2007-2008 NBA Thread

[y2jerichoholic]

Where's y2jerichoholic? Spurs looked OOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLD in that game.

Living in San Antonio I learned that Spurs fans only talk when there winning or things are close. So if the Spurs win game 3 I m sure Y2jerichoholic will be here "talking again".

The Spurs looked dead in LA, but they also looked dead in New Orleans before game 7. Not saying the Lakers are the Hornets, because they are much more seasoned. The Spurs that played last night are the real Spurs team and are very tough to beat at home. Problem is, Lakers have homecourt advantage, and that game 1 loss really hurt and could be the deciding factor in the series.

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.

[DMN in the House]

I fully expect the Lakers to win tomorrow.

And VP, we could bet avatars or sigs or something, but its not like its a big deal

[sahyder1]

yes the Spurs had a lot of chances to win.....but are you fucking kidding me on that last play? How the hell is that not a foul?

[BNS]

Might have been a foul. But can't blame last second no calls for all the chances they had to tie or take the lead in this game. Spurs may have got screwed but that's sports sometimes you don't get what you want. And a side note Big Shot Rob is out of Big Shots

[buck...]

And a side note Big Shot Rob is out of Big Shots

Bout damn time with that one.

[gunnar hendershow]

And a side note Big Shot Rob is out of Big Shots

Bout damn time with that one.

But the real question. Is he out of cheap shots?

I found this on ESPN.com, in response to the so-called foul: "If I was the official I wouldn't have called that a foul," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Also, Hollinger looks like a genius if the Lakers win Game 5.

Edited May 28, 2008 by damshow

[DMN in the House]

Didn't get to see the game, but from the sounds of it, people are going to bitch. One play, especially in a one basket game, no matter if its at the end of the game or not, does not decide a game. If you lose on a controversial last call, by two points, then maybe you should have made one of your shots earlier. I'd say the same if it was reversed.

What kind of call was it? Remember, this is the playoffs, hard fouls are the rule, and whats a foul in the regular season isn't a foul in the post season.

Oh, and series over. San Antonio can't win two in LA.

[sahyder1]

Didn't get to see the game, but from the sounds of it, people are going to bitch. One play, especially in a one basket game, no matter if its at the end of the game or not, does not decide a game. If you lose on a controversial last call, by two points, then maybe you should have made one of your shots earlier. I'd say the same if it was reversed.

What kind of call was it? Remember, this is the playoffs, hard fouls are the rule, and whats a foul in the regular season isn't a foul in the post season.

Oh, and series over. San Antonio can't win two in LA.

Fisher just flew into Barry as he was getting ready to take that final shot. It wasn't a cheap foul. There was definitely enough contact there for a whistle to be blown.

[Trey]

I just watched the replay, Fisher went for the pump fake, then Barry actually dribbled into him before taking the shot. Early in the game that probably does get called, but the players need to decide the finish, not the officials.

[ROZAY]

Didn't get to see the game, but from the sounds of it, people are going to bitch. One play, especially in a one basket game, no matter if its at the end of the game or not, does not decide a game. If you lose on a controversial last call, by two points, then maybe you should have made one of your shots earlier. I'd say the same if it was reversed.

What kind of call was it? Remember, this is the playoffs, hard fouls are the rule, and whats a foul in the regular season isn't a foul in the post season.

Oh, and series over. San Antonio can't win two in LA.

Fisher just flew into Barry as he was getting ready to take that final shot. It wasn't a cheap foul. There was definitely enough contact there for a whistle to be blown.

See, normally I'd agree, but at the end of the game? As everyone stated, he should have jumped right into Fisher and accepted the contact so there wouldn't have been any choice but to call a foul in the act of shooting. Spurs would have had the game in a bag that way, but then again... Brent Barry's not use to that situation. If it had been Manu, the series would've been tied 2-2 right now.

Not that I'm a Lakers fan, just that I've heard people bitching about this call (well, the lack of a call) all day when it was quite obvious once he put the ball on the floor that he wasn't going to get any type of call. I saw it coming as soon as Fisher hit him and he put the ball on the floor that the game was over, because he created an even more difficult shot for himself, which was his fault. Upon viewing the replay it was even more obvious. Yeah, Fisher hit him, but he didn't take the contact as he should have and sold the foul, and that's what cost them a chance to at least tie the game and sent it to OT. And as Charles Barkley stated - no referee should be the deciding factor of a game.

I just watched the replay, Fisher went for the pump fake, then Barry actually dribbled into him before taking the shot. Early in the game that probably does get called, but the players need to decide the finish, not the officials.

I wouldn't say Fisher dribbled into him. He put the ball on the floor as Fisher hit him, thus creating the awkward shot. But yeah, players should decide the finish, not the officials.

Oh, and I hope the Pistons win tonight, because I see game 5 of this series being the deciding factor.

[maninblack]

My own question is why the NBA assigned Joey Crawford to any Spurs playoff game.

[BNS]

My own question is why the NBA assigned Joey Crawford to any Spurs playoff game.

See I was wondering that as well. Till the Lakers won and then I didn't care anymore. But on a serious note why is he still in the league when he was suspended last year? He clearly holds grudges against teams.

[Trey]

He's been an official for 31 years is why he was suspended and not fired, and I think that the there is a system that assigns the ref's for each game.

[maninblack]

He's been an official for 31 years is why he was suspended and not fired, and I think that the there is a system that assigns the ref's for each game.

Yep, he's one of the league's senior referees. I'm not saying Crawford should be sacked, just why he's assigned to a game where his impartiality is going to - at the very least - raise some eyebrows.

[VerbalPuke]

The league admits that Barry was fouled. Taken from espn.com

The league office on Wednesday reviewed the final play of the San Antonio Spurs' 93-91 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and acknowledged that a two-shot foul should have been called on Derek Fisher for impeding Brent Barry.

After falling behind by seven points in the final minute, San Antonio sliced the deficit to two and regained possession with 2.1 seconds to play.

Barry then wound up with the ball in the center of the floor on a play called for Manu Ginobili and faked Fisher in the air but struggled to get off a 3-point heave at the buzzer after Fisher came down and bumped Barry.

"With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made," league spokesman Tim Frank said Wednesday.

The miss sealed an L.A. victory that moved the Lakers into a commanding 3-1 series lead entering Thursday's Game 5 at Staples Center.

But the Spurs did not protest the non-call afterward, even though a foul called before the shot would have sent Barry to the line for two free throws and a chance to force overtime.

The non-call nonetheless generated more than the usual scrutiny because the closest referee to the play was Joey Crawford, with whom San Antonio has a contentious recent history.

"That play," Barry said, "was not where the game was lost."

The Spurs, in truth, wouldn't have had a chance to tie or win the game in the final two seconds if not for a fortuitous non-call on the previous possession.

Television replays indicated that Fisher's shot with 6.9 seconds to go grazed the rim before bouncing out of bounds off of Robert Horry's leg, meaning that the Lakers should have had a new shot clock instead of asking Kobe Bryant to hurry a fadeaway jumper after the ensuing timeout.

The new shot clock likely would have forced San Antonio to foul Bryant as opposed to getting the ball back off Bryant's miss to draw up a potential game-winning play.

"It wasn't a foul. ... I think it was a proper no-call from what I saw," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Fisher bumping Barry.

Added Spurs forward Tim Duncan: "You're not going to get that call. They're not going to make that call."

The Lakers were likewise adamant that no foul should have been called on Fisher, pointing at least in part to the fact that they didn't get a new shot clock on the Fisher miss -- and that Bryant didn't earn a single trip to the free-throw line despite attempting 29 shots from the field.

"Yeah, he bumped him," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Fisher landing on Barry. "You know, games go like that."

Bummer.

Bigger bummer, Pistons lose again. One more and that's it, they have to win two in a row against Boston. I hate Boston.

[DMN in the House]

I don't think anyone is saying it wasn't a foul, just that he's not going to get that call. At most it was a two shot foul anyway, which, admittedly, it is Brent fucking Barry, so it would have gone to overtime.

The Spurs die tonight. The king returns to their throne. Hail your Laker overlords. You know we win these things in threes, right?

[OGpistolpete]

So the NBA is going to implement fines now for flopping?

Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid?

[Trey]

Big players take over big games and watching Kobe right now is something I'm glad to call myself a witness of seeing. He is just determined to not lose this game and to end this series tonight, get the rest and go roaring into the NBA Finals.

[CISS]

And thats exactly what the Lakers did!

[BNS]

Hell yea Lakers proved the Spurs can not win back to back and are not a real Dynasty. Since every Dynasty has won back to back at least once. But the spurs only like winning 1 at a time. Go Lakers where is Y2jericholic now?