I remember Horry smacking Bonzi right across the shooting arm on a baseline 15 footer. The ref was standing right in front of the play, and pretended like nothing happened. The ball came up about 4 feet short of the rim. "play on, there was no contact".
As a season ticket holder, we were invited to the Rose Garden to watch the game on the big screen. Twelve minutes away from the finals. Portland would have ran over the Pacers. Oh well. I too have never watched the game.
It was really hard for me to take the NBA seriously after what the refs did to us and then watching them completely screw Sacramento.
Talk about being in an ultimate high at the end of the 3rd quarter to a complete basket case by the end of the game - that was me!
I had a sinking feeling pretty quickly. I couldn't watch most of the fourth quarter. I was outside shooting baskets in my driveway and checking in every few minutes (and wincing). Sheed's Pistons beating the Lakers in the finals a couple years later was SO FUCKING SWEET. (But it didn't make up for that Game 7, of course.)
Bonzi has bigger hands than Sheed. I remember reading that Sheed has size 12 feet. I'm 6'2" and I struggle to fit in most size 13s.
I was so incredibly disappointed in both of them. They didn't deal with that loss well at all. I'd like to hear what Steve Smith, Pip, and Sabas have to say about that game.
When that 4th quarter happened, my dad was convinced the refs were betting on the game and that Dunleavy was maybe in on throwing it. Probably total bunk, absolutely paranoid thinking... the NBA refs of the 1999-2000 era would have never stooped so low as that.
I was there in LA surrounded by Lakers fans. I remember Shaq clotheslining Steve Smith, all the Blazers stopped because it was such an obvious foul. Not called. After the game, remember, Sheed was the only one who talked to the media. But I don't want to hear anyone talk about it.
I wouldn't even be able to watch this. I hate everything about that 4th quarter. Even now I can feel it. 'Tis a wound that will never heal.
I wonder what Rasheed is talking about at first. Dale was not on the team when we lost to the Lakers in the 2000 WCF. Maybe he was thinking of Brian Grant? Their memory doesn't seem to be very good. The core of the team was kept together from the 1999-2000 to 2000-2001 season. The main move was trading Jermaine for Dale Davis and Grant for Kemp. And remember the Blazers had the best record in the league that year, till they traded for Rod Strickland.
