We could care less what other teams fans' of us think. We already know they loathe Boston.
I'm not suggesting you should care what other fans think, in terms of worrying about your appearance to others. I'm simply pointing out that the majority of the NBA's fanbase - those not fans of either LA or Boston - would likely laugh at the thought of EITHER of those teams being on the wrong end of some sort of adverse institutional pressure. I'm clearly biased. I'm a fan of the Lakers. But observers who don't have a rivalry with the Celtics would be unlikely to agree with the assertion by hilltopchamps (who began this post), that "alot of times it is 7-5 on the court [against the Celtics]."
Please point out where in my post I said anything about a conspiracy, about stern, etc. and then come and talk to me. Your post is in no way related to what I mentioned in my post. I suggest you try again. Fact of the matter is that the refs were a piece of crap the other day, there's no way around it and no way you can argue against it. Calling a foul on Garnett, for one, a star of this league without him touching the player is just complete garbage. You know it, and we know it. If you want to close your eyes and remain ignorant, well be my guest.
I thought the foul was a weak one, and one that shouldn't have been called, though it was a foul (in the most technical terms). No less than Fish's contact at the end of the game, certainly. Neither deserved to be called, given the status of the game at each point. One was, one wasn't. That was a bad break for your team.
However, to quote:
And worthy to note, that the Celtics battled bad officiating (mostly against them) throughout the entire playoffs until they got to the Finals. Oh, and that steal of Kobe on Pierce to seal a win in LA during the Finals was a foul... I don't hear Laker fans complaining much about that.
But when you are lacking in size at the moment, and the refs foul out your best big man with phantom fouls, among other things, it's really quite ludicrous. Then you get about 3 fouls called against Perk for a bit of a bump here and there, and you get Fisher grabbing someone's arm in a critical moment in the game and nothing is called? Please.
My response? "I think Lakers fans are generally more surprised about the complaining concerning officiating given Boston's usual brand of basketball. The Celtics play a very physical, imposing style of D - we can all agree on this, yes? When you then hear Doc Rivers noting post-game that he felt like the officials let the game get 'too chippy,' it suggests a disconnect with what one might expect."
You're telling me that you're not complaining about the officiating? The rest of my post grew from that initial section, which was, indeed, directed at your assertions of terrible officiating being the sole cause for a loss.
And, uhh, it's being a disingenuous of you to claim that everything I write is directed ONLY to you in my post, solely because I reference you once at the top (without quoting, I might add). I mean, you ask why I bring up conspiracy theories, even as Change posited earlier that it's "obvious by [how] the refs call games the NBA is rigged." As for Stern? The title of this thread is still "David Stern is a Laker Fan," isn't it?
It is a league wide problem. I just can't see how any neutral fan or even a completely biased LA fan would not see how Boston got shafted at home on several occassions the other night.
We're still trying to get over Game 2 of the Finals, when you shot 28 more free throws and won by 6.
In all seriousness, attempting to judge officiating is extremely difficult even when unbiased. Once fandom is thrown in, it becomes almost impossible. The ESPNews anchor reporting on the game immediately afterwords used the phrase "wasn't even touched" concerning Fisher's contact (even I wouldn't go that far). Unless some random 3rd-shifter in Bristol is now plugging for the Lakers (possible, I suppose), can we entertain the possibility that the officiating wasn't -quite- as biased as your preferences would lead you to believe?
That's not even to say the calls were fair, or weighted in Boston's favor. I say it simply to point out that attempting to 'referee' a game in which one has a rooting interest is effectively impossible. That's why I've used conditionals when discussing the officiating - I don't believe I could fairly call a Lakers game. Do you honestly believe you could do so for the Celtics?
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On another note, let me say that had the foul against Fisher been called, leading to a Boston victory, I'm quite sure I would have been just as upset as you are over the non-call. I don't want to suggest that your interpretations are automatically wrong. But I would suggest that positivism with regards to the officiating in a game for your team is... well, it's a tough call.
Cheers,
---UB
(Who hates having to be at work on Saturdays)
