Samr
04-28-2007, 10:44 AM
Buck Harvey: Thanks to some, Spurs get past Joey
Web Posted: 04/27/2007 11:05 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
George Karl is wrong when he says NBA officials are human beings. Steve Javie, in particular, appears suspiciously alien.
But Karl is right when he says refs read newspapers and watch television, which is why Karl talked about officiating just minutes after his playoff loss and continued the next day. Karl figures if he outlines terrible injustice, a ref might want to correct it.
Maybe that happens tonight.
But the referees have not been reading just what Karl has to say. They have also been reading about new incidents that should force them to re-evaluate old ones, and they are also reading what isn't being said.
If the refs really are human beings, as Karl says, these things should affect them, too.
Karl's words might influence a call or two. Those in the Spurs organization acknowledge that. Phil Jackson always worked the crowd between playoff games against the Spurs, and what followed suggested he was sometimes effective.
So Karl added to his Wednesday night complaints with more Thursday. And when asked whether he thought his comments would help influence officiating, Karl was contradictory when he told a Denver newspaper:
"I don't think so. But talk radio thinks so. I think referees are referees. They're human beings. They read the papers. They listen to the TVs."
A ref might see the numbers and be surprised. After all, Allen Iverson never went to the line Wednesday, and he had shot at least one free throw in his previous 63 playoff games.
Was there a bump missed along the way? Probably. But Iverson settled for a lot of jumpers.
The refs also didn't see Nenê grab Tim Duncan on Duncan's clinching score. And Manu Ginobili never went to the line in this series until the end of the third quarter Wednesday. He, too, is known for drawing fouls.
Then there are the free-throw attempts in this series: The Nuggets still have nine more.
But something else is on the Spurs' side now besides logic, and the Spurs can thank the Warriors for this. Baron Davis recently acted much the way Duncan did when he was ejected April 15, and Stephen Jackson acted much the way he does in strip club parking lots.
Davis' ejection was of special relevance to the Spurs. His clapping crime was comparable to Duncan's laughing one in that the official who threw out Davis felt he was being similarly mocked.
Today this official suffers no punishment from the NBA office. It's clear, as David Stern said at the time, that Joey Crawford's prior tantrums caused his suspension. Refs who might have been concerned just days ago about their workplace now understand Stern isn't abandoning them. He abandoned only Crawford.
Payback against the Spurs likely was never an issue. The Spurs did nothing to end Crawford's season, and any ref who wanted to send a message would have been sending one about his own future.
Still, the Golden State ejections pushed the Crawford story further into the past. Today the Spurs are just another road team looking for an evenhanded game.
It's safe to say this: No official in Denver tonight will be preoccupied by what came before.
That's not to say the usual emotions won't be in play. The Denver crowd will be pepped, Iverson will be driving, and Duncan and his chronically astonished look will be in view. If the Spurs have one wish, it's that they draw a ref known for not caving to the home mob.
Javie is one. Crawford was another.
But the Spurs might have another edge now. As Karl complains, Gregg Popovich responds, again, by not responding.
Popovich didn't say anything publicly in the wake of the Crawford mess, and he didn't complain after Game 1 of this series. It's been his strategy for years, and he stuck to it even last season when he and his staff felt robbed in the Dallas series.
Do the refs appreciate this? And do they tire of coaches who act as if they can manipulate them?
They probably do — assuming they read newspapers or watch television.
Thoughts on this? Specifically, what do you think about Karl's strategy vs. the one used by Pop? Get loud or stay quiet?
Also, that last line by Harvey was awesome.
Web Posted: 04/27/2007 11:05 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
George Karl is wrong when he says NBA officials are human beings. Steve Javie, in particular, appears suspiciously alien.
But Karl is right when he says refs read newspapers and watch television, which is why Karl talked about officiating just minutes after his playoff loss and continued the next day. Karl figures if he outlines terrible injustice, a ref might want to correct it.
Maybe that happens tonight.
But the referees have not been reading just what Karl has to say. They have also been reading about new incidents that should force them to re-evaluate old ones, and they are also reading what isn't being said.
If the refs really are human beings, as Karl says, these things should affect them, too.
Karl's words might influence a call or two. Those in the Spurs organization acknowledge that. Phil Jackson always worked the crowd between playoff games against the Spurs, and what followed suggested he was sometimes effective.
So Karl added to his Wednesday night complaints with more Thursday. And when asked whether he thought his comments would help influence officiating, Karl was contradictory when he told a Denver newspaper:
"I don't think so. But talk radio thinks so. I think referees are referees. They're human beings. They read the papers. They listen to the TVs."
A ref might see the numbers and be surprised. After all, Allen Iverson never went to the line Wednesday, and he had shot at least one free throw in his previous 63 playoff games.
Was there a bump missed along the way? Probably. But Iverson settled for a lot of jumpers.
The refs also didn't see Nenê grab Tim Duncan on Duncan's clinching score. And Manu Ginobili never went to the line in this series until the end of the third quarter Wednesday. He, too, is known for drawing fouls.
Then there are the free-throw attempts in this series: The Nuggets still have nine more.
But something else is on the Spurs' side now besides logic, and the Spurs can thank the Warriors for this. Baron Davis recently acted much the way Duncan did when he was ejected April 15, and Stephen Jackson acted much the way he does in strip club parking lots.
Davis' ejection was of special relevance to the Spurs. His clapping crime was comparable to Duncan's laughing one in that the official who threw out Davis felt he was being similarly mocked.
Today this official suffers no punishment from the NBA office. It's clear, as David Stern said at the time, that Joey Crawford's prior tantrums caused his suspension. Refs who might have been concerned just days ago about their workplace now understand Stern isn't abandoning them. He abandoned only Crawford.
Payback against the Spurs likely was never an issue. The Spurs did nothing to end Crawford's season, and any ref who wanted to send a message would have been sending one about his own future.
Still, the Golden State ejections pushed the Crawford story further into the past. Today the Spurs are just another road team looking for an evenhanded game.
It's safe to say this: No official in Denver tonight will be preoccupied by what came before.
That's not to say the usual emotions won't be in play. The Denver crowd will be pepped, Iverson will be driving, and Duncan and his chronically astonished look will be in view. If the Spurs have one wish, it's that they draw a ref known for not caving to the home mob.
Javie is one. Crawford was another.
But the Spurs might have another edge now. As Karl complains, Gregg Popovich responds, again, by not responding.
Popovich didn't say anything publicly in the wake of the Crawford mess, and he didn't complain after Game 1 of this series. It's been his strategy for years, and he stuck to it even last season when he and his staff felt robbed in the Dallas series.
Do the refs appreciate this? And do they tire of coaches who act as if they can manipulate them?
They probably do — assuming they read newspapers or watch television.
Thoughts on this? Specifically, what do you think about Karl's strategy vs. the one used by Pop? Get loud or stay quiet?
Also, that last line by Harvey was awesome.