That was an awfully close call that could have gone either way when it has to be decided in real-time. They got it wrong, but it wasn't some egregious example of favoritism.
No what made it a conspiracy was that the official 45 ft. from the basket made the call. He had a bad angle too. How in the hell was he able to determin if the ball hit the back board or not? He was behind the play.
It was the wrong call. Scott Foster blew it and made the call from 45' away from the play. The Blazers executed on defense and should have won the game. How many times is an NBA team supposed to win a game? That loss is directly on Scott Foster.
Terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE call. Scott Foster should be punished for making that call from 45' away, and he was on the other side of the court from the rim. There were two officials much closer to that play, with better views. He should NOT have had any say so in the play. A good ref trusts himself, but he also trusts his teammates to make the correct calls. In that situation, he has to defer to those who are in best position to make the call. Nobody else called it. It was even a little late for the call. I think once the ball caromed, and he realized Portland could end up with the loose ball and run down floor, he blew his whistle. Bullshit call. If the NBA had any desire to prove that it's completely bipartisan/non-partial, they'll apologize to the Blazers for the incorrect call AND penalize Foster. But that shit won't happen. Which is why my attachment to the NBA is ever-dwindling. I used to buy lots of Blazers gear and go to 15-20 games/year. And that was when I was spending money I didn't have. Now, I actually have money to spend. But I'm not spending it for the BS I see on the floor from the NBA. You get my 1-2 games/year, and that's it. F you, Stern. And no, I'm not bitter. Just keepin' it real.
Tie goes to the superstar? I guess this makes up for the late Sabas hookshot to beat Houston(?) back in the 90's.
Foster should be fined double the amount he made throwing the game. For embarrassing the NBA, of course, not for throwing the game.
After the play, why the hell didnt the other refs speak up, huddle up, and tell Foster he got it wrong?!?!
That's the most galling part to me - the other two officials, who clearly saw a clean block, chose not to at least offer some help to the incorrect official. Ridiculous.
Did you see the snippet when the other two officials were like "fuck that's a bad call but what can we do?"
I remember that one of the two was a rookie ref and I think the other was young (experience wise) too. Foster's the lead official, and overruled their (non) call. Maybe foster isan asshole to work with and they didn't want to make the next game they all worked together a shitshow of office politics. Maybe the NBA has a policy that says the lead official is the final word if he Changes a call.
Actually I caught a snippet of Courtside when they were talking about this play and apparently Foster is the official who makes the goal-tending call based on where he was on the court ... regardless of being 45' away or not.
Goal tending is something that should be reviewable, like a three pointer or an out-of-bounds play. It is not a judgement call at all, so the NBA doesn't have to freak out over it.
