i didn't think officiating was a huge factor. were there calls here and there? sure. but thats every game. we flopped a lot, so refs started doubting the validity of actual fouls too
This is what happened, even assuming they were all good and fair calls, this still happened.
The block on Danny Green should have been a charge. When LeBron blocked Duncan he smacked him on the hand on the follow through. Birdman hit Duncan on the elbow on the turnaround jumper
Whoever guarded Parker played extra physical...that's playoff basketball. Parker should've stopped trying to sell the physicality as a foul and tough it out.
I dont think refs were a big factor. They allowed Miami to play very aggresive, but teams like Spurs must adapt to it. And I think Spurs played well, up until this huge run, but it wasnt because of calls.
they even called the KING for an offensive foul good game by the ref it was san antonio's fault they lost not the refs moving on to game 3
I saw at least one out of bounds play that the refs missed badly. Refs are NOT why Miami won, though. The refs didn't go on a 33-5 run, the Heat did.
Spurs need to FOCUS and play like they did in Game 1, but with better 3-point shooting.
My favorite part was when they were calling non existent, on the floor fouls on Heat role players early in the fourth to even out the foul totals. I'm just thankful that Stern wasted Ed Malloy and Joey Crawford in the same game.
Miami kicked a few balls that werent called that resulted in to's and the 3 second call. Other than that meh...
This was one of my points before the series. Miami is gonna get bumpy, slappy, reachy with their defense and the spurs have to find a way to play through it.
LOL "Key momentum swing"
On the contrary, the officiating taints their win, IMHO. Although it wasn't the worst officiated game I've seen, it was bad. The fact that Miami played so well and San Antonio played so poorly covers it up. I am glad that kicked balls were mentioned, earlier. That is something I noted right off, and throughout the game. The Spurs kicked the ball, twice (maybe unintentional), that I noticed, and were called for it on BOTH occasions. Starting early in the game, The Heat had 3-4 possible (a couple were unintentional, maybe) kicked balls (4-5 on the whole), NONE called, resulting in "turnovers" and quick easy points for The Heat. (And, adding to the discussion of "How badly the Spurs are playing".) There were lots of little things that went both ways, but this was glaring. I don't make much of the missed call out of bounds on Haslem, that is in the heat of the moment...MAYBE not intentional. However, the swallowing the whistle on Heat kicked balls is systematic. The defensive 3-seconds is suspect, too. Blocking/charging/screen calls can often go either way - I didn't notice much on first watching. One maybe for us, one against. But, The Heat were going to be allowed to play a different game than we were, clearly.
The touch fouls called on Spur defenders vs. the aggressive hacking and swiping (and kicking) that leads to quick fast break turnover points with a swallowed whistle for the Heat defender, that's also systematic, and reminiscent of the switch that was flippped in the officiating during the OKC series last year (worse). Simply two sets of rules for defenders. Pushes on Spurs players, hacks on "blocks", drives, etc. All "no calls" on one end. Lebron has a body foul and follow-through slap in the side of the head on Tim or Tiago on one "block" - It's a highlight! Of course, you breath on Chalmers going to the basket on the other end, AND ONE! 5/5 from the line. Miraculously, foul shots end up equal at the end of the game. I think Corey Joseph got 4 timely free throws after the game had been decided to bring it nice and tight. 14=14.
Anyone see Bosh simply double hand push one of our guards in the chest on offense to get free? He was inside five yards, so I think it was legal, but hilarious no call.
You expect some home cooking, but it was too much. It's often impossible to overcome, but easy to disguise in the stat sheet with good timing with the fouls (Danny Green hot? Foul on Green.), making players sit early, and making up with a few meaningless calls at the end of the game, or once a run has occurred. In the end, you can always just blame someone that points it out as being a homer.
The fact that Miami capitalized so efficiently on those "turnovers" is no surprise. But, had many of them NOT been turnovers (been called a kicked ball, for example), The Spurs enter halftime with a lead. With Danny's great play, we were killing them in the first quarter, and that couldn't be allowed.
When an offense is clicking like Miami's was, we lose two-three potential points on a swallowed whistle turnover, and they gain a three at the other end...
It only takes a few of those...five-six point turn-arounds.
The refs take a team that is shooting 40%, give them 8 no-calls, but the team shoots 80%, and the refs shrug their shoulders and say "oops".
"How were we supposed to know they were going to shoot 80%?"
"How were we supposed to know Ibaka is going to go 12/12?"
The Spurs did respond poorly to the bad officiating. They continued to try to force things, and it led to a lot of the ugly play. They should have handled it better, but they probably still would have lost. Save Green and Kawhi, as mentioned, no one played very well - but a lot of that "bad play" is manufactured. Tim taking ty fade-aways, because he'll be pushed or hacked in the lane. Tim took what he was "allowed" to take, to our demise.
Combine that with The Heat going unconscious from three, and they look like world-beaters.
Call an even game, Spurs have a half-time lead, and they absorb a hot shooting team (with significanly many opportunities) for a win or lose a much closer game. A game against a juggernaut like Miami is a tenuous thing, and a ref can twist the knob on the high strung situation very easily to pop the string.
"I dont think refs were a big factor. They allowed Miami to play very aggresive, but teams like Spurs must adapt to it. And I think Spurs played well, up until this huge run, but it wasnt because of calls"
They don't have to be a BIG factor. It wasn't ONLY because of the calls. But, there are too many people willing to give a pass, and Heat "greatness" and Spurs "crappiness" are ampliphied by the calls.
You are right...if you are in a fight with a bigger opponent, you must adjust. Now, let's tie your hands behind your back, then go ahead and make those adjustments. Some fights just aren't fair. When you have two equally matched opponents, giving one of them an advantage causes a GIGANTIC shift. A shift that is insurmountable, as they were evenly matched.
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