts Rudy Rudy Rudy and Oden Oden Oden. Mixum craps his pants in dismay. Bill Walton says he predicted it all along. Spud and I, sitting in the stand, hug each other and scream! PBF proposes to new girlfriend. Later it is announced that the economy has started growing and Osama bin Laden has been captured. OK, got carried away there....
Oh come on, you don't really believe that do you? Ariza was frustrated because of the blow out. He decided to commit a hard foul, from behind, on a player who took off on one foot so he was already at an angle in mid air. I think it was an incredibly stupid and reckless play. Trying to argue that it was "clean" is just ridiculous. And it's not like this is new for the Lakers in the Rose Garden. Isn't this like the 3rd game in a row in the RG where LA has conducted themselves like asses when they're losing? This is similar to what happened last season to Brandon. Yeah, we may be a little biased but there is a pattern of thug behavior by LA. One of the radio guys this morning was at the game and sitting by his roommate's son. He does the morning show so he was telling the kid he really should go home and go to bed but he wanted to be there to see LA start whatever they were going to do this time and about 5 minutes later it happened. Seriously, Phil should just tape his, "It was just a hard foul, nothing more" statement for the next game. That way he can hide his face and sneak out the back so he doesn't have to face the media like Kobe did last night.
Oh, and DaRizzle, while we do hate your team it would be really okay with us if you went out and won the next three games. Giving the Blazers better play off seeding is the least LA could do.
Not to mention, in the Lakers' own best interests so as not to have to play the Blazers in the first round.
Hey, if you're going to include the old ESPN crew in your wonderful fantasy, can't Gramps and I at least exchange a high five?
by the way. way to man up after that game.. takes a good deal of cajones to start this thread after the beating you guys got.
Thanks for including me in that wonderful dream, crandc. I'm gonna try really hard to avoid jumping into debating the intent of Ariza's play or whether a Flagrant 2 is justified. But I couldn't in good conscience call myself a Blazers fan if I didn't say this: I was riding a high unlike any other watching the Blazers dominate the Lakers through nearly 3 quarters last night. The Blazers' performance in the first half was just about as close to perfect as you're ever likely to see. And to think they were doing it to the Lakers... I felt like a kid in a candy store. Then it all came crashing down with Rudy @ the 2.2 mark of the 3rd quarter. I saw Ariza try to make the play. I saw Rudy twisting as he flew through the air. I saw Rudy bounce on his completely exposed rib-cage. I was certain he had broken some ribs. I saw Ariza land on his feet, turn, and start to toot his horn. I saw Rudy tapping his chest, struggling to breathe. I saw the legs of some Laker standing over Rudy trying to see if he was OK, then trying to call a ref over (props to whichever Laker that was). I saw chaos erupt in front of the Lakers' bench. I saw a ref trying to get the attention of the Blazers coaches & trainers to get help for Rudy. I saw Roy getting into it with Ariza. I saw Ariza trying to go after Roy. I saw Frye and Farmar trying to seperate Roy and Ariza. I saw Rudy laying there on the baseline for a full 10 minutes, not really moving, and early on I *thought* I saw his face turning purple (might have been his beard stubble and my crappy TV though). I saw them wheel the stretcher out to him. I saw him lay there a few minutes more. Then I saw them gently lift him onto the stretcher and wheel him out. And it all really pissed me off. First, I felt strongly - and still do - that Ariza made the play he did, the way he did, because it happened at the Lakers' end of the court. In front of their bench. In front of PJ. We know PJ expects his players to play tough - to contest every shot - to send messages. I think Ariza was just doing what he felt his coach expected him to do in that situation, because his coach was right there. Would he have done the same at the other end of the court? I don't really think so. Second, after it all went down, Ariza showed no concern whatsoever for Rudy's welfare. It looked like he had some time to do so before the scrum erupted, but instead he chose to thump his chest and hoot. He knew Rudy took a hard fall there - a hard fall he caused - but he didn't seem to give a shit. I think that's what got to Roy, too. Third, my gut-level reaction was something like this: "Great. You're getting your @ss handed to you. You can't beat the Blazers tonight playing straight up, so you resort to something like this? True colors, Lakers." Fourth, it pissed me off that it took the Blazers so long to get someone down there to help Rudy. Actually, I think the first non-player to get there was one of the Lakers' coaches or trainers. Fifth, it pissed me off that Odom tried to get involved. For no other reason than I hate that punk. Sixth, it pissed me off that here we have a Blazer - not just any Blazer, but a fan favorite - down on the court, potentially seriously injured after a spectacular spill, and they're throwing technical fouls at other Blazers like candy. So yeah, by the time they got Rudy wheeled out for initial examination and got the game going again, my blood was pretty much boiling over it all. But as I watched the Blazers lose nearly half of their lead, then regroup and build it back up again to put the game away, I cooled down. The thought of Odom's pending suspension helped a bit (I don't know if they suspend players for committing Flagrant 2 fouls, but maybe they'll see something in the tape of the scrum that will cause them to suspend Ariza too). But what left me smiling when it was all said and done was this: Reports were that Rudy was conscious, breathing, moving his arms and legs, and initial CT scans were negative for broken bones. And this: We got the win. And we looked damn good in doing so. And the Rose Garden continues to be the Lakers' House of Horrors. And, finally, this: The Lakers probably didn't want to throw fuel on the Blazers' fire at this point, but that's just what happened last night. I hope we meet them in the playoffs. Thanks, Trev. Get well soon, Rudy. Go Blazers! PBF
I think the idea that Ariza was legitimately trying to make a spectacular, clean play is absurd. To me, it's pretty clear that he was committing a hard, frustration foul out of embarrassment. That said, I don't think his intent was to injure Rudy. I think he wanted to drop Rudy on his ass, out of anger. The way Rudy actually fell was bad luck. IMO, a needless move by Ariza, especially in a blowout...but blowouts are where tempers often flare the most.
Fellow Blazers fans, think back to how you were feeling immediately after Rudy took his spill last night, and answer this: If you had been there, right there on the baseline last night, would you have been tempted to rush Ariza and get a few good shots in on him before they dragged you off the court? I think I would have been. PBF
+1, exactly how I see it too... And I don't think anyone from either team should be suspended. I'm starting to cool down about it, especially now that we know Rudy is okay. I have to add that, other than Ariza and Odom, the Lakers really looked just as concerned as the Blazers when they realized Rudy wasn't getting up.
