Playoffs 2010: Western Conf Finals, Game 1 – Suns At Lakers Game Thread

[leclerc]

We need more intensity. An ancient Chinese saying says the refs usually reward the most hustling team, but I just dunno... this is the Lakers and porcelain Kobe after all.

When Grant Hill gets a tech that should be a wake up call to the officials.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Well, he is what he is at this point and has never done that. Seriously, when has Amare in his entire career impacted a game when he's not scoring? It's what separates him from the truly great players out there.

This is the kind of matchup where a great player would throw up a 15/20/5 because the Lakers have so much length to slow him down offensively and therefore focus on the other things.

you're exactly right. the all-time great PFs would hit the boards big time. even in games where barkley's offense might be stifled he would snare 20+ rebounds. 3? 3?!? omg, really???

 

[AfroSuns]

you're exactly right. the all-time great PFs would hit the boards big time. even in games where barkley's offense might be stifled he would snare 20+ rebounds. 3? 3?!? omg, really???

And Gasol had 4!! a taller player and played more minutes than Amare. Odom pretty much snagged everything. I have little doubt they will work on how to limit Odom next time.
The Suns have been outrebounding opponents because they have being doing it by committee, they have to get back to that, to stand a chance in this series.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

And Gasol had 4!! a taller player and played more minutes than Amare. Odom pretty much snagged everything. I have little doubt they will work on how to limit Odom next time.
The Suns have been outrebounding opponents because they have being doing it by committee, they have to get back to that, to stand a chance in this series.

i wouldn't be beating up amare too much if someone on our team had snared 19 rebounds b/c it meant he was likely doing his job boxing out. that's why i wouldn't cringe at gasol's paltry 4. they outrebounded us dramatically. we got outrebounded and amare is supposed to be our best rebounder. and he got 3. 'nuff said.

 

[Greg Popovich]

Very tough to want to contest shots when if you even breath on Kobe a whistle blows! And Nash is getting worked over and bumped all over the place with no whistles, expected as much in LA. We just need to control Odum and actually make some damn shots. Amare needs to pull his head out and get some damn boards!

I agree 100%. Don't get me wrong--Kobe was in a zone last night and even the best defense would not have slowed him down much. But when the refs are so quick with their whistle on one end of the court, they need to do so on the other end. I was astonished when Grant Hill was obviously fouled and no foul was called against LA and a few seconds later, he had less contact on Kobe and was called for a foul.

 

[elindholm]

You guys know that the Suns shot ten more free throws than the Lakers, right?

 

[ninous26]

^Thats a decoy stat to throw off any of these one sided refs arguments.. The officiating truly was pathetic.

 

[Covert Rain]

I thought the calls were pretty bad against the Suns. Having said that, they still got to the line more and they still shot 50%. So that tells me it was something other then the calls. It was the worst defense I have seen out of the Suns this year or close to it...and the inability to get any spacing for 3 point shooting on the floor.

 

[cly2tw]

I agree 100%. Don't get me wrong--Kobe was in a zone last night and even the best defense would not have slowed him down much. But when the refs are so quick with their whistle on one end of the court, they need to do so on the other end. I was astonished when Grant Hill was obviously fouled and no foul was called against LA and a few seconds later, he had less contact on Kobe and was called for a foul.

I believe most of the calls were from the same referee. And no call on Kobe traveling after stumbling on his own or jump ball with Gasol called foul on the Suns. That were all momentum changers. For casual bystanders, they'd just point out Suns shooting more FTs, as those bluntant bad calls won't appear on stat sheets. But looking closely you have to give the refs some props for deliberately controlling the momentum to Lakers' favor when it counted most.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

^Thats a decoy stat to throw off any of these one sided refs arguments.. The officiating truly was pathetic.

Just stop. Thankfully only homer fans are blaming the refs these days not the team like the days of D'Antoni and the organizational victim complex.

We got our asses kicked, get over it.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

You guys know that the Suns shot ten more free throws than the Lakers, right?

You know that free throws aren't the only stat that shows how inept refs are right?

 

[Renz]

You know that free throws aren't the only stat that shows how inept refs are right?

It's better than anecdotal "we got screwed" whining. The refs probably helped LA shoot almost 60% too.

I'd say that had more to do with the game than anything the refs did or didn't do.

 

[nashman]

Hogwash the refs did have a major impact on the game, because they have a MAJOR impact on how the Suns had to play defense. When you can't even graze a Laker without getting a foul called it gets into the head of the Suns. Prime example Grant Hill I think he ended up with 5 ridiculous fouls and even a Tech....its GRANT HILL for god sakes you know something is fishy when he is getting T'd up. When your not allowed to defend of course the other team is going to shoot a high percentage. Only a Laker homer would see this!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

You guys know that the Suns shot ten more free throws than the Lakers, right?

that's a bit misleading b/c FT's alone don't account for all the officiating. first it just means we were fouled in the act of shooting. we had more fouls called on us than on the lakers (albeit a close number). FT's also don't account for non-travel calls, fouls that should be called charges, etc. it was a poorly officiated game, but not more so than i expected from a home laker game. ultimately we didn't win b/c we didn't play defense.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

that's a bit misleading b/c FT's alone don't account for all the officiating. first it just means we were fouled in the act of shooting. we had more fouls called on us than on the lakers (albeit a close number). FT's also don't account for non-travel calls, fouls that should be called charges, etc. it was a poorly officiated game, but not more so than i expected from a home laker game. ultimately we didn't win b/c we didn't play defense.

+1.

Having Kobe slip, fall, and slide on the ground when we tripped without a traveling call wanted to make me break something, and I never get that feeling.

 

[mojorizen7]

I don't feel that the officiating was much of a factor until the 3rd qtr when the ref's decided that Hill couldn't cover Kobe.

We didn't have a viable gameplan to get pts from our starters when we knew that JRich was going to get snuffed,Hill was going to be focused on defense,Lopez was a question mark....leaving Nash(who was obviously not instructed to score), and Amare who was overwhelmed up front.

It won't happen but i still think we should move JRich to the second unit to get him going,which would force PJ to make a decision on Artest.

 

[AfroSuns]

It's better than anecdotal "we got screwed" whining. The refs probably helped LA shoot almost 60% too.

I'd say that had more to do with the game than anything the refs did or didn't do.

If the ref blows for even breathing on a player? It helps

The fact is, Bryant had only scored a pair of free throws when Hill was guarding him during the first 7 1/2 minutes of the game. He nailed his turning, elevating, high-degree-of-difficulty jumper to close out the first quarter while Hill was watching from the bench.
After Hill picked up three personals and a technical foul at the start of the second half and had to come out of the game, that's when Bryant went on his offensive tear, pouring in 14 of his 21 third-quarter points.

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/featur...grant.hill.defense/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

 

[SirStefan32]

Stop complaining about officiating. Refs are ALWAYS going to give calls to the aggressor.
If Suns came out swinging, they would have gotten more calls. Also, it may be a good idea to have Gentry flip out on refs and get a technical early in the game just to send a message.

 

[Bufalay]

Stop complaining about officiating. Refs are ALWAYS going to give calls to the aggressor.
If Suns came out swinging, they would have gotten more calls.

Do you even understand what these garbage cliches mean? You sound like Andrew. The refs were horrible. Their worst stretch came just before the Lakers blew the game open. Those fouls on Hill were awful. I don't see a problem with a fan complaining about that.

Also, it may be a good idea to have Gentry flip out on refs and get a technical early in the game just to send a message.

Great idea. I remember the positive impact D'antoni's sideline tantrums used to have.