I hate the excuse of - well if we played better if never would have gotten to that point. QUIET - stop making this argument. We played bad sure- but we should have won the game (literally)
This wasn't a close 50/50 call one way or the other.
It was pretty obvious BARBOSA hit Ray Allen on the elbow.
Everyone saw it on the live play - then the replay proved it further.
If the referee can't get an obvious call like that correct when it ultimately determined the outcome of the game. Then they should not be an NBA REFEREE. End of story.
Regardless of how bad we played - it doesn't matter. In the end we lost the game because of the wrong call.
If this were the NFL & they called an incomplete pass a touchdown people would be irrate at the officials - REGARDLESS of whether or not the losing team played bad good or anything in between.
In the end - if the officials screw up on that level. Its absolute garbage. THEY TURNED A W into an L.
Thats the bottom line in the end.
It obviously isn't an obvious call in real time because calls like that are missed all the time at all levels. The human brain only focuses on a narrow area of our field of vision. This is why as a player, it is often worth it to risk the foul call since the ref might not get a clear look at the play. Especially on a quick swipe like that.
Of course, these things are obvious to a fan who knows in their heart what must have happened, even before getting a good look.
The incomplete pass/touchdown example is no good because that is a play that can be reviewed due to the regular stoppage of play in football. More importantly, it is also a bad example because there aren't many touchdowns actually scored in a football game. People are dribbling the ball for half of the 48 minutes in a game.
I love Mike Gorman, but one of the dumbest Mike Gorman moments I've seen was when he was complaining about the delay due to the review of a play. You either define a call reviewable or you don't. You can't contextualize your opinion of the review based on a replay you already saw but the refs haven't. But the incident points out why basketball can only limited play reviews. There is just too much going on and the game isn't punctuated with 40 second huddles like football is. But not using replay at certain moments means accepting the limitations of human perception.
(The other nonsensical thing Gorman repeatedly complains about is concerning stopping play on 24 second violations. Hello? They have to call it unless it is clear that the defending team got possession. What if they don't secure the rebound, but instead lose the ball out of bounds? The team that should have had the 24 second violation would get the ball with a fresh clock. Or what happens if it looks like the defense might get the board, but then the offense gets it after the 24 second call was ignored?
The refs have to decide when the buzzer goes off whether or not the defense got possession of the ball such that the shot clock can be reset. If the clock is reset, the team that was defending they will face the repercussions of never actually gaining possession, which would be ridiculous. Someone needs to explain this to him. Still, Gorman is one of the best.)