Good for Nate. I would've worded it even stronger than that. You know Phil would. Van Gundy would. And it isn't as if P.Allen wouldn't be more than happy to pick up the tab on his fine when he's sticking up for his team in what really was a bullshit foul situation.
Logic has nothing to do with the NBA and its refs. You don't get to complain about the zebras, even in games like last night. I think it's pretty much an automatic fine.
Would you be available to fill in? Houston to Dallas is only about 4 hours, right? How much notice does Paul need to give you? And how much are you going to charge? Do you need a per diem? What size suit does the team need to have ready for you in the locker room? How do you want you name displayed on the locker: Man, Mediocre or just Mediocre Man?
There was a play in the 4th quarter where Dirk came down... shoved Wallace on the floor... got the ball and jumped away from Wallace... Wallace not even touching him and Wallace was blown for a foul. The to add a little insult to injury... the ref makes a pushing motion with his hands to demonstrate what Wallace did... except... Wallace didn't touch him. Watched in in slow mo a few times. Crazy stuff. Dirk looks like he gets fouled on every play because he flails around like a spaz. There was a play where Batum played perfect D... hands straight up... Dirk runs right at him spins and knocks him backwards. Foul Batum. I am not sure why he doesn't do it every play... they would be champions.
Nate's 100% right. Phantom and touch fouls were called throughout the 4th quarter against us and they were, literally, arm hacking us at the other end with no calls at all. For Dallas to be a team that moves around the perimeter, while we attack the middle, to have a 19-2 FT advantage in the 4th quarter is as poor officiating as it can get. That's a 76-8 advantage for the entire game had the officiating gone on like that for the first 3 quarters. That's beyond whack.
There's no way to argue the officiating was consistent in the fourth quarter. There's no way to argue Nate's statements. It's as factual as can be.
In the game thread, right after we got the lead up to 6 and had momentum, I joked after Dallas immediately got two consecutive fouls in their favor that we could expect free throws for them on every possession from here on out. And sure enough, I think they did in fact get something like 4 to 6 straight trips down the court where we were called for questionable fouls while we got pounded on the other end with no fouls called for us. I really don't like conspiracy theories and try my best not to get wrapped up in them but shit like I saw last night seriously make me wonder.
There was also the phantom foul call on Marion, which Roy got to shot a free throw for with 1:22 left in the game (which he missed) and Portland got the ball back. All in all, I would say the officiating of last nights game was inconsistent. Sometimes they would call hard fouls, sometimes they would call ticky tack fouls, but overall I don't think either team received any bias by the refs. If people are blaming the refs for last nights loss they need to check their homer card at the door. How about McMillan leaving in Brandon Roy for the last 5 minutes of the game instead of playing Camby, just watching a six point lead disappear?
It wasn't a phantom call. The replay angle they showed wasn't the best one but Marion was pulling Roy's jersey in the back to keep him from going around the pick. That's what the ref called. I think at that point they figured they'd given Dallas such a lopsided edge in free throws that they'd throw us a bone. And Roy missed the freebie.
Absolutely I saw that... horrible call too... it was almost like the ref looked up to the board and saw the disparity in FTs and thought uh-oh.... That fact is that it is easier to game the game than to play good basketball... and players like Dirk are excellent at it. However... it really makes the game pretty unbearable to watch. I haven't watched a non-Blazer game in years.
I didn't see the last part of your post. Coaching decisions aside, are you going to call an almost 10 to 1 free throw disparity in the 4th good officiating? Or that Dirk shot more FT's in the 4th alone than the entire Blazer team did all game is OK?
You didn't watch the same game I did. I wouldn't say it was overwhelmingly lop-sided and an out-and-out game-changer, but the officiating was tilted toward the Mavericks and significantly so. Your one example of apparent Blazer favoritism notwithstanding. Please check your own "I'm less biased than the rest of you" smug attitude at the door, if you wouldn't mind. It's certainly true that the Blazers' offense got stagnant and players got frustrated, and the Mavericks (especially Kidd and Nowitzki) made plays and converted free throws in the 4th quarter. But to say the officiating had nothing to do with the outcome is to avoid part of the story of this game out of a surplus of "I'm not biased" caution.
this exactly, he is a flopping bitch, reminds me exactly of paul pierce actually. and yes, in the 4th i was saying to myself "self, if i were the mavs, i would just give it to dirk and have him fall into the lane this play so that he may shoot more free throws"....and then they did, and they did, and they did. cant really blame the mavs for riding the hot hands of the officials though.
my prediction for game 2 and the rest of the series onward: In game 2 the Mavs will get a huge number of favorable calls, and shoot something like 30 more free throws in the game and win it. Then once it gets to Portland, game 3 will be blatantly Portland favorable, and Portland wins "going away". Then, thinking the team has momentum, fans are convinced they can win game 4. Then Mr favorable swings back to the Mavs, and they win game 4 with some non-calls and obvious superstar calls for Jason Kidd, Terry and Dirk. And after game 4 they return to Dallas to close the series up. And after doing this, the Mavs prove to the "doubters" that they mean business, and are "for reelz!" because they just beat the 'favored' team, and now they'll heap big challenge on the Lakers!!!! Game 1 will be won by Dallas, and then the Lakers will steam-roll through the Mavs. rinse and repeat.
Yep, and Dirk will whine like nobodies business, and their fans (esp Marc Cuban) will bring whining to historical levels. Which is saying a lot, considering we're on pace to do the same.
Apparently Mavs fans think it was fine since Dirk was being mauled the first 3 quarters. Who actually thinks the better team won last night?
