Kobe's end-of-game play: steal or foul?

[BrickJames]

It was an obvious foul, but also not the kind of foul that's going to be called in a Finals game.

This is what I'm talking about!  Why not?  Why this mentality?

If you have dug in, fought tooth and nail, clawed back, and even more cliches I can't think of, to come back have a chance to win the game, isn't it the job of the officials to call the game fairly and consistently?  If the foul was so "obvious" why didn't they call it?

I don't care if it's on the home court with the best player in the league.  That play potentially changed the outcome of the game and the officials did not whistle it dead.

Yes, most of us usually agree that we don't want the referees deciding game outcomes with whistles and free throws - but when the lack of a call can swing the momentum of a Finals series, they MUST blow the whistle to maintain the integrity of the game.

[Discoflux]

I respect him for not blaming the officials, unlike a certain team that wears purple.

Show me a game 6 Lakers win with a 38-10 FT margin and I GUARANTEE a certain team wearing Green will be blaming refs.

[NoraG1]

Didn't stop them from calling reach in fouls on the Celtics. That is my problem with it. It should have been a non call those times too.

[NoraG1]

I respect him for not blaming the officials, unlike a certain team that wears purple.

Show me a game 6 Lakers win with a 38-10 FT margin and I GUARANTEE a certain team wearing Green will be blaming refs.

Celtics had reason to blame the officals at times and have yet to do it. That is the difference

[BrickJames]

I respect him for not blaming the officials, unlike a certain team that wears purple.

Show me a game 6 Lakers win with a 38-10 FT margin and I GUARANTEE a certain team wearing Green will be blaming refs.

I gotta back up Disco here - and notice how all the referee bickering came to a swift halt after the latest Donaghy statement...

[vinnie]

The Celtics took 31 free throws.  The Lakers took 31 free throws.  The Celtics had 28 fouls called on the.  The Lakers had 28 fouls called on them.  I guess I do not see the problem here.

[BrickJames]

The Celtics took 31 free throws.  The Lakers took 31 free throws.  The Celtics had 28 fouls called on the.  The Lakers had 28 fouls called on them.  I guess I do not see the problem here.

The problem is a non-call on what was an "obvious foul" by consensus and turned the tides of the game outcome, and by extension potentially the series outcome.

Edit: I guess I'm the only one who flipped out screaming at the TV when this mugging occurred.

[soap07]

It wasn't a foul. Come on.

[Bahku]

It was an obvious foul, but also not the kind of foul that's going to be called in a Finals game.

This is what I'm talking about!  Why not?  Why this mentality?

If you have dug in, fought tooth and nail, clawed back, and even more cliches I can't think of, to come back have a chance to win the game, isn't it the job of the officials to call the game fairly and consistently?  If the foul was so "obvious" why didn't they call it?

I don't care if it's on the home court with the best player in the league.  That play potentially changed the outcome of the game and the officials did not whistle it dead.

Yes, most of us usually agree that we don't want the referees deciding game outcomes with whistles and free throws - but when the lack of a call can swing the momentum of a Finals series, they MUST blow the whistle to maintain the integrity of the game.

This isn't a "mentality" ... it comes from the history of officiating and the fact that in the majority of past games, the refs are less likely to call "ticky-tack" fouls, or "reach-in" fouls, in the playoffs ... especially the Finals or late in games. I think it should have been called, personally, but I'm not a bit surprised that it wasn't.

[nickagneta]

Rather than going on about who the refs were favoring(I happen to believe no one) I think I'll just answer the question posed.

In LA that Kobe move is a tip and steal. In Boston it's a reach in foul on Kobe. In a neutral site, it could go either way.

Personally, I thought it was a cleaner call than some of the non-calls on the under the boards offensive rebounds and in the paint shots. And I mean that both ways, although I do believe LA did get a bit more calls not being called in those circumstances than Boston did. But I also believe Boston's flops were more successful at getting a call than the Lakers and so it all evens out in the end.

[SquishPCfriar]

They showed the replay in slow motion.  For those of you who dont believe its a foul, then you are truly an idiot.  Clearly a foul and kobe got away with it.

[cmoney]

clearly a steal.  Ball doesn't shoot out like that from arm contact.  Might have gotten a little bit of the chest after the ball contact, but whatever dudes.

Pierce himself made a point to call it a great defensive play in his press conference.  He was even asked specifically "was there contact" and he said "naw man just a great defensive play." 

Quit grasping at something that isn't there people. 

[Redz]

The Celtics took 31 free throws.  The Lakers took 31 free throws.  The Celtics had 28 fouls called on the.  The Lakers had 28 fouls called on them.  I guess I do not see the problem here.

The problem is a non-call on what was an "obvious foul" by consensus and turned the tides of the game outcome, and by extension potentially the series outcome.

Edit: I guess I'm the only one who flipped out screaming at the TV when this mugging occurred.

Saying it was a foul I can understand, but it wasn't a mugging.  It was a play Pierce could have avoided if he was paying attention to Kobe.  As great as Pierce is, 99% of his turnovers come on similar plays - usually not on reach ins - but when he is initiating his move towards the basket from the top of the key.

[pslakerfan]

I phrased this topic as a question but let me give you the answer:

It was a clear foul.

I don't care if it's on the home court with the best player in the league.  That play potentially changed the outcome of the game and the officials did not whistle it dead.

Yes, most of us usually agree that we don't want the referees deciding game outcomes with whistles and free throws - but when the lack of a call can swing the momentum of a Finals series, they MUST blow the whistle to maintain the integrity of the game.

I would bet a fortune that you don't have a DVR (TiVo).  I thought it was a clear foul, but from a different angle during post game coverage and slowed down on DVR, it wasn't much of a foul.  He actually poked the ball cleanly although he got a little bit of his abs on the way by.  Definitely not going to be called late in a Finals game though.

[cmoney]

yeah from the initial view, it looks sketchy because you see his hand get behind the ball.

From the top down view, it looks like he just hit the inner half of the ball.

Definitely not a "clear" foul, and one that in real time is about a million times harder to scrutinize than busting out replays from multiple angles.  And Pierce said already that there was no foul.  Twice he didn't protect the ball versus Kobe, and twice he paid for it.  End of story.