Rummpd
03-28-2011, 08:56 PM
As a paid youth official myself for bball it is hard to call games but the "pros" at this in the NBA seem to be not respecting the Spurs the last few games at all, even when the Spurs are the assertive team (they were not parts of each game on the road trip with soft and strange lineups in there).
Perhaps, it is just a bad stretch. Recall that for this season the Spurs were all year one of the least in the NBA in regards to committing fouls and until the other night no Spurs had fouled out (Dice fouled out in the first game of the road trip.)
Now it seems ever since Duncan went down (who is a master of keeping his hands up and defending well without fouls most of the time), the officiating has been at times a real head scratcher. It seems that the calls are not going the Spurs way at the most inopportune times.
Tonight started out ok. However, Neal was absolutely screwed on a drive and what should have been a shooting foul on the Blazers. This led to a quick technical on Neal - literally at least a four point swing. Overall, Spurs have 13 fouls vs. 11 on the Blazers with Anderson especially seemingly being penalized for being an unknown commodity. Granted the coaching and stupid play has been the primary reason for the three losses, but a game and depleted Spurs squad has been literally screwed a few times and it is hard to get over the top when all the calls seem to be going
The good thing is that several recent plays have aggressive been drives forcing the zebras to finally make some calls (at least one seemed to be a "makeup") the other way. Spurs need to continue to force the issue, not play soft, and drive the hole aggressively as they did to stay in this game.
(Bonner to be fair made a couple stupid fouls but the good thing perhaps is he had to go out; a scary thought that Pop will definetely turn back to them in fourth if the game is close, but maybe Pop will give him the strange Splitter treatment of the last game?)
Perhaps, it is just a bad stretch. Recall that for this season the Spurs were all year one of the least in the NBA in regards to committing fouls and until the other night no Spurs had fouled out (Dice fouled out in the first game of the road trip.)
Now it seems ever since Duncan went down (who is a master of keeping his hands up and defending well without fouls most of the time), the officiating has been at times a real head scratcher. It seems that the calls are not going the Spurs way at the most inopportune times.
Tonight started out ok. However, Neal was absolutely screwed on a drive and what should have been a shooting foul on the Blazers. This led to a quick technical on Neal - literally at least a four point swing. Overall, Spurs have 13 fouls vs. 11 on the Blazers with Anderson especially seemingly being penalized for being an unknown commodity. Granted the coaching and stupid play has been the primary reason for the three losses, but a game and depleted Spurs squad has been literally screwed a few times and it is hard to get over the top when all the calls seem to be going
The good thing is that several recent plays have aggressive been drives forcing the zebras to finally make some calls (at least one seemed to be a "makeup") the other way. Spurs need to continue to force the issue, not play soft, and drive the hole aggressively as they did to stay in this game.
(Bonner to be fair made a couple stupid fouls but the good thing perhaps is he had to go out; a scary thought that Pop will definetely turn back to them in fourth if the game is close, but maybe Pop will give him the strange Splitter treatment of the last game?)