duncan228
05-18-2008, 12:09 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051808.BuckJavie.en.37bbd05.html
Buck Harvey: The key to Monday is NBA's official flaw
By Buck Harvey
The Spurs were in Phoenix, winning their only playoff road game of the spring, when Tim Duncan froze. At least that's the way he looks when he takes his free-throw pose.
Suns fans noticed, and they began to count to 10, because that's how long a free-throw shooter is supposed to have. Shaquille O'Neal was being called for foot faults in that series. Why not tag Duncan on this infraction?
The Suns' coaches asked that very question of the official standing nearby. And Steve Javie smiled.
“I'm not reacting to the crowd,” he said, smiling. “You know me.”
The Suns' coaches know Javie, all right. They know he's the Road-Friendly Ref, and they knew his appearance in their building that night was not a good sign.
There aren't enough Javies, and it's the inherent flaw in this sport. Just as Doc Rivers wonders about calls that went against him in Cleveland on Friday night, and just as the Hornets wonder about Game 6 in San Antonio, the Spurs have reason to wonder now.
Will they be lucky and see Javie again on Monday night?
A court filing Friday by federal prosecutors detailed how deep this goes. According to media reports, Tim Donaghy bet on more than 100 games that he worked, and he was alleged to have given a pair of gamblers inside information.
The info: Tips on which crews would officiate games and how the various officials and players have interacted.
Joey Crawford's past interactions with Duncan, for example, might influence a few bets.
Before this season, few knew who the officials would be before game time. Now the NBA lists the officiating crew the morning of the game on a Web site. That makes the information less secretive, though a few bookies might still find it useful.
That's because tendencies are in place, and it's the underlying factor of a playoff season that has seen so many home wins. Home-court advantage is about familiarity, about energy — and about refs who cave to the crowd.
It's not automatic. The Lakers won on the road Friday night, and they shot 38 free throws vs. 25 for the Jazz.
Still, a lot of those foul shots came at the end when Utah intentionally fouled, and sometimes the free-throw numbers don't reveal everything. The earlier game the same night showed that.
Then the Celtics lost another road game, and they can't blame officiating for all of this. From Atlanta to Cleveland, they've looked like a 46-win team, not a 66.
But the Cavaliers still shot almost twice as many free throws. And with less than a minute left, with Paul Pierce driving and Boston down by only five points, LeBron James drew an offensive foul that no one thought was an offensive foul.
Including James. “I thought it was just out of bounds on me,” he said.
Afterward Doc Rivers sounded like Gregg Popovich after Game 5 in New Orleans. “Honestly, I thought we drove just as hard as them,” Rivers said. “Somehow they ended up on the line. Somehow we didn't.”
Rivers knows what “somehow” is. The lead referee that night was Dick Bavetta, and his seniority could send him to the Spurs' Game 7.
But Bavetta worked Game 2 in New Orleans, so maybe this isn't his turn. Joey Crawford was there for the last one, which would make his return unlikely. Danny Crawford, a well-liked official, could be next.
Or maybe it's Javie.
He wasn't the difference in Game 3 of the Phoenix series; Tony Parker's 41 points and 12 assists were. And Javie's presence doesn't guarantee anything, since he was on the floor last week when the Lakers attempted 42 free throws at home against the Jazz.
Still, his influence is undeniable, as the previous two years show. Spurs fans chanted his name with a vulgarity during a playoff loss to the Mavericks in 2006, and Jazz fans did the same last year in a loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
To him, that's an ovation.
Javie also worked Game 3 of this series. When he walked out into the AT&T Center, one national writer saw him and said: “There goes the home-court advantage.”
It's no coincidence the closest game of the series followed. The Spurs led by only one point early in the fourth quarter, and the eventual free-throw difference said a lot. Even.
So maybe David West's back is the key Monday, or maybe the Spurs' experience is.
Or maybe it's the appearance of an average-sized, middle-aged man.
Buck Harvey: The key to Monday is NBA's official flaw
By Buck Harvey
The Spurs were in Phoenix, winning their only playoff road game of the spring, when Tim Duncan froze. At least that's the way he looks when he takes his free-throw pose.
Suns fans noticed, and they began to count to 10, because that's how long a free-throw shooter is supposed to have. Shaquille O'Neal was being called for foot faults in that series. Why not tag Duncan on this infraction?
The Suns' coaches asked that very question of the official standing nearby. And Steve Javie smiled.
“I'm not reacting to the crowd,” he said, smiling. “You know me.”
The Suns' coaches know Javie, all right. They know he's the Road-Friendly Ref, and they knew his appearance in their building that night was not a good sign.
There aren't enough Javies, and it's the inherent flaw in this sport. Just as Doc Rivers wonders about calls that went against him in Cleveland on Friday night, and just as the Hornets wonder about Game 6 in San Antonio, the Spurs have reason to wonder now.
Will they be lucky and see Javie again on Monday night?
A court filing Friday by federal prosecutors detailed how deep this goes. According to media reports, Tim Donaghy bet on more than 100 games that he worked, and he was alleged to have given a pair of gamblers inside information.
The info: Tips on which crews would officiate games and how the various officials and players have interacted.
Joey Crawford's past interactions with Duncan, for example, might influence a few bets.
Before this season, few knew who the officials would be before game time. Now the NBA lists the officiating crew the morning of the game on a Web site. That makes the information less secretive, though a few bookies might still find it useful.
That's because tendencies are in place, and it's the underlying factor of a playoff season that has seen so many home wins. Home-court advantage is about familiarity, about energy — and about refs who cave to the crowd.
It's not automatic. The Lakers won on the road Friday night, and they shot 38 free throws vs. 25 for the Jazz.
Still, a lot of those foul shots came at the end when Utah intentionally fouled, and sometimes the free-throw numbers don't reveal everything. The earlier game the same night showed that.
Then the Celtics lost another road game, and they can't blame officiating for all of this. From Atlanta to Cleveland, they've looked like a 46-win team, not a 66.
But the Cavaliers still shot almost twice as many free throws. And with less than a minute left, with Paul Pierce driving and Boston down by only five points, LeBron James drew an offensive foul that no one thought was an offensive foul.
Including James. “I thought it was just out of bounds on me,” he said.
Afterward Doc Rivers sounded like Gregg Popovich after Game 5 in New Orleans. “Honestly, I thought we drove just as hard as them,” Rivers said. “Somehow they ended up on the line. Somehow we didn't.”
Rivers knows what “somehow” is. The lead referee that night was Dick Bavetta, and his seniority could send him to the Spurs' Game 7.
But Bavetta worked Game 2 in New Orleans, so maybe this isn't his turn. Joey Crawford was there for the last one, which would make his return unlikely. Danny Crawford, a well-liked official, could be next.
Or maybe it's Javie.
He wasn't the difference in Game 3 of the Phoenix series; Tony Parker's 41 points and 12 assists were. And Javie's presence doesn't guarantee anything, since he was on the floor last week when the Lakers attempted 42 free throws at home against the Jazz.
Still, his influence is undeniable, as the previous two years show. Spurs fans chanted his name with a vulgarity during a playoff loss to the Mavericks in 2006, and Jazz fans did the same last year in a loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
To him, that's an ovation.
Javie also worked Game 3 of this series. When he walked out into the AT&T Center, one national writer saw him and said: “There goes the home-court advantage.”
It's no coincidence the closest game of the series followed. The Spurs led by only one point early in the fourth quarter, and the eventual free-throw difference said a lot. Even.
So maybe David West's back is the key Monday, or maybe the Spurs' experience is.
Or maybe it's the appearance of an average-sized, middle-aged man.