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It is truly pathetic the league has come to this that we have to look at the stats we have with certain refs at the helm.
wow
I know I'm in the minority with these opinions, but Joey Crawford is one of the best officials out there.
Not only that, I actually think he shows a slight bias TOWARDS the Spurs now, because of their obvious history. Essentially, he makes sure he calls the game where no one can accuse him of holding a bias against Tim.
NO ref is perfect, and the history between the Spurs and Crawford makes all kinds of red flags appear, but Joey is one of the best out there.
It is truly pathetic the league has come to this that we have to look at the stats we have with certain refs at the helm.
wow
So while the data doesn't look promising at first glance - there isn't necessarily a great deal to back up the idea that Rush = Doom for the Spurs.
Again, though, as you say - good play trumps all. If they are focused and serious, I believe they've got this in the bag. If not, well, they will be a great disappointment - greater even than that atrocity that was Game 5.
That game was close only because the Spurs came to a stand-still and couldn't execute when the Mavs dropped into a zone. Meanwhile, the Mavs played an absolutely exceptional second half and earned that win.
The Spurs were up by almost 20 in the third quarter of that game, but had a very long drought without a field goal at a crucial juncture and the Mavs just poured it on behind a huge effort from Michael Finley.
From a recap of that game:
I don't think officiating had anything to do with that.
When he first came back, I semi-expected to see this scenario unfold.
But I absolutely disagree that he has actually done so.
ahhh gotcha, so this brings my next question:
Is it really so terrible Eddie Rush is officiating when the Spurs don't really seem to let him get into their heads the same way they do Joey Crawford?
There's a reason that Joey Crawford just called his 300th NBA playoff game and a reason why he's been calling the NBA Finals since 1986 (with the exception of 2007). He's among the elite game-callers in the league and in the world. When he chooses to just call the game, he's absolutely exceptional and deserves to be a Hall of Famer because of that.
It seems there are 3 issues concerning refs fairness:
1. Some refs are biased against certain players/teams
2. Fans think the NBA/Stern controls games for the league's interests
3. Gambling interests affect the outcomes of games
It is interesting that most of this board is dicussing the first two problems. But Donaghy was accused of fixing games for gamblers and I think that is actually a big part of the problem.
Agreed, FromWayDowntown. It's too bad that Joey has negatively impacted Spurs history (at least compared with most refs and their influence on any franchise). When there's a big playoff game like tonight, you want a ref like Joey or Steve Javie; someone who won't be intimidated by the cir stances, arena or the players.
To me, Donaghy is an outlier and I think that's why there's almost no discussion of #3 in the context of talking about NBA officiating. I suspect (without having proof) that you could break down the other two categories as being attributable to different cons uencies.
I think that #1 above is a problem discussed most frequently by those in the league -- owners, coaches, players -- and that fans are brought to that discussion primarily by hearing those people bring it up. A classic example from the Spurs past is David Robinson's declaration in 1996 that Steve Javie had something personal against him; the Tim Duncan-Joey Crawford thing is a similar example, as is the Mavericks being convinced that Danny Crawford has something against them. I suspect that if you went to people associated with each NBA team, you'd find a consensus that some particular official has it in for that team.
I don't hear NBA personnel buying into #1 (both because it would cost them dearly to do so publicly and because I think that buying into that would be contrary to the compe ive spirit that fuels players at this level), but I think fans in most NBA cities believe it to be true to some extent or another. Stern's regrettable statement several years ago that a Lakers versus Lakers Final would be ideal -- not too long after events like Jess Kersey awarding Larry Johnson a crucial free throw for an and-1 after a 3 in 1999, the upheaval of Game 6 of the 2002 WCF, and things like that -- only fuel the fire. I think fans are now inclined to see conspiracies where a call is missed, when there are disparities in free throw attempts or foul calls, or if a particular player seems unfairly beset by foul problems.
Frankly, of the issues with officiating, I think #2 is the biggest problem, but I also think it's not a problem that's unique to the NBA or curable as long as we rely on human beings to officiate games. Even if there isn't some bias, people will perceive calls that way.
ill take rush over joey anyday! good news!
hey Arodz you're late to the party bud.
We don't have only bad memories with him
2games with him
Rush is worse than J Crawford...we are doomed... !
only hope is that someone from the mavs pissed him off recently...
Great ing news!
I recall Salvatore worked with Rush in the game at Cleveland. None of that mattered though but it took forever to finish that game.We don't have only bad memories with him
2
In 22 playoff games I have recorded for Rush since '01, our point differential average is -6.5 (PF Avg. 87.6, PA Avg. 94.1). Like it's been stated, he has been part of several blowouts against us for some reason. But surprisingly, our average free throw differential is a +3.1 (FTA Avg. 27.0, Opp FTA Avg. 23.9).
I have negative opinion towards him because our playoff winning pct. is way under .400 with him on the floor. Pop's playoff winning pct. was .619 before the game five loss. Sometimes things are just black and white. And when Rush is the ref, we lose.
You're all nice and polite on this board, but deep down you're a mean SOB aren't you?
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