The Spurs Series Was Awfully Close

[cly2tw]

Well, Bowen wouldn't be able to stop Parker either. Banks would have, but he was not to play.

Spurs got away with more. But it's not logical to conclude that they could not win if the refs called a more strict way. Their team could adapt very well to whatever conditions prevalent, what Eric called allowing themselves quite big of an error margin in their quest for the title. Admittedly, the Suns could have gotten a slightly better chance, but they'd still be the favorites.

 

[pokerface]

Maybe someday the Suns will be good enough to not have to depend on the refs.

 

[jandaman]

Suns lost because they dont play dirty enough to keep Spurs at bay... I think the Jazz would of had a picnic with the Suns as well, the Suns would of needed 7 games to get rid of them I reckong... that team plays the Suns very physical.


I agree, a few tweaks here and there.

 

[Covert Rain]

Great write up. That is why I am baffled by some on the site that don't see how the series changed on Cheap Shot Bob's play. Considering how little difference there is between winning and losing, 1 small thing can change the momentum and the outcome of the series. Now throw Stern's decision making into the mix and that's a recipe for an ouster.

 

[CardShark]

The question is, "Why should the officiating be any different for the playoffs than it was for an 82 game season?" The regular season should be about getting ready for the playoffs, including the officiating. If the rules do change, do they have a playoff rulebook? Does every team get one? It seems that only teams like the Spurs get one.

I kept hearing that Bowen was this stud defensive player and I expected to see someone that was always in position and could shut down a player with little or no contact. Bowen is all about contact. He left Nash bruised from continually slapping his arms. Then I kept hearing, "Bowen knows how to foul without getting called for it". I thought he committed fouls that were very easy to detect, so it wasn't that he knows how to hide his fouls, but rather he was allowed to get away with them because he's a stud defender.

Is the NBA fixed? I don't know, but there does seem to be a bias in favor of certain teams. So why would the league favor the Spurs over the Suns? The Suns are more exciting and are based in a bigger market. What do the Spurs have that the Suns don't? The league has always geared itself to favor the superstar players. Duncan is probably the greatest active superstar in the league. Nash has become a superstar, but I don't think he's considered to be on the same level as Duncan. Consider the game where Duncan recieved two technical fouls, one of them for laughing while on the bench. The NBA suspended the ref, and I agree with that call, but would they have done that if it was anyone other than Duncan? I really don't think so. They, in effect, were telling the officials that he was protected.

Another thing is that the league is enamored with, is dynasties. A dynasty equates to stability in the NBA. The Spurs are the only team that can be considered to be a dynasty at this time. If they were to face a Suns team with a few championships of their own the officiating would most likely be more balanced. The league officials salivate over the history of dynasties competing against each other. Would they go so far as to help such teams make it to the championship rounds. I think a case could be made that they do. I feel the NBA has a big credibilty issue.

 

[azirish]

The question is, "Why should the officiating be any different for the playoffs than it was for an 82 game season?" The regular season should be about getting ready for the playoffs, including the officiating. If the rules do change, do they have a playoff rulebook? Does every team get one? It seems that only teams like the Spurs get one.

I kept hearing that Bowen was this stud defensive player and I expected to see someone that was always in position and could shut down a player with little or no contact. Bowen is all about contact. He left Nash bruised from continually slapping his arms. Then I kept hearing, "Bowen knows how to foul without getting called for it". I thought he committed fouls that were very easy to detect, so it wasn't that he knows how to hide his fouls, but rather he was allowed to get away with them because he's a stud defender.

Is the NBA fixed? I don't know, but there does seem to be a bias in favor of certain teams. So why would the league favor the Spurs over the Suns? The Suns are more exciting and are based in a bigger market. What do the Spurs have that the Suns don't? The league has always geared itself to favor the superstar players. Duncan is probably the greatest active superstar in the league. Nash has become a superstar, but I don't think he's considered to be on the same level as Duncan. Consider the game where Duncan recieved two technical fouls, one of them for laughing while on the bench. The NBA suspended the ref, and I agree with that call, but would they have done that if it was anyone other than Duncan? I really don't think so. They, in effect, were telling the officials that he was protected.

Another thing is that the league is enamored with, is dynasties. A dynasty equates to stability in the NBA. The Spurs are the only team that can be considered to be a dynasty at this time. If they were to face a Suns team with a few championships of their own the officiating would most likely be more balanced. The league officials salivate over the history of dynasties competing against each other. Would they go so far as to help such teams make it to the championship rounds. I think a case could be made that they do. I feel the NBA has a big credibilty issue.

One recurring problem is the reluctance of refs to let the teams take 40 or 50 foul shots. It seems as if they prefer to keep the foul shooting in the 20's and everything above that is free. This is a huge advantage to teams that are used to banging people around and really hurts a team like the Suns that wants to keep the game going.

As you say, this is very short sighted, but it has been going on for a long time. The problem is that the refs are destroying the game.

 

[3_blind_mice]

Many clowns on this thread. Seriously. Duncan gets pwned international. He just can't play the game without getting rescued by the refs. Bowen had at least 200 no calls. Some of these "excellent defensive plays" were captured on camera. Three guys hacking Nash. No call. Brilliant.

I don't know why the refs favor the Spurs, maybe Bowen has pics of a certain ref with a small boy, but it stinks.

 

[pokerface]

Suns need to step up and be clutch and not look for ref bailouts.

 

[CardShark]

Suns need to step up and be clutch and not look for ref bailouts.

I would just settle for the Suns being allowed to play without getting beat down. I guess you are okay with the Spurs being bailed out by the refs. Why don't you post on their board where you would be amongst friends?

 

[pokerface]

I would just settle for the Suns being allowed to play without getting beat down. I guess you are okay with the Spurs being bailed out by the refs. Why don't you post on their board where you would be amongst friends?

Excuses dont get the Suns a championship. Obviously the Spurs know something the Suns dont thats why they get more finals appearances and more rings. I want to see the Suns win a chamionship someday and not whine patheticly and get nowhere. They should have amped it up and got more physical instead of sticking with D'Antoni's foolish finesse game. D'Antoni said himself they were going to get more physical...TOO LATE!

 

[azirish]

Is there really anything to know? We can joke about conspiracies but it is hard to escape the evidence that the same actions that the Spurs are allowed to do is called as fouls at the other end. No one has a rational explanation and all the theories are equally implausible. It all comes down to some variation of "they get away with it becuse they get away with it".

Don't get me wrong, I think the Spurs play very good defense anyway, so their success is not just about fouling. The Suns lack the kind of reactions that a team that has played together for years has on their rotations and certainly not having a straight on shot blocker is a big problem.

But the offset is that the Spurs are not able to stop THE SUNS without fouling. Called fairly, the matchup is an exciting contrast in styles. But give the Spurs an extra edge and you end up with a fiasco.

 

[arwillan]

Is there really anything to know? We can joke about conspiracies but it is hard to escape the evidence that the same actions that the Spurs are allowed to do is called as fouls at the other end. No one has a rational explanation and all the theories are equally implausible. It all comes down to some variation of "they get away with it becuse they get away with it".

Don't get me wrong, I think the Spurs play very good defense anyway, so their success is not just about fouling. The Suns lack the kind of reactions that a team that has played together for years has on their rotations and certainly not having a straight on shot blocker is a big problem.

But the offset is that the Spurs are not able to stop THE SUNS without fouling. Called fairly, the matchup is an exciting contrast in styles. But give the Spurs an extra edge and you end up with a fiasco.

called fairly, we have a game 2, or a 4th quarter of game 4.

 

[pokerface]

OK devils advocate now....

The series will never be called fairly...the Spurs will always get the calls. Can the Suns overcome this or are we just whining about what cant be changed? Can the Suns overcome the refs and be champions?

 

[CardShark]

OK devils advocate now....

The series will never be called fairly...the Spurs will always get the calls. Can the Suns overcome this or are we just whining about what cant be changed? Can the Suns overcome the refs and be champions?

Can the NBA continue to overcome fans tuning out because of the disparity of the officiating? Only ratings are going to cause a change. Money talks.