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I didn't think that the charging call at the end was a bad call. Maybe I should watch it again.
http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocket...g-frustration/
http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocket...four-quarters/Spurs 99, Rockets 91: Big lead and chance at big win turns into big frustration
Posted on February 1, 2012 at 10:04 pm by Jonathan Feigen in General
SAN ANTONIO — The Rockets began the night shutting down the San Antonio Spurs. They ended it unable to stop the Spurs, leaving the court as frustrated as they had been two nights earlier, though for very different reasons.
The Spurs rallied from a 19-point deficit, surging past the Rockets in the final three minutes to win 99-91 at AT&T Center on Wednesday night and move to a league-best 11-1 at home.
The Rockets, however, left the floor furious about a late charging call on Courtney Lee, and frustrated that their improvements since Monday’s 120-108 loss to Minnesota did not last long enough to earn a victory.
“They turned it up a little bit,” Rockets guard Kyle Lowry said. “We missed some shots. They tightened up, made some shots and went to their big horse. Tim (Duncan) made some big shots.
“That’s the time you have to really lock up and really concentrate on what you’re doing offensively and defensively. They made a big 3 or a couple free throws and we missed an open 3, an open 2. It happens.”
After a series of meetings, discussions and video sessions to correct the defensive debacle against the Timberwolves, the Rockets began Wednesday’s game showing all the corrections they had said were needed. They were rotating as they never had against Minnesota, took care of the boards and for most of the first half avoided fouling.
They just could not make it last.
Turnovers blamed
The Spurs scored 60 second-half points, making 56.8 percent of their shots. But Rockets coach Kevin McHale blamed the Rockets turnovers for kick-starting the San Antonio offense.
“We gave up too many turnovers,” McHale said. “We turned it over when they turned it up a little bit. We should have responded with more ball movement, more hard drives. They made some shots and made some things happen.”
Kevin Martin had carried the Rockets’ offense through much of the night, scoring 21 points in the first half. On his 29th birthday, he scored 29 points and had a season-high nine rebounds.
But Duncan dominated the third quarter, hitting on seven of nine shots to score 16 of his 25 points as the Spurs cut the Rockets’ 18-point second-half lead to four. When he and Tony Parker finally got help, the rest of the Rockets’ lead was gone.
The Rockets did initially respond. Martin tied the game with a three-point play. Patrick Patterson scored twice on the baseline. Lee hit a jumper to tie the game again with 2:24 left. Gary Neal put the Spurs in front before Martin missed a 3, but the Rockets got a vital stop.
Parker missed and Lee took off on a break. Believing he was headed to the line to tie the game, he was called for a charge when he collided with Neal with 1:21 left.
Difference of opinion
“He was running with me and he just stopped and turned around,” Lee said. “That’s automatically a block. I guess the ref saw something different.”
With the Rockets still livid, the Spurs’ Matt Bonner nailed a 3-pointer for a five-point lead with 64 seconds remaining. The Rockets never recovered.
Blame the refs? Not until Rockets learn to play defense for four quarters
Posted on February 2, 2012 at 12:07 am by Jonathan Feigen in General
Since the Rockets cannot – no matter what they do or how hard they try or how much wish they could – change the charging call against Courtney Lee or several others they still can’t believe, there is a little matter of those 60 second-half Spurs points.
They can’t do anything about that, either, but they do play the Suns, who put up 120 on Wednesday, on Friday. They face the Timberwolves, who whipped them on Monday, the next night. They go to Denver and Portland where the home teams are rolling. If they can’t find a way to stop somebody, games won’t be coming down to a call or two very often.
The defense made huge strides, at least for awhile, on Wednesday. The improvements were not enough, but the Rockets did show they can mix in some defense. Whether they are able to make it last game after game, first quarter to fourth, will determine what becomes of them in the next seven games.
They were jobbed a few times. The charging call that became the back-breaker was not the worst. The worst was probably the right cross that left a hand print across Goran Dragic’s face. There were others. The Spurs might argue that screaming “time out!” over and over again in an official’s face should normally lead to a time out. For that matter, if the Spurs scream for a time out for, let’s say 8.2 seconds, that should probably be an eight-second violation if they don’t get the time out for some reason.
The Rockets, however, went from shutting down the Spurs to powerless to stop them. Kevin McHale blamed the Rockets’ turnovers and they did have 21, including 12 in the second half that led to 13 points. But only six of those points came on breaks and the Spurs scored 47 second-half points that were not off turnovers. They made 56.8 percent of their shots in the second half, hit half of their 10 3-pointers.
The Rockets did not defend well enough or – more precisely – for long enough to beat a good team on the road. The Spurs might not [be] all they once were, especially with Manu Ginobili out, but they still fill the place, still have the sort of home-court advantage the Rockets do not. Teams in that atmosphere eventually hit shots and make runs. It takes a strong defense to win consistently on the road. The Rockets defended effectively for a half.
When they left, for all their frustration with the officials, a half of defense left added up to half empty.
I didn't think that the charging call at the end was a bad call. Maybe I should watch it again.
Me either. It looked like a good call to me.
Didnt look like a bad call. Also thought Lee had taken an extra step or dragged his pivot foot before charge call.
I think you can make an argument either way... from one angle it looked like a charge and from another angle it looked like a block. I think Gary neal did enough to earn the charge. Either way... we just all have to NEAL with it!
It goes either way with the home team. Whoever is the home team will always get this call.
One of the things Pop has always done well is not let his team blame the officials. You know certain calls go against you on the road. Houston cried while Bonner sunk the three. In the end they just lost their poise.
Yeah, ummm... WHAT??? You're not allowed to stop and turn around now? When did that happen? Does this guy actually know anything about the rules?“He was running with me and he just stopped and turned around,” Lee said. “That’s automatically a block. I guess the ref saw something different.”
The criterion is, did the defender give the man with the ball enough room to take a step. Not whether the defender is "running with the man and stops and turns around". Clearly, Neal gave him room, he took one full step and was going into the second when he plowed into Neal.
My other comment is: show me a team that is "frustrated with the officials", and I'll show you a losing team.
Someone should teach the Rockets the rules of the game. It's not automatically a block if you're out of control and the guy takes the contact in the middle of his chest.
Lee looked like he had no control there, and that's probably why he picked up the charge. Not to mention it was in the Spurs' building.
Next time, maybe he should pull the ball out and run offense instead of being a ty decision maker who tries to go 1 on 3 on a fast break.
The best home team in the league @ 11-1 has a "sort of" home court advantage? WTF is that supposed to mean?
@ both Houston and Dallas whining about the refs, but at least McHale didn't kick a ball into the stands....
tbh I wish there was a GIF of Coach Pop stomping up and down though
Looked like a charge to me. I generally don't like charge calls on a fast break but that was a pretty easy call to me.
Even if it wasn't a charge, it was 100% a travel. Contact occurred on Lee's third step.
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