The utter Bullshit going on with the Dallas-SA series

[SpursDynasty]

This is from a Spurs Fan:

Yet, some outlandish comments have drawn me in. I?m gonna stay very middle ground as a lover of basketball FIRST and I welcome all-comers, all challengers on it for dispute or debate. Here?s what I KNOW:

1) Dirk is a really good player. Very offensively efficient and one of the best scorin? weapons in the league. He has improved vastly this season.
2) Jason Terry was superb last night. He was aggressive and shot lights out in the second half. I was impressed.
3) Devin Harris is an X-factor that any team would love to have since his speed puts pressure on the defense. Once he gets a consistent outside shot that can be relied upon time and time again, he?ll be that much more of a threat.
4) The Mavs were underestimated by SOME. They ARE a very good team. This I knew goin? into the series. I felt they had the proper weapons to attack some weaknesses the Spurs had.

HOWEVER?

Those who are complainin? about the disappointment of the refs expressed by some are misinformed and uneducated. Take it how you wanna take it. The referees have been DEPLORABLE these last two games. Not in how they called the entire game. BUT THEY DICTATED THE HAPPENINGS OF THE CONCLUSION.

Games 1 and 2 had their questionable calls but all in all were called as close to fair as it can get. Even Game 2 was called close to fair. Game 1 I saw bad calls on either side. It may have even favored the Spurs in some stretches. Game 2 the Mavs simply ran the Spurs out of their buildin?. There were bad calls, sure. But overall, the Mavs were in control. They deserve credit for that.

Enter Games 3 & 4. I?ve watched this game since my first Final in 1986 (Celtics/Rockets) before the Mavs or Spurs were REAL threats. I?ve spent a lot of time watchin? and playin?. I KNOW this game. I know more about the Mav history than most Mav fans I know.

This is the point:

Sure the Spurs were always in POSITION to win. No they didn?t help their cause but when they needed the play, they played well enough to get it, even with questionable calls. But those in here who are grapplin? for an ear to hear their disgust over the disgust of the reffin? need to WAKE UP. The refs dictated the outcome of these two games. Sumthin? the NBA said would not happen. AND?they did it twice in a row.

When a team has under a minute to play, I always like to see the refs put the whistle away and let the guys play unless there is obvious overaggressive contact. The call on Bowen was BOGUS! It was an abomination! How will you call an on-the-floor foul with under 15 secs to play?!? BOGUS! This is not some stupid pickup game at the rec. If you?ve watched this game, you would know that this is not BASKETBALL. The call on Tim changed the complexity of the fourth quarter which was obviously turnin? in the PSurs favor. I DEFY ANYONE TO CALL ME ON THIS. This is a BASIC call that a REF MUST make! Tim was 10 miles outside the charge zone and still they give Dirk Bird..ehhh?Nowitski the call! UNBELIEVABLE! I was so shocked I actually had to giggle at the absurdity of the call.

I have conclusions to address from these last two games:

1) Dirk is enjoyin? liberties UNSEEN by a jumpshooter.
a. I?ve never seen a 7-foot jumpshootin? PF get as much love as Dirk has gotten this series. You can?t touch the guy! Under 15 secs left in the game and he gets a foul with the ball on the floor? Is MJ in the house? I think Dirk is a fine player but are you gonna give him that call consistently? Tim is bodied, rubbed, steered away from the basket by the likes of Dampier and Diop and nuthin? is called. And he?s playin? from the post! You tellin? me a 3-time Finals MVP, twice NBA MVP and future HOFer can?t get more respect than a 5-time All-Star select? I refuse to believe this has happened to the game I love!
2) Devin Harris is the second comin? of Nate Archibald.
a. I think this guy is enormously talented. But he gets calls on MINIMAL, MINIMAL contact. I see people graze his arm. Tweet! I see people shadow him. TWEET! There was a huge double standard these last two games. I am NOT imaginin? this.

I am amused by the obvious Mav fans and Spur fans who won?t blame the refs. You?re partially right. We shouldn?t place the entire blame. But when you constantly kill team?s momentums with an inexplicable whistle, allow players to jump backwards and draw fouls, take control of the final moments of the game, YOU ARE BECOMIN? TOO INVOLVED! This is sickenin? to see it happen to the game I love. I CHALLENGE ANYONE ON IT!

But it?s a shame that we couldn?t see a real series between the two best teams in the West

 

[SpursDynasty]

I simply could not write a thing in good faith after Game four of the Spurs series, after alluding to their foul situation in Game 3 in my continuing series on "10 points on the playoffs" earlier at, http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_17361.shtml

I have been a Spurs fan through thick and thin, through the highs and lows of "0.4", sweeps and being swept by the Lakers, retirements, trades, "tall ball", and now "small ball", but nothing has ever prepared me for what has happened in the last two games.

Sure the Spurs have made late game errors, sure Popovich (Gregg) continues to confound with line-up changes that seem too, too desperate, sure the Mavericks have played very, very, well (and are very well coached).

However, the fact is that this series should be 2-2 at worst and very arguebly, 3-1 in the Spurs favor right now.

First, Tim Duncan fouled out on a series of travesty of nebulous calls in Game 3 - that was bad enough.

However, Manu Ginobili's fouling out (as a second unusual occurance), was only a snapshot of the most sublime call of all in this series so far, i.e., the call on Bruce Bowen late in the 4th quarter on Dirk Nowitzki (who is getting beyond Jordanesque love from the referees all series) to the line for two foul shots in the waning minutes, that helped give the Mavericks even a chance to take it over-time.

As Dime Magazine and Charles Barkely have both previously commented, this was a horrible call in more ways than one, and part of a disturbing pattern this series:

Ask yourself in all fairness?

Is it not enough Nowitzki, shooting mid-range jumpers most of the time, has gotten to the line many more times already than Duncan (despite Duncan putting up many more interior shots in heavy traffic)?

Is it not enough that Hubie Brown on national TV defended some of the sublime calls over and over again in the previous game (one wonders does he own stock in the Mavericks)?

Is it not enough that the Mavericks are a darn good (and very deep team) that should be able at some point to win a series on their own merits?

Is it not enough that the Spurs do not openly whine to the league in public about the foul disparity? ("God forbid" us if it was either a Phil Jackson or Pat Riley team getting this treatment.)

Seemingly not, the truth is that something is going on with the calls, that is very disturbing and part of a bad trend of officiating in the NBA all year.

I recognize that it may not be intentional, but it is happening. The officiating has been poor at best.

I ask just one favor:

Let justice be served tonight, will you please NBA officials?

Please most of all stop the sublime and late in the game "home crowd" calls and just let them play.

The playoffs are supposed to be a physical and mental challenge, and not a three hour foul shooting contests.

It is also sad that the defending Spurs even when they have been hitting their own foul shots at a fine percentage, have been the primary victim so far, and I am at least glad that the press and reporters are recognizing what is so very obvious.

*By the way, I live in Philadelphia and why does a 48 minute game go more than three hours each night? (Answer: overly long commercial breaks and too much stoppage of the games.)

Simply put, let them play and let the best team win!


Period. Then if the Spurs lose, ok and so be it.