Broussard: No conspiracy, just bad officiating

[urunobili]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/...roussard_chris

When it comes to the NBA, I don't believe in conspiracy theories. If the league was rigging things, the Knicks would not have gone winless in the draft lottery since 1985, and Yao Ming, LeBron James or Derrick Rose would be calling Madison Square Garden home.

So there's not a fiber in my being that believes there was an ulterior motive at work when the referees held their whistles when Derek Fisher landed on -- and clearly fouled -- Brent Barry on the final play of the Lakers' 93-91 Game 4 victory over San Antonio.

I don't believe it was payback from official Joey Crawford, whose bad blood with the Spurs is well-do ented. In fact, I'm willing to bet that Crawford and the other two officials feel terrible about the way this game ended.

All that being said, you can't blow that call. I really think it was just an honest mistake, but it's a mistake that can't happen.

First of all, it can't happen because it's terribly unfair, and the NBA championship was on the line. The defending champion Spurs are now done. I've long been one to say you can never count them out, but they're down 3-1 to a superior team (in my opinion), so I'm counting them out.

But if Barry, an 82 percent career foul shooter, gets two free throws (he wasn't in the act of shooting) last night, the Spurs may have sent the game into overtime. With the momentum and the home crowd on their side, they would have had a great shot at winning in the extra session.

Secondly, it can't happen because of the current climate. While I'm not a conspiracy theorist, there are plenty of people out there who are. With the Tim Donaghy scandal being renewed because of recent comments by his lawyer about relationships between coaches, players and officials affecting the outcome of games, those types of mistakes can't occur -- especially with Crawford on the floor. I understand the NBA's stance that history doesn't affect how it chooses certain officials for certain games, but maybe it should. The fact that Crawford, who challenged Tim Duncan to a fight during a game last season, sat there and watched Barry get fouled only adds fuel to the theorists' fire.

To the Spurs' credit, they didn't cry about the non-call. You better believe Phil Jackson would've whined about it. Heck, he was whining to TNT's Craig Sager about the officiating after the first quarter.

Plus, the Spurs may have felt like they played poorly and blew the game themselves.

I believe the Spurs didn't complain because they didn't want to add to the notion that anything untoward was at work. They realize that it only hurts them if the NBA's reputation gets soiled.

Let me address the explanations we've heard concerning the non-call:

• Barry should have jumped into Fisher to sell the foul.

What?! He should've flopped? So if he had flopped, he would have gotten the call? How bogus is that. A foul is a foul is a foul. You don't have to sell a foul; you just get fouled.

• Barry's not a superstar, so he can't expect to get that call.

What?! I don't care if it was Jacque Vaughn, he got fouled!

• The officials shouldn't decide the game with their whistles.

But they did. They decided the game by not using their whistles. This wasn't incidental contact. This wasn't a call that could have gone either way. This wasn't small, slight contact. This was a foul, a clear, blatant foul.

No, there was no conspiracy at work. Just bad officiating.

[MadDog73]

"I don't believe it was payback from official Joey Crawford, whose bad blood with the Spurs is well-do ented. In fact, I'm willing to bet that Crawford and the other two officials feel terrible about the way this game ended."

Hmm, I bet there are some NBA officials who would take up that bet...


FACT: We know some NBA refs are corrupt.

FACT: We know some calls are bad.

INFERENCE: Corrupt officials call bad plays...

It doesn't look good that the Celtics and Lakers look poised to enter the Finals.

Congrats on making the NBA look like the WWF!

[Fake Dynasty]

Are we talking about the same Joey Crawford that called goaltending on what was clearly a Lamar Odom block of Tony Parker's shot? Or is it the same referees that called Manu's 2-pointer a 3-pointer? Or is it the same referees that called Derek Fishers rimshot an airball, giving the Spurs a 22-second advantage on the shot-clock and eliminating what would've been a must-foul situation.

These so-called conspiracy referees gave the Spurs 3 free points and took 2 possible points (free throws) away from the Lakers in the final minute alone.

They tried to give the Spurs the goddamned game and San Antonio couldn't win it. Next time run a ing play that puts the ball in Manu's hands from the outset - idiots.

ing about conspiracies is weak. What, did this conspiracy also get the Spurs a 30-point beatdown in game 2 and make the Spurs blow a 20 point lead in game 1?

What a joke.

[Louae]

Are we talking about the same Joey Crawford that called goaltending on what was clearly a Lamar Odom block of Tony Parker's shot? Or is it the same referees that called Manu's 2-pointer a 3-pointer? Or is it the same referees that called Derek Fishers rimshot an airball, giving the Spurs a 22-second advantage on the shot-clock and eliminating what would've been a must-foul situation.

While all these calls you mentioned were mistakes, they were not obvious at game speed. The Lamar Odom block looked like a goaltend in real speed. It wasn't until a super slow motion showed that it wasn't. I didn't even realize the Manu tres was in question, but I'll take your word for it. I can't even make an opinion without seeing it first. As for the Fisher rimshot mistake, that's another call that needed a super slow motion from a second angle to verify. All these mistakes weren't obvious errors (Manu's 3 pointer excluded b/c I haven't looked at it closer). But the Fisher foul on Barry was obvious. There was no need for instant replay to see if it was a foul. It was a foul. To ignore why some fans might be upset about it is being ignorant.

I really don't care. If that play had never happened, I'm pretty sure the officiating wouldn't even have been issue on either side. The Spurs lost a chance to tie the game with that missed call. But the Spurs lost the game b/c they didn't secure defensive rebounds. Plain and simple.