Anyone watching the Blazers Lakers game?

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

Cue the laker fans saying Ariza's flagrant should be treated like Baby's. 

The only reason it probably wont be is because Fernandez got seriously hurt, other than that it wasnt dirty, and should be treated like babys foul...ariza was  clearly going for the ball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTQ5x392QpQ


I hate the lakers, but not so much a homer I call there foul dirty and ours not

Now, the annoying part is how someone will spin this into a positive for the lakers, yet if the celtics do anything like this 8 articles come out on how we're dirty and get away with everything

[CelticsWhat35]

I agree with you that the media will probably spin this in the Lakers favor and say that they're a tougher team now, but I disagree that the only difference between that and Baby's foul was that Rudy got hurt.  The circumstances were totally different.  For one, Baby jumped straight in the air and came down, and Varejeo didn't have any kind of running start, so there wasn't much chance for injury.  In Ariza's case, you could tell there was really no regard for safety on that play and no real attempt at the ball.  I'm not saying he purposefully tried to hurt the guy, but that was a vicious swipe at a guy when your team is down 28 late in the 3rd.  It was a frustration play, and you could see it on his face.

I compare it more to the foul by Al Horford on TJ Ford from last year, where Horford got a one-game suspension.  But last night's was worse.  Ford actually changed direction at the last second, which lead to the hard foul.  Rudy didn't.  If Horford got one game, Ariza deserves at least that.

[twistedrico]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

[Bankshot]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

But will they?

[wil]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

[Bankshot]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

You mean like when some Suns' players didn't leave the "bench area" but were still suspended a couple of years ago?

[CelticsWhat35]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

From the replay I saw, it didn't look like Odom left the bench, and if I'm not mistaken, Gasol was in the game at the time, so it wouldn't matter that he was in the scrum.

[crownsy]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

But will they?

not a chance. i'll be more intersted to see if they even make up an excuse or if it's the standered "nope were doing it diffrent, and we don't want to tell you why" no comment from the NBA front office.

[crownsy]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

From the replay I saw, it didn't look like Odom left the bench, and if I'm not mistaken, Gasol was in the game at the time, so it wouldn't matter that he was in the scrum.

Odom took two steps. One was enough to get amare suspended.

[CelticsWhat35]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

From the replay I saw, it didn't look like Odom left the bench, and if I'm not mistaken, Gasol was in the game at the time, so it wouldn't matter that he was in the scrum.

Odom took two steps. One was enough to get amare suspended.

You may be right.  The replay I saw didn't show the bench until about 5-10 seconds after the incident occured, so he could've stepped back afterwards.

[BigDanz2000]

That was not a hard or dirty foul.  Ariza was obviously not going to let Fernandez score but he did get a piece of the ball and Fernandez's arm.  What made this foul look so bad was how he fell on his hip.  All Ariza did was swipe at his arms/ball and Fernandez fell hard. 

Not hardly worth a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection.  Just a hard foul.

[Amonkey]

I agree with you that the media will probably spin this in the Lakers favor and say that they're a tougher team now, but I disagree that the only difference between that and Baby's foul was that Rudy got hurt.  The circumstances were totally different.  For one, Baby jumped straight in the air and came down, and Varejeo didn't have any kind of running start, so there wasn't much chance for injury.  In Ariza's case, you could tell there was really no regard for safety on that play and no real attempt at the ball.  I'm not saying he purposefully tried to hurt the guy, but that was a vicious swipe at a guy when your team is down 28 late in the 3rd.  It was a frustration play, and you could see it on his face.

I compare it more to the foul by Al Horford on TJ Ford from last year, where Horford got a one-game suspension.  But last night's was worse.  Ford actually changed direction at the last second, which lead to the hard foul.  Rudy didn't.  If Horford got one game, Ariza deserves at least that.

On Sportscenter, Tom Legler went on about how that was a hard foul, but not a dirty play.  He went on to talk about the difference of a hard foul and a dirty play and so on.

[yall hate]

It wasn't dirty.  It was unnecessarily hard, but it wasn't dirty.  Had Fernandez gotten right up, no one would have said anything.

[wil]

I just saw the replay, they have to suspend the Laker players that left the bench.

Yea, Lamar and Pau clearly left the bench.  It will be interesting to see if the League sucks it up and suspends those two like they should.  I'm not counting on it though.  I'm sure they will say something along the lines of, they didn't leave the "bench area" since it wasn't technically on the court. 

From the replay I saw, it didn't look like Odom left the bench, and if I'm not mistaken, Gasol was in the game at the time, so it wouldn't matter that he was in the scrum.

Yea, I checked it out, and you are right.  It does look like Gasol was in the game at the time, so that's fine.  L.O HAS to be suspended though.  On the other hand, it will be fun to hear the excuse the league makes up to keep Lamar from missing a game.

[CelticsWhat35]

Flagrant Fouls: These fouls are considered unnecessary and/or excessive. There are two types of flagrant fouls, 1 and 2. A flagrant 1 is unnecessary contact. This is usually when a defensive player swings and makes hard contact with the offensive player or makes hard contact and then follows through. A flagrant foul 2 is unnecessary and excessive contact. This usually has a swinging motion, hard contact, and a follow through. Both fouls carry a penalty of two free throws and the team that was fouled retains possession. A flagrant foul 2 also results in an ejection of the player committing the foul. A player also is ejected if he commits two flagrant foul penalty 1’s.

I can see where it was though of as a hard foul, but not a dirty foul.  For instance, Lamar Odom's foul on Ray Allen last year was dirty (not to mention pathetic).  And I can see where the Ariza foul wouldn't be considered dirty since he made a play for the ball.  But I think other factors have to be considered.  For one, the game was in hand.  I'm not saying players should ever stop trying, but there are some plays when you need to use common sense.  Also, when you're swiping for the ball with as much ferocity as he did, I would consider the resulting contact "unnecessary and excessive", which results in a flagrant 2 call.