I'm more concerned with who will ref game 6. We'll be short handed in that one thanks to an unnecessary extra game for Horry.
To figure out the possibilities for Game 6, you can scratch off the officials who work tonight's game. You can also strike out the officials who work the Detroit/Chicago game on Thursday night. I think you can also consider the younger officials on my list (specifically, Brothers, Wood, McCutchen, Foster, Corbin, and Smith) to be out of consideration.
bavetta and salvatore every night.
Ken Mauer worked the Utah game last night. If anything he will be working Game 6.
Joey Crawford will be reinstated for tonights game!!!!
Right, I lumped he and Salvatore together because Salvatore worked a game last night, too.
I think it's more likely that the league will have Mauer and/or Salvatore work back-to-back nights, though, than it is that the league will put Grillo, Foster, McCutchen, or Wood on tonight's game.
If it's unbiased and just happens, then Tim WON'T be in foul trouble early tonight. If it is, as I suspect, less than completely unbiased, Tim will certainly be in foul trouble early - With Horry out, removing Tim from the action is a great equalizer; I believe the refs tonight will do that.
Also, look for a quick "T" on Tim - then he can be removed at any time.
Didn't we all know, after all, which way game 4 would be slanted? Wasn't it? How did we know that would happen before the game, if we weren't all conditioned by the league to expect it?
Do I think games are rigged sometimes? Yes. I don't, however, believe entire series are rigged; that's why I still watch.
Officiating in Game 5
I think there will be 3 of em........
My SWAG:
Bavetta
Fryer
Washington
If this isn't a Bavetta game, I'd be shocked.
-15 ft disparity on your home court. nothing to see here, move along.
Rigged is too strong of a word. I think tilted or slanted is the more appropriate term. The games still decide themselves, but the officials give one team a decided advantage if they need to prolong the series. Quarter 4 of Game 4 was an absolute travesty -- go back and watch Nash set MOVING screens with his FOREARMS. The drive that Bell got free for an easy layup, Nash practically tackled the defender out of the play. The officials blew a LOT of whistles that were less drastic -- or obvious on the Spurs the entire 4th quarter, up until which the officiating had been pretty even with bad calls on both sides.
The 4th quarter was awful, but the Spurs should have won.
I would be STUNNED if the Suns end up with less than 15+ free throws tonight. I would put money on it in Vegas, even. And if they don't shoot 15+ free throws, it will be because Duncan (or worse, Duncan and Bowen) are saddled with drastic early foul trouble.
whoever the refs are, they will have been called to make sure the game doesn't get out of hand.
Whether there will also be a unconscious or conscious bias against the Spurs to 'even things up' is yet to be proved. I think it will occur.
I could see that. That would be one of the all-time, "we need this game called a particular way" crews. Though I might regret hoping for it, I'd like to see Mike Callahan work this game. I don't think he will, though.
I figure that the league almost has to put Finals-level crews (or damned close to it) on the remaining games in this series, just because of the notariety this series is getting. I think you take some of the lesser lights out of the picture (guys like Grillo, Corbin, Brothers, Smith) and stick to the high end, more experienced officials.
With all of that said, I also wouldn't be terribly surprised if the league violated some of its own scheduling rules with officials and recycled guys like Delaney and Crawford to call another game in this series.
I'd be all for Dan Crawford in game 6....
I think there will be 3 of em........
Salvatore, and Bowen/Duncan combine to play 29 minutes
it. Let's not have any refs this game and let the players beat the out of each other. Spurs win.
Man, You're so right. Danny is our true sixth man of the year
don't know what everyones complaining about. SA still has to play @ Phoenix against a VERY hostile crowd tonight and I gurantee the league will even this out by putting several of our players in foul trouble. Look for TD and possibly one other of our star players to be in foul trouble to even the playing field. I love the NBA but ultimately its about money and ratings. Go Spurs.
Things start to get a little clearer as we get deeper into this series.
Game 6 possiblities are (again, in relative descending order of likelihood):
Bavetta
Mike Callahan
Bennett Salvatore
Ken Mauer
Tom Washington
Joe Forte
Tony Brothers
Sean Corbin
Luis Grillo
Frankly, I think all of the remaining officials in this series come from the top group. Bavetta or Salvatore works Game 6 and the other works Game 7, if it is necessary.
Bavetta will be there for Game 6. He doesn't slant towards one team. He shifts based on how the game is going. That's how he maintains a balanced stat sheet.
If it goes to 7, I would not be surprised to see Salvatore make an appearance.
That's my inexpert take, anyway.
That seems highly likely now, given that Salvatore is in Chicago tonight and Bavetta has already worked a game in the Cleveland/New Jersey series.
I'm not entirely sure that I agree with that assessment -- I think Bavetta frequently brings his agenda into games. There's a reason that he's called the Human Series Stretcher in some corners.
I still maintain that officiating doesn't decide the outcomes of games and that champions overcome that sort of stuff. But I wouldn't think that the officiating on Friday night is terribly likely to favor the Spurs.
I think you're right about that, too. It would seem inevitable at this point. I suppose the other possibility is that both Bavetta and Salvatore might be in reserve for a possible Game 7, since they are now 2 of the most senior officials in the league. I'd be surprised if that happened, though.
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