NBA Plans

[hilltopchamps]

I am a Celtic fan for over 40 years. I have watched just about every Celtic game this year. Because of the addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, the NBA has decided from the beginning of this season, that David Stern and the officiating were going to form an alliance against the Celtics. What I saw in game 4 in Atlanta last night, with the commissioner in the stands to orchastrate this fiasco, was that alliance in full effect against the Celtics. All season long I saw officials turn their backs on fouls that were on the Celtics, and call these phantom fouls against the Celtics. You might recall 1 foul that was against Garnett against the Lakers when Garnett had his face cut. There was no call of foul. You might recall the game right after the all-star break, when the C's went to Denver. Denver went to the free throw line 49 times. Now how can u beat a team that goes to the  FT line 49 times. In game 4 in Atlanta the Hawks went to the FT line 36 times. The C's went only 18 times. All year long I've seen the Celtic defense get better and better, but you would never know it from the amount of fouls that have been called by the Celtics.

[jay_jay54]

I am a Celtic fan for over 40 years. I have watched just about every Celtic game this year. Because of the addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, the NBA has decided from the beginning of this season, that David Stern and the officiating were going to form an alliance against the Celtics. What I saw in game 4 in Atlanta last night, with the commissioner in the stands to orchastrate this fiasco, was that alliance in full effect against the Celtics. All season long I saw officials turn their backs on fouls that were on the Celtics, and call these phantom fouls against the Celtics. You might recall 1 foul that was against Garnett against the Lakers when Garnett had his face cut. There was no call of foul. You might recall the game right after the all-star break, when the C's went to Denver. Denver went to the free throw line 49 times. Now how can u beat a team that goes to the  FT line 49 times. In game 4 in Atlanta the Hawks went to the FT line 36 times. The C's went only 18 times. All year long I've seen the Celtic defense get better and better, but you would never know it from the amount of fouls that have been called by the Celtics.

Its nice to meet a fan who has a few more yrs.as a fan than myself.I have been a C's fan for approx.35yrs.,but who's counting.However,i never thought of it that way,but maybe you on to something here.I never like to think the worst of something,and if this is true,what can be done about it?

[crownsy]

Playing into this a bit, i wouldn't be shocked to see the next 2 games swing the other way on officating.

Call me dounghey burned, but to me the commish plays these series for entertainment.

Basketball is dying in atlanta. They have a good young core. What better way to drive up intrest in the team for next year then "helping" them a bit on thier home court. They take care of buisness, and then we swing it back the other way to make sure the C's go through (because in the end, C's vs pistons is the eastern conferance money maker)

now, im not saying we can just show up and win game 5, but if the calls went bad against the hawks? (3 quick ones on joe, 2 on smith) i wouldn't exactly be shocked, lets put it that way.

do that, have the celts go on in 6, and basketball is all the rage in atlanta and the c's are through to the next round. stern turns what was a boring series into a money maker and revitlizes bball in atlanta.

Note: not trying to imply that i belive the above, but if i was scripting this series for maximum money/ reinvgorating a franchise thats how i would run it.

[kevbo]

Playing into this a bit, i wouldn't be shocked to see the next 2 games swing the other way on officating.

Call me dounghey burned, but to me the commish plays these series for entertainment.

Basketball is dying in atlanta. They have a good young core. What better way to drive up intrest in the team for next year then "helping" them a bit on thier home court. They take care of buisness, and then we swing it back the other way to make sure the C's go through (because in the end, C's vs pistons is the eastern conferance money maker)

now, im not saying we can just show up and win game 5, but if the calls went bad against the hawks? (3 quick ones on joe, 2 on smith) i wouldn't exactly be shocked, lets put it that way.

do that, have the celts go on in 6, and basketball is all the rage in atlanta and the c's are through to the next round. stern turns what was a boring series into a money maker and revitlizes bball in atlanta.

Note: not trying to imply that i belive the above, but if i was scripting this series for maximum money/ reinvgorating a franchise thats how i would run it.

I couldn't actually agree with this summation more. Well put. You might enjoy my eerily similar blog post here, http://nobasketballallowed.blogspot.com. I'm not really trying to self-promote too much cause I'm still working out the kinks in what I want my blog to be, but I thought you might enjoy it. I'm probably going to try to debunk myself in effort to be fair later today (as work permits). Nor am I trying to fuel the way off base "The NBA hates the Celtics" theories because I do not think that's what's at play here. Like you, I think this all stems from maximizing revenues and revitalizing moribound franchises in huge markets. Philadelphia, Atlanta need to be competitive, for media-coverage and revenue. And frankly, it's all a little cozy, ownershipwise right? But I don't think it's some grandiose, hard-to-implement strategy. I think it's as simple as the League office assigning less experienced crews to key games in series they would like to see go longer, then in their briefs to the crews emphasizing things to "look for" that subtly handicap one team vs. the other, and maybe most blatent, perhaps they get urged to keep the game close. Voila, The NBA gets a 2-2 series with a guaranteed 6th game. Not that hard, not that nefarious, and everyone gets money in the bank.

The only cost is that we the viewer get cheated out of watching good team basketball. Instead we get a lot of questionable calls, blatent no-calls, hard fouls, and 12 consecutive Joe Johnson Isolations to the left side of the floor. The NBA, where bad fundamental basketball happens.

[Redz]

Note: not trying to imply that i belive the above, but if i was scripting this series for maximum money/ reinvgorating a franchise thats how i would run it.

Does this mean the reinvigoration of the Boston Celtics was exclusively for the regular season?  I, for one, am not done being reinvigorated yet.  I want more vigor.  OK, Atlanta's reinvigoration time is done, can we please get back to the greatest franchise in the history of the sport being reinvigorated!  I much prefer it that way.

[gustusias]

Here is a fan of 53 yrs. typing. The refs this series blow. Truly blow. Mother of God, they have literally changed the entire series around with {lousy} non calls and calls. Pierce never got his head into that game cause the refs blew him out of it. And that last call when Bibby hipchecked him literally ended all hope for us. How many fouls did Smith make blocking his 7 shots, or how badly was Rondo and KG whacked around, now this suspension thing. I smell a rat. I saw the replay. It will happen. I just know it will cause I remember some {bad stuff} last year and the star player was suspended unfairly.

Please refrain from profanity.  Thanks, Redz

[SamuelAdams]

I am not sure who started the 'flopping' but it needs to be stopped. Cripes, it is as bad as hockey.  There needs to be a personal foul called on 'flopping.'

[Steve Weinman]

I am a Celtic fan for over 40 years. I have watched just about every Celtic game this year. Because of the addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, the NBA has decided from the beginning of this season, that David Stern and the officiating were going to form an alliance against the Celtics. What I saw in game 4 in Atlanta last night, with the commissioner in the stands to orchastrate this fiasco, was that alliance in full effect against the Celtics. All season long I saw officials turn their backs on fouls that were on the Celtics, and call these phantom fouls against the Celtics. You might recall 1 foul that was against Garnett against the Lakers when Garnett had his face cut. There was no call of foul. You might recall the game right after the all-star break, when the C's went to Denver. Denver went to the free throw line 49 times. Now how can u beat a team that goes to the  FT line 49 times. In game 4 in Atlanta the Hawks went to the FT line 36 times. The C's went only 18 times. All year long I've seen the Celtic defense get better and better, but you would never know it from the amount of fouls that have been called by the Celtics.

While I'm not levying a judgment on the referees one way or the other from last night's game, I hasten to caution against simply using free throw attempt differential numbers to draw too many strong conclusions about the officiating.   Free throw attempts aren't necessarily supposed to be equal, as that often comes down to style of play.  To the Hawks credit, they played aggressive basketball with urgency last night and really worked to attack the rim and put the Celtics on their heels, which they did very successfully.  On the Celts' side, this team did what it has largely done all season -- which was to rely on being a jump-shooting team.  Teams that attack the cup are going to get to the line more than teams that settle for jump shots -- it's a logical and natural part of the game.  It's my belief that while the occasional absurd differential may help as circumstantial proof, it takes a lot more than those numbers to make any definitive case against the referees.

-sw

[vinnie]

Okay, which one of the posters in this thread is Johnny Most back from the dead? --