I may be done with the NBA, except for Spurs games

[GSH]

I may be done with the NBA. I love my Spurs, and I'll still watch them. But the opening minutes of this Lakers-Hornets game may be the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I just can't support it anymore. Some of the totally egregious plays in just the first few minutes of play:

1. Bynum elbowed Belinelli to the head and drew blood. Belinelli had to go to the sideline to stop the bleeding. No call on Bynum. Lakers score 2 points on the play. I wonder how the refs think the blood got there? Bynum is flailing his elbows constantly, and he already cut CP3 in the last game.
2. Gasol turns his back to the basket and starts backing down. He takes 4 shuffle steps without putting the ball on the ground. No travelling call. Lakers score 2 points. It's a lot easier to back your opponent down when you don't have to worry about putting that damned ball on the floor.
3. Ariza drives to the paint. Gasol jumps in front of him, doesn't get squared up, still moving his feet (backwards), and takes the contact on the side of his body. It wasn't even close. Charging call on Ariza. Totally inconsistent with charge calls elsewhere.
4. Kobe goes up for a jumper, and they call an absolute phantom call on Ariza. Ariza has to leave the game with 2 early fouls. Not coincidentally, I think, Ariza had 10 points in 6 minutes of play and hadn't missed a shot. Kobe is now being defended by the 6-3 Willie Green, instead of the 6-7 Ariza.
5. Willie Green drives it to the paint. Gasol leaps in front of him, and is in the air when he makes contact. Green makes the shot, and thinks he has an and-1. But nooo.... it's another charge on against the Hornets. And this one is even worse than the one against Ariza.

I know the game is hard to call. But there's no way that an NBA level officiating crew can miss that many obvious calls, that badly, in such a short period of time. I still don't want to call it a conspiracy. But the best case scenario is that they are biased in favor of the Lakers as a result of all the hype they get. Either that, or I have to believe that they are absolutely incompetent - on one end of the floor.

I'm not going to abandon the Spurs. But in a way I feel like a chump, even for that. This isn't a level planing field. It just isn't. I sure as hell don't have any soft spot for the Hornets, but they've been screwed over solidly, and the game is still young. The Spurs lost last night because they got outplayed. But why would I expect any better than what I see tonight, if they did get matched up against the Lakers, or Heat, or Bulls?

One thing I do know. If it's not the Spurs playing, I'll turn on Deadliest Catch or something. And if I ever want to see this kind of bullshit, I'll go right to the source and turn on the WWF.

[vander]

:rolleyes



I haven't watched a non-Spurs game in years

[hsxvvd]

It's more about the product than the game.

Which is why NCAA ball is so much better than the NBA.

[rwb]

I feel sorry for Hornets fans. CP3 is ready to bolt as the team plays in the NBA orphanage hoping for a new home. They don't have a chance to beat the Lakers with the officiating that's being allowed and they were the team I was hoping we were going to be playing in the first round before Mephis tanked, but I hope they at least chip away at LA's confidence if nothing else.

[Solid D]

I see what you mean about the officiating being one-sided.

[Beanzamillion21]

This is baaaad.

[GrandeDavid]

I rarely watch any NBA other than the Spurs. So it's possible that after tomorrow the next NBA game I watch will be in November.

[ALVAREZ6]

I've almost exclusively been watching Spurs games out of all NBA games for years, as some of you might already be able to guess. NBA is LAME.

[John Basedow]

:lmao

[honestfool84]

please, Laker fan, justify these calls.

[honestfool84]

no, really, please do.

[DJ Mbenga]

i dont get it. the lakers had a bad ft' differential in this series and last years playoffs. okc had 40 more ft's in games 3 and 4 combined. what is this myth that the lakers get overwhelming ref advantage.

[John Basedow]

The Lakers out-rebounded them by 17 and shot 49%...great fucking conspiracy :cry :cry :cry

[Solid D]

In the final analysis, the Lakers won because they outplayed the Hornets.

[GoodOdor]

Tbh Stern tried to help the spurs in game 1 by giving them 47 ft as opposed to only 33 for the grizzlies, such classy rigging:depressed:depressed

[21_Blessings]

lol meltdown

[DMC]

The Lakers out-rebounded them by 17 and shot 49%...great fucking conspiracy :cry :cry :cry

You obviously don't know how stats work. If a guy gets called for an over the back, even though he got the ball off a rebound, he doesn't get credited with the rebound. If a guy gets a charging call against him that's a turn over. If a guy can walk to the rim without dribbling, his shooting percentage should be higher.

It's not that the Lakers aren't a better team, is that a lesser team cannot rise up and defeat them due to biased officiating. The lesser team would have to play 1.5x better than the Lakers just to have a chance with the way the calls go. It's been true for ages even way back in MJs days. History revisionists forget that and look at MJ as the greatest off all time, and ignore that anyone who got near him got a foul called on them.

The league does not want the Lakers out in the 1st round. They want a big Finals with Lebron and Kobe. They've been trying to get that for years with all the shuffling but Lebron couldn't get there, and when he could Kobe couldn't. Now they have Lebron with Wade and it's the perfect state for Kobe/James matchup where Nike ejactulates all over the Staples center and bandwagon fans everywhere get together and sing kumbaya.

It becomes more obvious in the playoffs because that's really the only time it matters. Everyone in the game and announcing knows the officals are quirky with calls on the road vs calls at home. That should be enough to merit consideration that what the OP is saying holds weight.

[John Basedow]

You obviously don't know how stats work. If a guy gets called for an over the back, even though he got the ball off a rebound, he doesn't get credited with the rebound. If a guy gets a charging call against him that's a turn over. If a guy can walk to the rim without dribbling, his shooting percentage should be higher.

It's not that the Lakers aren't a better team, is that a lesser team cannot rise up and defeat them due to biased officiating. The lesser team would have to play 1.5x better than the Lakers just to have a chance with the way the calls go. It's been true for ages even way back in MJs days. History revisionists forget that and look at MJ as the greatest off all time, and ignore that anyone who got near him got a foul called on them.

The league does not want the Lakers out in the 1st round. They want a big Finals with Lebron and Kobe. They've been trying to get that for years with all the shuffling but Lebron couldn't get there, and when he could Kobe couldn't. Now they have Lebron with Wade and it's the perfect state for Kobe/James matchup where Nike ejactulates all over the Staples center and bandwagon fans everywhere get together and sing kumbaya.

It becomes more obvious in the playoffs because that's really the only time it matters. Everyone in the game and announcing knows the officals are quirky with calls on the road vs calls at home. That should be enough to merit consideration that what the OP is saying holds weight.

Hold still, let me catch your tears.

[DMC]

Hold still, let me catch your tears.

Actually I laugh at it. It's like WWE.

[Man In Black]

If what you're saying is true that it would basically mean, that every title. That's EVERY title is rigged. While I think that the NBA's refs have bias and may slant a result, I don't think that the outcome is rigged. But it sucks when a team is hosed constantly to the point that a comeback is nigh impossible unless the benefactor chucks all their free throws and makes bad decisions. If they make some and capitalize on the calls...then it's a blowout.

[John Basedow]

Actually I laugh at it. It's like WWE.

Then stop getting so worked up over it, tbh.

[Axe Murderer]

Don't worry brah, you won't be missed

we always have a handful of GNSF's that start one of these each season. Enjoy being another statistic :toast

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Last time I watched a non Spurs game must have been around 1999 or 2000.

[NewcastleKEG]

I vowed the same thing after Game 7 of the Finals last year but signing Boozer reeled me back in. If my team wasn't a contender I would laugh at the sport and it's fans

NBA is easily the easiest sport to manipulate

[DMC]

Then stop getting so worked up over it, tbh.
I didn't start the thread, troll.

It's funny how someone thinks they can detect "worked up" by reading a post.

[DMC]

I vowed the same thing after Game 7 of the Finals last year but signing Boozer reeled me back in. If my team wasn't a contender I would laugh at the sport and it's fans

NBA is easily the easiest sport to manipulate

Obviously it's you who is being manipulated.

[Isitjustme?]

Reading a box score is better than watching the game even. Removes the subjective element. Who wants to go the trouble of looking at a foul call and judging it for themselves?

[John Basedow]

You guys might be on to something...I would email your findings to the NBA league office and to the DA if I were you. Woodward and Bernstein got nothing on ya'll.

[Venti Quattro]

You might be done with watching Spurs games too. I mean as early as tomorrow.

[Isitjustme?]

You might be done with watching Spurs games too. I mean as early as tomorrow.

Yep. :depressed:depressed:depressed

[John Basedow]

You might be done with watching Spurs games too. I mean as early as tomorrow.

San Antonio wouldn't even be in this hole if it weren't for the officiating, tbh.

[Isitjustme?]

San Antonio wouldn't even be in this hole if it weren't for the officiating, tbh.

Who the fuck believes that nonsense? Spurs are outmatched at pretty much every position.

[Capt Bringdown]

Lakers squashed the Hornets on the boards, got every offensive rebound they wanted and owned the paint as they do. A few bad calls didn't even come close to determining the outcome of this game.

[Venti Quattro]

San Antonio wouldn't even be in this hole if it weren't for the officiating, tbh.

Memphis & the refs rigged it so that the Spurs would just be relegated to shooting freethrows, thereby disrupting their momentum

Memphis is just trying to copy the Laker big rig as the farm rig tbqh

[Isitjustme?]

Are you two ladies having fun in your little conversation?

[DMC]

Lakers squashed the Hornets on the boards, got every offensive rebound they wanted and owned the paint as they do. A few bad calls didn't even come close to determining the outcome of this game.

Why are you guys putting words in the mouth of the OP?

I didn't read where he said the calls changed the outcome.

The Spurs are getting beat because they have a piss poor plan of attack and a couple other glaring reasons.

[NewcastleKEG]

Obviously it's you who is being manipulated.
Refs already admitted to throwing games

[ElNono]

:cry :cry :cry I'm too classy to watch the NBA except Spurs games :cry :cry :cry

[John Basedow]

Lakers squashed the Hornets on the boards, got every offensive rebound they wanted and owned the paint as they do. A few bad calls didn't even come close to determining the outcome of this game.

Their minds are made up, don't confuse them with the facts.

[DMC]

San Antonio wouldn't even be in this hole if it weren't for the officiating, tbh.
http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc227/BonnieDeee/thestrawman.jpg

[DMC]

Refs already admitted to throwing games
Yet you were "reeled back in" when you learned your team hired Boozer. Manipulation at it's finest.

Hey, are your fans disenchanted? Get a star...they will forgive you. Stars are to disenchanted fans what flowers are to beaten wives.

[John Basedow]

Nobody laughs at the funny pictures I post :cry :cry


Scro if you want attention that badly we can always ask Kori to emasculate you in public again. She might say no but it's worth a shot, imho.

[v2freak]

Well you did pretty well, GSH. I stopped watching non-Spurs games in 2008

[MajicMan]

Pussy, you're just taking your frustrations out on the Lakers. Spurs are done waahhh I'm a spoiled brat. Take my ball and go home.

[Pauleta14]

Is there anything new??

David Stern just sent the memo...

[GSH]

Why the fuck are you Laker wingnuts even here? You never talk about basketball, you just talk smack.

Don't bother answering, I'll tell you. It's because every Laker forum is a shithole, just like most of your state. People are leaving California in droves and coming here (among other places). So why wouldn't you desert your own fan forums for a better place?

For the record, when you can camp in the paint, grab, and shove people out of the way, it's a hell of a lot easier to pick up those offensive boards. After a while, playing 7 on 5 can just wear a team down. And don't even try to pretend like Phil and the Lakers don't whine like babies about bad calls.

If you want any credibility at all (which I seriously doubt) explain why Belinelli was bleeding in the first quarter. Then we can discuss the rest. Or don't people from Cali know how to have discussions?


One more thing... maybe in a year or so, I'll come out to Cali and pick up your house on foreclosure for pennies on the dollar. Then we'll see who's crying, and blaming other people for their problems. Have a nice day.

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

Why the fuck are you Laker wingnuts even here? You never talk about basketball, you just talk smack.

Don't bother answering, I'll tell you. It's because every Laker forum is a shithole, just like most of your state. People are leaving California in droves and coming here (among other places). So why wouldn't you desert your own fan forums for a better place?

For the record, when you can camp in the paint, grab, and shove people out of the way, it's a hell of a lot easier to pick up those offensive boards. After a while, playing 7 on 5 can just wear a team down. And don't even try to pretend like Phil and the Lakers don't whine like babies about bad calls.

If you want any credibility at all (which I seriously doubt) explain why Belinelli was bleeding in the first quarter. Then we can discuss the rest. Or don't people from Cali know how to have discussions?


One more thing... maybe in a year or so, I'll come out to Cali and pick up your house on foreclosure for pennies on the dollar. Then we'll see who's crying, and blaming other people for their problems. Have a nice day.
Hey, I have no bone to pick with you at all on your topic, I'll discuss it shortly. However, I feel compelled to reply to your thread, as I see you are pretty much a sour grapes guy when it comes to the Lakers, and an axe to grind with anything related to the Lakers and the Hornets. To me, that kills your credibility on anything related to interactions between these two teams. We bantered about awhile ago in this thread:

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160761

Essentially, you seem to be a revisionist historian. The facts don't back you up at all, and you claim they have been covered up. The evidence I gave clearly shows the Hornets had no intention of playing Kobe Bryant, your timetable of Kobe's signing was off. Anyway you never countered my evidence, so I assume you gave up that fight, as you should have.

Back to this topic. I fell asleep with the Bulls/Pacers on in the fourth quarter and woke up at the start of the 2nd quarter LA vs. NOLA. So I saw none of the plays you refer to.

However, I have seen countless plays where blood is drawn and no fouls were called, and many of these were situations where a Laker player did the damage! As far as the other calls you mention go, well, again, I can't say because I didn't see them, but I know many calls have been blown this series and they have gone both ways. Kobe had a shot blocked that was clearly goaltending in game 4, and that affected the outcome as well. Prove conspiracy or get off your soapbox. Calls balance out in the long run.

As to your post I quoted, it's rare to see such bitterness from someone trying to make a point. It's obvious you hate everything abut California as well. Again,your style kills your credibility. You call the Lakers forums shitholes. Heh, they are ok, I look at them often. They say the same thing about this place. I choose to post here rather than on those though, this place is kind of fun and fans from all teams are active.

But not watching the NBA because the Lakers are getting preferential treatment? You should quit watching the Spurs as well. Watching them will still remind you of the Lakers, and it's obvious, you hate them more than you love basketball.

[John Basedow]

Why the fuck are you Laker wingnuts even here? You never talk about basketball, you just talk smack.

Don't bother answering, I'll tell you. It's because every Laker forum is a shithole, just like most of your state. People are leaving California in droves and coming here (among other places). So why wouldn't you desert your own fan forums for a better place?

For the record, when you can camp in the paint, grab, and shove people out of the way, it's a hell of a lot easier to pick up those offensive boards. After a while, playing 7 on 5 can just wear a team down. And don't even try to pretend like Phil and the Lakers don't whine like babies about bad calls.

If you want any credibility at all (which I seriously doubt) explain why Belinelli was bleeding in the first quarter. Then we can discuss the rest. Or don't people from Cali know how to have discussions?


One more thing... maybe in a year or so, I'll come out to Cali and pick up your house on foreclosure for pennies on the dollar. Then we'll see who's crying, and blaming other people for their problems. Have a nice day.

So mad:lol

[temujin]

So mad:lol

So right.

[temujin]

You gotta be pretty stupid to believe that professional basketball, which IS a multi billions business, is NOT managed, when it really matters.

I would say, stupid beyond redemption.

If I'm an NBA shareholder, the last thing I want to see is a Portland-NO semi.

[clambake]

the people leaving cali are the ones that couldn't cut it here.

enjoy our refuse.

[John Basedow]

You gotta be pretty stupid to believe that professional basketball, which IS a multi billions business, is NOT managed, when it really matters.

I would say, stupid beyond redemption.

If I'm an NBA shareholder, the last thing I want to see is a Portland-NO semi.

The only thing worse would be a San Antonio-NJ Finals, or maybe a SA-Detroit one...or even worse, a Spurs-Cavs Finals!:wow:wow:wow:wow

Thank god the shareholders would never allow that to happen, though.

[GSH]

Hey, I have no bone to pick with you at all on your topic, I'll discuss it shortly. However, I feel compelled to reply to your thread, as I see you are pretty much a sour grapes guy when it comes to the Lakers, and an axe to grind with anything related to the Lakers and the Hornets. To me, that kills your credibility on anything related to interactions between these two teams. We bantered about awhile ago in this thread:

But not watching the NBA because the Lakers are getting preferential treatment? You should quit watching the Spurs as well. Watching them will still remind you of the Lakers, and it's obvious, you hate them more than you love basketball.

First of all, you appear to be a T'Wolves fan. But you're reacting like I was talking to you when I flashed back at the Laker trolls who come here just to piss on things. Do you not know where you are?

You were probably about 9 when the Kobe draft/trade happened, but there were numerous articles printed when it was happening that indicated that Kobe refused to play anyplace but LA, and was holding the Hornets hostage. (If I really gave a damn what you think, I'd dig some of them up.) It's not revisionist history, but I'm sure you think that if you don't find it on Google, it never existed. Ignorance is bliss. But I was there, and read the articles as it was happening. What you are talking about is the spin that got put on it after the fact. Because the league didn't want a precedent of a player holding the draft process hostage. It's a business, and image is everything. That's reality, and you're naive if you don't get it.

You want to talk about revisionist history? I specifically said (as I always do) that there is no conspiracy in the league. You can't keep from revising history from a paragraph ago. How do you expect to get anything right from over a decade ago?

I don't have a problem with the Lakers in particular, and I've taken my share of crap here for saying that Kobe (in his prime) is one of the 3 best to ever play the game. If you're stupid enough to believe that franchise players don't get more calls than the nobodies in the league, you're beyond help. The Lakers have a number of truly top-tier players on this squad. That's already a big advantage. But that also gives them more opportunities for those franchise-player calls. And no, those calls don't even out in the long run. It's not... a level... playing field.

There are, and always will be, bad calls. But some calls are worse than others, and some are just inexplicable. Do you remember the recent shot LeBron put up at the end of a quarter? It was clearly after the clock ran out. The refs went to the replay, and then huddled, and came up with some bullshit reason why it should count. It was so wrong, and so stupid that the league had to come out and say that the refs simply ignored the rules. I know, you know, and everyone else here knows that never would have happened if it was some rookie that put the shot up, and not LeBron (or one of a couple of other players). You're lying to yourself if you say otherwise. That kind of thing just doesn't even out... ever. And it's not just the Lakers, they were just the ones playing last night.

As for the assholes who come somewhere just to piss on people? Yeah, I dislike them. Intensely. And California residents who do things like bitch that gas is high in their state because there is some Texas conspiracy? (A 900-foot dump apartment costs $1,500 a month, and they don't understand that the real estate cost for gas stations alone is enough to add a chunk to the price they pay?) Them too.

I'm not bitter. I just get tired of having to wade through knee-deep shit to find things about the Spurs on a Spurs forum. Maybe if I eat some yogurt, chant a mantra, and put some crystals on my head, I'll feel better.

[temujin]

The only thing worse would be a San Antonio-NJ Finals, or maybe a SA-Detroit one...or even worse, a Spurs-Cavs Finals!:wow:wow:wow:wow

Thank god the shareholders would never allow that to happen, though.

SA is Gregg Popovich.
The guy that USED to eliminate Joey Crawford from PO games because he T'ed Duncan at the end of an irrelevant game.

You had to be aware of that Popovich, even if you are Stern.
Expecially if you are Stern, and the accolites of officiating cronies.

[GoodOdor]

SA is Gregg Popovich.
The guy that USED to eliminate Joey Crawford from PO games because he T'ed Duncan at the end of an irrelevant game.

You had to be aware of that Popovich, even if you are Stern.
Expecially if you are Stern, and the accolites of officiating cronies.

Spurs 4 rings DESPITE stern/rigging!

Such CLASS!!!

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

First of all, you appear to be a T'Wolves fan. But you're reacting like I was talking to you when I flashed back at the Laker trolls who come here just to piss on things. Do you not know where you are?

You were probably about 9 when the Kobe draft/trade happened, but there were numerous articles printed when it was happening that indicated that Kobe refused to play anyplace but LA, and was holding the Hornets hostage. (If I really gave a damn what you think, I'd dig some of them up.) It's not revisionist history, but I'm sure you think that if you don't find it on Google, it never existed. Ignorance is bliss. But I was there, and read the articles as it was happening. What you are talking about is the spin that got put on it after the fact. Because the league didn't want a precedent of a player holding the draft process hostage. It's a business, and image is everything. That's reality, and you're naive if you don't get it.

You want to talk about revisionist history? I specifically said (as I always do) that there is no conspiracy in the league. You can't keep from revising history from a paragraph ago. How do you expect to get anything right from over a decade ago?

I don't have a problem with the Lakers in particular, and I've taken my share of crap here for saying that Kobe (in his prime) is one of the 3 best to ever play the game. If you're stupid enough to believe that franchise players don't get more calls than the nobodies in the league, you're beyond help. The Lakers have a number of truly top-tier players on this squad. That's already a big advantage. But that also gives them more opportunities for those franchise-player calls. And no, those calls don't even out in the long run. It's not... a level... playing field.

There are, and always will be, bad calls. But some calls are worse than others, and some are just inexplicable. Do you remember the recent shot LeBron put up at the end of a quarter? It was clearly after the clock ran out. The refs went to the replay, and then huddled, and came up with some bullshit reason why it should count. It was so wrong, and so stupid that the league had to come out and say that the refs simply ignored the rules. I know, you know, and everyone else here knows that never would have happened if it was some rookie that put the shot up, and not LeBron (or one of a couple of other players). You're lying to yourself if you say otherwise. That kind of thing just doesn't even out... ever. And it's not just the Lakers, they were just the ones playing last night.

As for the assholes who come somewhere just to piss on people? Yeah, I dislike them. Intensely. And California residents who do things like bitch that gas is high in their state because there is some Texas conspiracy? (A 900-foot dump apartment costs $1,500 a month, and they don't understand that the real estate cost for gas stations alone is enough to add a chunk to the price they pay?) Them too.

I'm not bitter. I just get tired of having to wade through knee-deep shit to find things about the Spurs on a Spurs forum. Maybe if I eat some yogurt, chant a mantra, and put some crystals on my head, I'll feel better.
Nine years old? You don't know me here, I am over 60 and have stated it many times. I have lived though more NBA action than most fans, particularly on this board. I specifically remember the drama around Kobe Bryant because the Lakers were making a play to get Shaq. They couldn't get it done until they dealt Divac, and that's what they did, well ahead of signing Shaq. They had to clear the cap space, period.

As far as your argument about Kobe, you are the one beyond help. Go look at the thread I linked, I proved my case betyond a reasonable doubt and all you claim is old newspaper articles say otherwise, and that evidence to prove your case has been obliterated from the internet. There is such a thing as a newspaper morgue that will show how the Hornets planned to play Kobe. Of course, this could have been specualtion by a beat writer who had no clue Kobe had been drafted to be traded. Find your proof and post it. Besides, why would the Hornets draft a player that wouldn't work out for them? They wouldn't. They had a deal in place to trade him, and it's irrefutable.

I don't keep track of how calls balance out. Usually, in my mind they do. Nothing we can do about it anyway. I am not here to argue about conspiracies, I don't believe in them.

[GSH]

One more thing, Daddy. I have a challenge for you. Go find me a video clip of Kermit Washington punching Rudy T and crushing his facial bones. I'd bet a week's pay that you can't. And if you did somehow manage to find one, I'd bet two week's pay that the link wouldn't work a week later. Why? Because the league sanitized it out of existence. It doesn't look good for their image, and they made it go away. And that isn't the only example, it's just the easiest one for most people to relate to. The NBA watches it's image very, very carefully. As they should. But don't think that just because you can't find something on the Internet, it never existed.

Right now, the league is desperate for the next generation of superstar(s), because they know that is what sells tickets. If you think the refs are insulated from all the hype, you need to grow up. Derek Rose is a great player. But he gets calls now, that other people don't. I think some of it is because of the refs' expectations. Not a conspiracy... got that? Not a conspiracy. But a result of the league's hype machine, and the fact that the refs are human.

Pao Gasol got to take 4 steps in the low post, with his back to the basket. Matt Bonner wouldn't have. That's just reality. See how many people disagree with that one simple thought.

[temujin]

Spurs 4 rings DESPITE stern/rigging!

Such CLASS!!!

:lol:lol

Not despite, but BECAUSE.

[John Basedow]

One more thing, Daddy. I have a challenge for you. Go find me a video clip of Kermit Washington punching Rudy T and crushing his facial bones. I'd bet a week's pay that you can't. And if you did somehow manage to find one, I'd bet two week's pay that the link wouldn't work a week later. Why? Because the league sanitized it out of existence. It doesn't look good for their image, and they made it go away. And that isn't the only example, it's just the easiest one for most people to relate to. The NBA watches it's image very, very carefully. As they should. But don't think that just because you can't find something on the Internet, it never existed.

Right now, the league is desperate for the next generation of superstar(s), because they know that is what sells tickets. If you think the refs are insulated from all the hype, you need to grow up. Derek Rose is a great player. But he gets calls now, that other people don't. I think some of it is because of the refs' expectations. Not a conspiracy... got that? Not a conspiracy. But a result of the league's hype machine, and the fact that the refs are human.

Pao Gasol got to take 4 steps in the low post, with his back to the basket. Matt Bonner wouldn't have. That's just reality. See how many people disagree with that one simple thought.

1k1i4Ddngg8

That video has been up since May 2009. I'll PM you my address so you can send the check.

[temujin]

It's ALWAYS extremely entertaining to read how some people WANT to believe.

There's got to be a place in life in which the ball is round, can bounce on or off, and "calls even out".

No there isn't.

[GSH]

They couldn't get it done until they dealt Divac, and that's what they did, well ahead of signing Shaq. They had to clear the cap space, period.



And, duh, they were able to deal Divac because Kobe refused to play any place but LA. The two things aren't mutually exclusive, Einstein. Divac was considered one of the better centers in the league, so it's not like the Hornets got nothing in return. But they didn't get the deal they could have gotten, because everyone knew that there was only one place they could trade him. They didn't draft Kobe to get Vlade. They drafted him because they thought they held the cards, and they found out they were wrong. (His agent even indicated that he would go and play in Europe, like his dad, if he didn't go to LA.) I'm not blaing the Lakers. It's a hell of a deal, if you can get it. I'm just saying what happened, as it happened. If you don't like it, remember it some other way.

What makes you think it couldn't happen? Yi Jianlian tried the same thing, and Ricky Rubio is currently doing it. Yi didn't have the leverage. Rubio probably does, and he will probably play where he wants to. And the league's PR people will spin a story that his trade was mutual. Because they still won't want a precedent for a player holding the draft hostage.

Now enough of this. I made my points about the officiating. Some people agree, some disagree. You just bore me.

[John Basedow]

And, duh, they were able to deal Divac because Kobe refused to play any place but LA. The two things aren't mutually exclusive, Einstein. Divac was considered one of the better centers in the league, so it's not like the Hornets got nothing in return. But they didn't get the deal they could have gotten, because everyone knew that there was only one place they could trade him. They didn't draft Kobe to get Vlade. They drafted him because they thought they held the cards, and they found out they were wrong. (His agent even indicated that he would go and play in Europe, like his dad, if he didn't go to LA.) I'm not blaing the Lakers. It's a hell of a deal, if you can get it. I'm just saying what happened, as it happened. If you don't like it, remember it some other way.

What makes you think it couldn't happen? Yi Jianlian tried the same thing, and Ricky Rubio is currently doing it. Yi didn't have the leverage. Rubio probably does, and he will probably play where he wants to. And the league's PR people will spin a story that his trade was mutual. Because they still won't want a precedent for a player holding the draft hostage.

Now enough of this. I made my points about the officiating. Some people agree, some disagree. You just bore me.

I love the smell of meltdown in the morning. :lol

[rascal]

Pao Gasol got to take 4 steps in the low post, with his back to the basket. Matt Bonner wouldn't have. That's just reality. See how many people disagree with that one simple thought.

Thats the Spurs fault for having players like Matt Bonner on the team.

[IronMexican]

GSH, are you mad?

[rascal]

GSH
Take your toys and go home, you are sounding like a baby.

[Axe Murderer]

And, duh, they were able to deal Divac because Kobe refused to play any place but LA. The two things aren't mutually exclusive, Einstein. Divac was considered one of the better centers in the league, so it's not like the Hornets got nothing in return. But they didn't get the deal they could have gotten, because everyone knew that there was only one place they could trade him. They didn't draft Kobe to get Vlade. They drafted him because they thought they held the cards, and they found out they were wrong. (His agent even indicated that he would go and play in Europe, like his dad, if he didn't go to LA.) I'm not blaing the Lakers. It's a hell of a deal, if you can get it. I'm just saying what happened, as it happened. If you don't like it, remember it some other way.

What makes you think it couldn't happen? Yi Jianlian tried the same thing, and Ricky Rubio is currently doing it. Yi didn't have the leverage. Rubio probably does, and he will probably play where he wants to. And the league's PR people will spin a story that his trade was mutual. Because they still won't want a precedent for a player holding the draft hostage.

Now enough of this. I made my points about the officiating. Some people agree, some disagree. You just bore me.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lidav23EqI1qcymtb.gif

[Axe Murderer]

First of all, you appear to be a T'Wolves fan. But you're reacting like I was talking to you when I flashed back at the Laker trolls who come here just to piss on things. Do you not know where you are?

You were probably about 9 when the Kobe draft/trade happened, but there were numerous articles printed when it was happening that indicated that Kobe refused to play anyplace but LA, and was holding the Hornets hostage. (If I really gave a damn what you think, I'd dig some of them up.) It's not revisionist history, but I'm sure you think that if you don't find it on Google, it never existed. Ignorance is bliss. But I was there, and read the articles as it was happening. What you are talking about is the spin that got put on it after the fact. Because the league didn't want a precedent of a player holding the draft process hostage. It's a business, and image is everything. That's reality, and you're naive if you don't get it.

You want to talk about revisionist history? I specifically said (as I always do) that there is no conspiracy in the league. You can't keep from revising history from a paragraph ago. How do you expect to get anything right from over a decade ago?

I don't have a problem with the Lakers in particular, and I've taken my share of crap here for saying that Kobe (in his prime) is one of the 3 best to ever play the game. If you're stupid enough to believe that franchise players don't get more calls than the nobodies in the league, you're beyond help. The Lakers have a number of truly top-tier players on this squad. That's already a big advantage. But that also gives them more opportunities for those franchise-player calls. And no, those calls don't even out in the long run. It's not... a level... playing field.

There are, and always will be, bad calls. But some calls are worse than others, and some are just inexplicable. Do you remember the recent shot LeBron put up at the end of a quarter? It was clearly after the clock ran out. The refs went to the replay, and then huddled, and came up with some bullshit reason why it should count. It was so wrong, and so stupid that the league had to come out and say that the refs simply ignored the rules. I know, you know, and everyone else here knows that never would have happened if it was some rookie that put the shot up, and not LeBron (or one of a couple of other players). You're lying to yourself if you say otherwise. That kind of thing just doesn't even out... ever. And it's not just the Lakers, they were just the ones playing last night.

As for the assholes who come somewhere just to piss on people? Yeah, I dislike them. Intensely. And California residents who do things like bitch that gas is high in their state because there is some Texas conspiracy? (A 900-foot dump apartment costs $1,500 a month, and they don't understand that the real estate cost for gas stations alone is enough to add a chunk to the price they pay?) Them too.

I'm not bitter. I just get tired of having to wade through knee-deep shit to find things about the Spurs on a Spurs forum. Maybe if I eat some yogurt, chant a mantra, and put some crystals on my head, I'll feel better.

jpicUOJ9xL0

[Roger Freemason Jr.]

i dont get it. the lakers had a bad ft' differential in this series and last years playoffs. okc had 40 more ft's in games 3 and 4 combined. what is this myth that the lakers get overwhelming ref advantage.

24 ft attempts in game 7 of last years finals, are you kidding me?..
Tim Donaghy says Hi.

[John Basedow]

24 ft attempts in game 7 of last years finals, are you kidding me?..
Tim Donaghy says Hi.

Is that the same Tim Donaghy who rigged Game 3 of the 2007 WCSF for you? :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

And, duh, they were able to deal Divac because Kobe refused to play any place but LA. The two things aren't mutually exclusive, Einstein. Divac was considered one of the better centers in the league, so it's not like the Hornets got nothing in return. But they didn't get the deal they could have gotten, because everyone knew that there was only one place they could trade him. They didn't draft Kobe to get Vlade. They drafted him because they thought they held the cards, and they found out they were wrong. (His agent even indicated that he would go and play in Europe, like his dad, if he didn't go to LA.) I'm not blaing the Lakers. It's a hell of a deal, if you can get it. I'm just saying what happened, as it happened. If you don't like it, remember it some other way.

What makes you think it couldn't happen? Yi Jianlian tried the same thing, and Ricky Rubio is currently doing it. Yi didn't have the leverage. Rubio probably does, and he will probably play where he wants to. And the league's PR people will spin a story that his trade was mutual. Because they still won't want a precedent for a player holding the draft hostage.

Now enough of this. I made my points about the officiating. Some people agree, some disagree. You just bore me.
Dude, you are getting your clock cleaned, just as I did to MiamiHeat, and noted in the thread i linked above.

refer to this part of that thread:

4) The NBA draft was held Wednesday, June 26, 1996. Divac agreed to be traded on Monday July 1, 1996. It didn't take 13 days to complete the deal as you suggested to diego above:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_NBA_Draft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_NBA_Draft)
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18444246.html (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18444246.html)
This time frame suggests Divac was notified Thursday he was traded and he needed the weekend to decide whether to accept or retire. It is common knowledge, with proof, Divac pondered retirement for several days. Again, more proof the deal was done and completed in advance of the draft.

Add to that the fact that Hornets GM Bass admitted there was a deal to draft Kobe, if he was avaialable and trade him for Divac and your argument Kobe refused to play for the Hornets is left dead in the water. The Hornets made a deal and couldn't hope to get more. You just wish they could have gotten more, and dreamt up some fantasies to reassure yourself of false reality.

Seeing as how you are getting owned in your thread with the link to the Kermit puching Rudy video, I suggest you take your own advice you suggested to me:

I'm just saying what happened, as it happened. If you don't like it, remember it some other way.

You clearly remember it the way you want to remember it, and you are dead wrong.

[rascal]

GSH
It would be better not even to respond and let this thread die and fall off the front page.

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

1k1i4Ddngg8

That video has been up since May 2009. I'll PM you my address so you can send the check.
http://blogofowned.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/owned9wz.jpg

[IronMexican]

DOAT, the goods, par the course.

[DJ Mbenga]

GSH got raped

[Sportcamper]

Just a thought...

Rather than complain that the referees are not bailing out your team why don’t you educate yourself & go to Amazon & purchase the Spurs 2003 Championship DVD to see how your team used to play…It was a time where every Spurs player contributed & listened to their coach…It is not the fault of the NBA or its officiating that today’s Spurs players act like they could care less about the playoffs and show up for games wearing rapper attire & sunglasses…

IMO The Spurs 2003 DVD set is the Finest, most Professional Championship DVD series ever made…You owe it to yourself to study it! :nerd

http://www.amazon.com/2002-2003-NBA-Champions-Antonio-Spurs/dp/B00009N1Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303922573&sr=8-1

[Venti Quattro]

IMO The Spurs 2003 DVD set is the Finest, most Professional Championship DVD series ever made…You owe it to yourself to study it! :nerd

http://www.amazon.com/2002-2003-NBA-Champions-Antonio-Spurs/dp/B00009N1Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303922573&sr=8-1

Could've summed it up in one word

[Horse]

I may be done with the NBA. I love my Spurs, and I'll still watch them. But the opening minutes of this Lakers-Hornets game may be the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I just can't support it anymore. Some of the totally egregious plays in just the first few minutes of play:

1. Bynum elbowed Belinelli to the head and drew blood. Belinelli had to go to the sideline to stop the bleeding. No call on Bynum. Lakers score 2 points on the play. I wonder how the refs think the blood got there? Bynum is flailing his elbows constantly, and he already cut CP3 in the last game.
2. Gasol turns his back to the basket and starts backing down. He takes 4 shuffle steps without putting the ball on the ground. No travelling call. Lakers score 2 points. It's a lot easier to back your opponent down when you don't have to worry about putting that damned ball on the floor.
3. Ariza drives to the paint. Gasol jumps in front of him, doesn't get squared up, still moving his feet (backwards), and takes the contact on the side of his body. It wasn't even close. Charging call on Ariza. Totally inconsistent with charge calls elsewhere.
4. Kobe goes up for a jumper, and they call an absolute phantom call on Ariza. Ariza has to leave the game with 2 early fouls. Not coincidentally, I think, Ariza had 10 points in 6 minutes of play and hadn't missed a shot. Kobe is now being defended by the 6-3 Willie Green, instead of the 6-7 Ariza.
5. Willie Green drives it to the paint. Gasol leaps in front of him, and is in the air when he makes contact. Green makes the shot, and thinks he has an and-1. But nooo.... it's another charge on against the Hornets. And this one is even worse than the one against Ariza.

I know the game is hard to call. But there's no way that an NBA level officiating crew can miss that many obvious calls, that badly, in such a short period of time. I still don't want to call it a conspiracy. But the best case scenario is that they are biased in favor of the Lakers as a result of all the hype they get. Either that, or I have to believe that they are absolutely incompetent - on one end of the floor.

I'm not going to abandon the Spurs. But in a way I feel like a chump, even for that. This isn't a level planing field. It just isn't. I sure as hell don't have any soft spot for the Hornets, but they've been screwed over solidly, and the game is still young. The Spurs lost last night because they got outplayed. But why would I expect any better than what I see tonight, if they did get matched up against the Lakers, or Heat, or Bulls?

One thing I do know. If it's not the Spurs playing, I'll turn on Deadliest Catch or something. And if I ever want to see this kind of bullshit, I'll go right to the source and turn on the WWF.
That ain't shit compared to what they did to us in the 3rd quarter monday night.

[KillerMamba]

STOP pointing and crying at other teams because your team is failing. Lakers won the game because they played better, got more offensive boards, and forced more turnovers on the Hornets.

[Venti Quattro]

STOP pointing and crying at other teams because your team is failing. Lakers won the game because they played better, got more offensive boards, and forced more turnovers on the Hornets.

Obviously they can conjure that the 22-2 second chance and 42-25 rebound lead are due to the refs.

[temujin]

Is that the same Tim Donaghy who rigged Game 3 of the 2007 WCSF for you? :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao

The very same good old Tim.

Maybe Someone knew what he was up to.
Or this Someone knew somebody who knew.
Maybe that same old -too old now- Someone knew other refs were pretty much in the same gang.
And maybe, just maybe, that's PRECISELY what won this old Someone a few rings.

I have TONS of respect for this old someone.
For, he was doing this for a minor gang, not the king of mobsters.

[DeadlyDynasty]

:lolwhiner