4th Quarter, Game 6, 2002 WCF

[trueD]

Both teams were in the penalty at the time of the Bryant elbow.

My general feeling on the game is that it looks horrible on the boxscore to see LA shoot 27 FT, but after watching the game, it was a case of homecourt advantage mixed with LA forcing it inside on almost every possession combined with overall referee incompetence. I definitely don't see anything to warrant a conspiracy. Instead, I see it as the bad calls being able to be attributed to a couple of ridiculous unwritten rules of the NBA guidebook:

1) Superstars get bailed out when there is any contact whatsoever from lower players (Pollard's 6th and Christie's foul on Bryant's wild shot)

2) Refs arbitrarily swallow their whistles sometimes at the end of games, because refs shouldn't decide the outcome of important games (Bryant's elbow to Bibby). Well, the ref does decide the outcome of the game when he's too much of a coward to make the correct call because he's scared of catching heat from the press.

As a Spurs fan, 2) really pisses me off. Here's a couple of examples of how the Spurs have been screwed by it both ways:

1. Refs decide you do call touch fouls at the end of game 4 of the 2006 Dallas series, when Dirk Nowitzki shoots FT to force OT with about 10 seconds despite Bruce Bowen doing nothing that cons utes a foul. Maybe Bavetta was scared of the inevitable Cuban fest to the media if he didn't hand Dallas the game.

2. Refs decide you can't call a foul to determine a game in game 4 of the LA series this season when Fisher jumps and blatantly crashes into Brent Barry as he's about to shoot a three to win the game.

If I was Kings fan, I would complain more about the ridiculous elbow than the 27 FT. The elbow is the single worst call I've ever seen in a game, and it's not even close.

It's tough not looking at the conspiracy theory, the calls were so blatantly bad and for a PO game we've come to expect more, though reasoning for expecting more escapes me. Because, clearly, you admitted that Bavetta may have been scared of Cuban's possible fest if the game hadn't gone to Dallas.

Me and you differ about fouls at the end of games, too. I saw that foul on Barry by Fisher and KNEW it wasn't going to be called. There's something to be said about consistancy. At lease we can count on those fouls not getting a whistle.

My final thought on this...Lots can happen in 11 seconds. 11 seconds shouldn't cons ute an end-of-the-game whistle swallow, imo.

[IronMexican]

Sacramento isn't in the Bay Area, dipwod.

It's all norcal.

And no, not referring to all of them, i suppose, just a lot of s down here during that period.

[Lakers_55]

Bibby grabbed Kobe as he was falling to the ground from catching the elbow end of a Kobe Bryant punch. And how the could Barry travel if he didn't even take a step between catching the inbounds pass and Fisher contacted him? :lmfao

From what I saw, Bibby grabbed Kobe before the elbow. As far as Barry traveling, look here and see for yourself. Kori closed the thread so it had no life:

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97449

So, the logic remains that one non-call deserves another.

[Lakers_55]

Speaking of non-calls on traveling, it can be argued that Duncan moved his pivot foot before he took his 3 pointer against the Suns in game 1 of the first round playoffs this year. Have a look at that. I'm not saying he did, I am just saying that non-calls happen all the time. Since it wasn't called, it was the right choice. We have to live with non-calls, like them or not.

[Lakers_55]

True about the offensive foul, but seriously, a flagrant was warrented. We all know that! I saw a clip of that play and the ref was watching the play square on (I believe it was Donaldson).

Thanks for your reply. I disagree about a flagrant being warranted. If a player uses his shoulder as a pivot and rams an elbow to a defender's ribs, that's clearly flagrant. Flagrant is an intention to do harm. Kobe's arm was outstretched. Both he and Bibby were quite extended, jockeying for position. Donaldson's interpretation was they were both out of line and a non-call was in order.

It's the benefit of instant replay that fuels the fire. Kind of like the Rodney King beating tape. The police defense was what took place before the clubbing is what caused it.

[angelbelow]

LOL @ rappingdivac