Duncan commenting on the officiating...

[mexicanjunior]

For those that didn't catch it...

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[LakerHater]

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/tnt_overtime/2012/06/06/20120606_top5_inside_5.nba

[NRHector]

Timmy speaking the truth nothing more and nothing less

[dg7md]

:toast Props for something good out of that loss. Acknowledgment of that garbage is a first step.

[DontStopBelieving]

It is the truth.

[AFBlue]

Thanks. Now GFY, you weak shit bandwagon fan.

[mexicanjunior]

Thanks. Now GFY, you weak shit bandwagon fan.

I'll get right on that dickhead...I told you so...now GFY...

[Spur|n|Austin]

thanks

[dbreiden83080]

He's not wrong.. Jordan would be whining like a little girl if the whistle went that way in his day...

[TE]

Lol go to the OKCthunderfag.com forum and you'll find posters crying about Duncan's statement of the officiating. Fuck Oklahoma City, I hope they get destroyed by whoever comes out of the East.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Timmy's right, but it wasn't the reason we lost the series. OKC made huge shot after huge shot when it mattered, they were the better team. That's all there is too it.

[AFBlue]

I'll get right on that dickhead...I told you so...now GFY...

It's funny because that officiating is probably the only thing preventing you from having to eat crow and admit that you jumped ship early like the bitch-ass bandwagon fan that you are.

[mexicanjunior]

It's funny because that officiating is probably the only thing preventing you from having to eat crow and admit that you jumped ship early like the bitch-ass bandwagon fan that you are.

I would have happily eaten crow if they won but one of the reasons why I felt they wouldn't win was because of EXACTLY what happened officiating wise. I was right and all the "ra ra" bullshit you spouted didn't change that...

[Keepin' it real]

Timmy's right, but it wasn't the reason we lost the series. OKC made huge shot after huge shot when it mattered, they were the better team. That's all there is too it.

Yes and no.

Yes because of course they made big shots. There's no denying that.

No because a significant reason they were big shots is because of some poor calls. Just consider these two: 1) Manu called for illegal screen on Leonards 3 pointer, and 2) Manu called for the offensive foul when Durant was clearly not in position, and Manu had just converted a very tough shot for an and-1.

Just those two calls, if ruled correctly, would have changed the whole complexion of the game down the stretch.

[crc21209]

The man is just speaking the truth. Good for Timmy...:tu

[afireinside20]

Timmy's right, but it wasn't the reason we lost the series. OKC made huge shot after huge shot when it mattered, they were the better team. That's all there is too it.

Yea but the refs were the ones who put them in that position. What about those 12 pts the Spurs were screwed out of because of some of the most horrible officiating ever in a game?

[Keepin' it real]

I would have happily eaten crow if they won but one of the reasons why I felt they wouldn't win was because of EXACTLY what happened officiating wise. I was right and all the "ra ra" bullshit you spouted didn't change that...

Dude you forgot the h, twice. (rah rah)

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yes and no.

Yes because of course they made big shots. There's no denying that.

No because a significant reason they were big shots is because of some poor calls. Just consider these two: 1) Manu called for illegal screen on Leonards 3 pointer, and 2) Manu called for the offensive foul when Durant was clearly not in position, and Manu had just converted a very tough shot for an and-1.

Just those two calls, if ruled correctly, would have changed the whole complexion of the game down the stretch.

True, but the first one was a foul (Manu wasn't set and smashed into Harden, even though Harden then flopped like a bitch), the second was poor.

All spilt milk now. Over the 6 games OKC were the better team, as much as I hate to say it. TBH, we played very, very well in games 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, but OKC were better when it mattered. They are playing some of the best ball I've ever seen.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yea but the refs were the ones who put them in that position. What about those 12 pts the Spurs were screwed out of because of some of the most horrible officiating ever in a game?

Stop over-dramatising it. A couple of those calls weren't wrong, a couple were 50-50s that were called against us. Over the course of the series the officiating wasn't terrible and OKC were the better team. That's all there is to it.

[FromWayDowntown]

A little jarring to see Tim talk that openly about the whistles. Not his usual media fare.

[mexicanjunior]

A little jarring to see Tim talk that openly about the whistles. Not his usual media fare.

I was glad he did it...Pop should have grown some balls and followed suit.

[TDMVPDPOY]

the sequence in the 4 quarter around 8-6min mark, just alot of stupid calls out of nowhere destroyed the spurs of any momentum gettin back into the game or trying to make a push

it was like the fkn refs were trying to protect a point spread of the game

[SA210]

:pctoss Anyone thinking refs didnt decide this game are blind assholes

[ecksrobecks]

http://0.media.sportspickle.cvcdn.com/26/56/0c0e1661670f444a422cc67de2e2a192.jpg
http://1.media.sportspickle.cvcdn.com/26/29/218f612f2940b97441a9413d1ba7b131.jpg

[Cant_Be_Faded]

A little jarring to see Tim talk that openly about the whistles. Not his usual media fare.

I never heard that before

Its not just us, the refs really fucked us in those first 7 minutes in the 4th

[Budkin]

When you have Tim calling out the refs you know it's legit.

[Spurs21Fan4Ever]

That's the first time I've ever heard Tim saying anything about the officiating after a game. If Timmy says something like that, then that has to make a lot of people think about it.

[mercos]

Very unusual to see that from Tim. He sounded pretty upset. Shows how much he wanted that 5th ring and how hard he was fighting to get it.

[SA210]

When you have Tim calling out the refs you know it's legit.

[PublicOption]

I think a lot of people around the country like tim and are appalled at what they saw.

[MannyIsGod]

I think there's a higher chance that Tim retires now. Those comments make me feel that way for some reason.

[mexicanjunior]

I think there's a higher chance that Tim retires now. Those comments make me feel that way for some reason.

If that's the case...he should have been alot more abrasive.

[Jumi]

The NBA is really dropping the ball this postseason. I've read more stories about the officiating this year in the playoffs then I've ever seen in my time watching basketball. It doesn't seem as if the players decided the outcome of the games. Perception is reality and if more people start thinking the games are rigged going in, only the serious homer or hardcore fan is gonna watch. They better learn from boxing. Once the luster is gone,it's hard to get it back!!!

[Man In Black]

It's the equivalent of FIBA SUCKS. Except Tim knows that he can't say anymore than he did if he wants his career to continue. Who knows, maybe the lobbying now help gives him a ticket to a golden ball retirement.

Say it Tim...PREACH!

[I need 5]

Joey Crawford was calling an elimination game for the Spurs. This man once kicked Duncan out of game for laughing. There was no way the league was going to allow a Game 7 going back to San Antonio unless we blew the thing wide open. We almost did but the three by Durant at the half helped them. They beat us fair and square in games 4&5 but in Game 6 the fix was on.

[Budkin]

I'm still smh. This wasn't a heartbreaker it was a ballbreaker. Like sledgehammer to the balls several times over.

[kaji157]

I think there's a higher chance that Tim retires now. Those comments make me feel that way for some reason.

Agreed, i hope he relises he can win it next season.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

If that's the case...he should have been alot more abrasive.

Maybe he was.......

[Jumi]

I'm still smh. This wasn't a heartbreaker it was a ballbreaker. Like sledgehammer to the balls several times over.
Yeah, I'm not mad at the loss, I'm mad that we weren't in a fair fight. Anyone who says those calls didn't matter has never played organized basketball. How can you defend a great player if you get ticky tack fouls called against you? How can you be agressive when you get hit with offensive foul calls that aren't true fouls?

[FromWayDowntown]

I think there's a higher chance that Tim retires now. Those comments make me feel that way for some reason.

You certainly get the sense that ths one hurts him a lot. I think some of his candor comes from that hurt. But I do think he knows this is likely the last real shot and has some justification for thinking he really didn't get the fairest shake. And that might be enough for him to get the Springfield clock running.

[SenorSpur]

It aint like he's lying.

[davidbowie]

this was weird seeing

[DesignatedT]

It's so hard to keep quiet about the officiating after this game. I'm certainly not blaming the series on the refs and I'm not blaming this game on the refs but it just seems that they wouldn't even give us a chance. Wouldn't even let us get/stay within striking distance when the game actually mattered. Just so many calls that I thought ultimately caused the outcome of the game. Many fouls that should have been no-calls.

[DesignatedT]

It's so hard to keep quiet about the officiating after this game. I'm certainly not blaming the series on the refs and I'm not blaming this game on the refs but it just seems that they wouldn't even give us a chance. Wouldn't even let us get/stay within striking distance when the game actually mattered. Just so many calls that I thought ultimately caused the outcome of the game. Many fouls that should have been no-calls.

[Fabbs]

Timmy's right, but it wasn't the reason we lost the series. OKC made huge shot after huge shot when it mattered, they were the better team. That's all there is too it.
GNobs drive for the 2+1 that ended with Kobe Durant getting the phantom charge was far superior to any *big shots* (read uncontested jumpers after Spurs defenders lamely fell asleep) the Thunder made.
Also his drive n dish to Jax for three that was negated for Beardos lame obvious flop.

Certainly took tons of pressure off the Thunder so they didn't have to hit any huge shots.

Props to them for hitting the wide open jumpers but i hardly classify them as huge. Swishers trey was Neal falling asleep and leaving him 15 feet open.

GNob and Jaxs, now those were huge.

[dunkman]

Another of the many wired calls were the 3 ft's Durant got. He hit Jack on that call, and his shooting motion was a joke to say the least.

OKC stormed back without help that's true, but when they were tired and the Spurs were to take the lead again, the refs gave them around 10 points and a lot of possessions.

I saw a lot of fixed games, but that one was a complete joke. Stern and the refs must be hold accountable for pulling that kind of bs.

And to be fair, Manu's clothesline on Harden was a flagrant.

[BillMc]

Duncan's right about the officiating. (Last two times we were eliminated in the WCF Joey Crawford was blowing the whistle.)

That said, we didn't lose the SERIES because of the officials. The Thunder, credit it to them, figure us out, started doing what we did, and then became a better, more athletic version of us. I hope they win. I could stomach it way more than the Heat or Celtics...

[Spurs Brazil]

Crawford wasn't the problem. The other two refs killed us

[Horse]

A little jarring to see Tim talk that openly about the whistles. Not his usual media fare.

Exactly it's never been more obvious that we were not supposed to win.

[Gagnrath]

Duncan's right about the officiating. (Last two times we were eliminated in the WCF Joey Crawford was blowing the whistle.)

That said, we didn't lose the SERIES because of the officials. The Thunder, credit it to them, figure us out, started doing what we did, and then became a better, more athletic version of us. I hope they win. I could stomach it way more than the Heat or Celtics...

I sort of disagree, with the loss of the series, in games 4 and 5 there were a number of spurs fouls called for reaching in some of them were either clean or if there was contact it wasn't noticeable. Going the other way a number of times parker was wincing his hands or wrists had been slapped. I'm not going to claim it would have turned the game but if that happens 2 or 3 times each way per game that is an 8 to 12 point swing, and can also effect how close you guard some one and how effective or risk taking you are on defense.

I think this was a couple of very close teams and the thunder did get better throughout the series while the spurs didn't, but some of the dysfunction on offense I would definitely put down to that.

[Bill_Brasky]

We had what....3 ticky tack offensive fouls called in a row early in the 4th? Meanwhile on the other end Perkins/Ibaka are shoving Durant's defender off of him to get him space and they get away with it, then when he drives and someone tries to D him up they get whistled again.

[ro_50]

I don't think I've ever in all of my years criticized the officiating as others have but this was bad and when Duncan criticizes, you know its legit.

I'm not saying it won the Thunder the game -- they were better team -- but at be consistent with your calls.

[OKC Thunderstorm]

NBA refs suck. We know this. But those are the same refs that gave you calls last series and the series before. Pretty sure no one here was complaining then. Stern should DO something about his piss-poor officials and their lack of consistency. But OKC was the better team. A game 7 would of just delayed the inevitable.

[FromWayDowntown]

Crawford wasn't the problem. The other two refs killed us

I thought Bill Kennedy had a pretty iffy night; he seemed particularly willing to give the call to those who sold it and probably got caught rewarding the flop a couple of times at least.

As I've said elsewhere, though, he's considered by the league to be among its very best officials. If one of your "best" officials can be that shaky in a crucial game, one wonders about the state of officiating -- from a technical standpoint -- in the league or, alternatively, about how the league evaluates its officials.

There's some merit (I think) to the question about the current state of the elite officials. In the last 5-6 years, the league has lost a lot of its older, more experienced officials and has had to quickly promote from within the ranks to replace the losses. If you look back to even the 2008 Finals, the 12 officials who worked that series 5 years ago were:

Dick Bavetta
Dan Crawford
Joey Crawford
Bob Delaney
Joe Derosa
Scott Foster
Steve Javie
Ken Mauer
Ed F. Rush
Bennett Salvatore
Tom Washington
Mark Wunderlich

5 years later, Delaney, Javie, Salvatore, and Wunderlich are retired, Joe Derosa has chosen to be a collegiate official, and Bavetta and Rush are on their way out (collectively, they worked only 3 playoff games in 2012 and none after May 6). In five years, the league has lost or phased out 7 of the 12 best officials it had. You could arguably include Mike Callahan (who has worked every Finals since 2003 other than the 2008 Finals) in that group. You still have a 7 out of 13 turnover.

Those 7 have been replaced with, in essence, two groups of officials. You have a group consisting of officials who were going to move up anyway -- Monty McCutchen, Derrick Stafford, and Greg Willard. And you have a group of relatively inexperienced officials -- Bill Kennedy (who had called a total of 33 playoff games in 6 playoff years when he called his first Finals game in 2010), Ed Malloy (who got a conference semifinals Game 7 in only his 20th playoff game and called his first Finals game with only 21 career playoff games over 3 playoff years), and Marc Davis (who had called a total of 35 playoff games in 5 playoff years before calling his first Finals game). For sake of comparison, Dan Crawford worked his first Finals game in 1995, after having worked 57 playoff games; Steve Javie worked his first Finals game the same year after having worked 55 playoff games; Bob Delaney worked his first Finals game in 2001 after having worked 72 playoff games.

Other relatively inexperienced officials are being entrusted with some of the league's biggest games, too. In 2010, Jason Phillips had called a grand total of 8 playoff games in his career before getting assigned to Game 1 of the West Finals. In 2011, Zach Zarba had called a total of 12 playoff games in his career before being assigned to Game 1 of the West Finals. And this year, Rodney Mott had worked a total of 13 playoff games before being assigned to Game 3 of the East Finals.

You have to get experience somewhere, but I think there's a pretty strong argument that as attrition has pushed aside some of the older elite officials in the game, the league has artificially accelerated the progression of some younger officials and has risked quality in that process.

[hater]

I have to agree with Timmy.

But Spurs blew it games 3-5.

Go San Antonio Thunder!

[DMX7]

Duncan has played 15 years in the league, and I've can't ever recall him talking about the officials after the game except one time when Joey Crawford ejected him for laughing on the bench.

[Danny.Zhu]

Duncan has played 15 years in the league, and I've can't ever recall him talking about the officials after the game except one time when Joey Crawford ejected him for laughing on the bench.