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

[Redz]

This is going to be really difficult, but close your eyes and think purple and gold.  You're getting sleeeeeeeeeeeeeepy.  When I snap my finger you will be a Laker fan.

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 SNAP

OK.  You are now a Laker fan (you are now the most despicable of all hoops fans, but we'll let go for the sake of our hypothetical hypnosis here). 

Relax now and think back to the end of game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals.  Good, good, yes you are happy your team won. Even though your joy is fleeting since you will lose Game 6 (I know these types of things), you are presently a happy camper. 

Now let's change things around a bit.  Instead of the Lakers leading by 2 and Kobe making a questionable steal...YES, yes, settle down now, it WAS a questionable steal.  So instead of Kobe making the steal from Pierce, Kobe is whistled for a reach in.  CALM DOWN NOW, Calm down...The replay clearly shows...HEY Hypnosis or none, that's just not a nice thing to say.

Listen you Lakers punk, I say it was a foul.

OK, you can come back now, I don't like you much that way.

What have we learned here?

You can turn the tables in a bunch of different ways, but the no call was the right one.  In my view it was a callable foul, but the no call was the right call in that situation.  It was not an obvious call, and it was not a major hatchet job by Kobe.

Honestly, turn the tables and you would have been totally BS if Pierce was whistled for a foul in that situation reaching in on Kobe.  The no call was the right one.  Move on.

[cmoney]

I'm fairly certain he hit the inner half of the ball.  You're all making a bad judgment from an awkward camera angle on a 2D screen.  The ball is a full sphere.  His hand can get between Paul's arm and chest and still hit the ball. 

The ball's trajectory is completely in line with him hitting the inner half of the ball.  If he just hits his arm the ball doesn't squirt like that.  The play looks very clean from the top down view.  OK he got a little bit of chest afterward so what. 

Sorry folks give it up. 

[TruthSerum]

Guys are playing game 5. Guys want to win. Guys cheat fate. Guys don't cheat fate. Guys go to game 6.

[RebusRankin]

It was a foul. He doesn't hit the ball, he hits Pierce in the side. However they should have called Gasol for mugging Paul after Paul got the rebound.

[hpantazo]

It was a foul. He doesn't hit the ball, he hits Pierce in the side. However they should have called Gasol for mugging Paul after Paul got the rebound.

that's right, the real foul came after Pierce pulled down the rebound, he got mugged twice in the backcourt, should have had two free throws, but who knows if he would have made them. Bottom line is he took the high road and so should we

[celticinorlando]

if ANY other player in the league does that..they call a foul..but it is kobe bryant....therefore no call

[hpantazo]

if ANY other player in the league does that..they call a foul..but it is kobe bryant....therefore no call

if Pierce had done that he would have fouled out for sure, even if he would have gotten all ball

[celticinorlando]

i agree 100 percent....the fact brown, garnett, pierce all had 5 fouls and allen fouled out was unreal...you notice when kobe got his 4th that was it....

[cordobes]

Reach. Foul. Simple.