LBJ Averaging 2 fouls per game in playoffs

[neyvit]

Also, keep in mind that the majority of fouls occur near the basket.  Lebron is very careful not to foul - you'll notice that if a man beats him off the defender, he usually just let's him go by instead of risking committing a foul.  Some may criticize him for quitting on the play, but I think it's usually the smart move to avoid the possibility of foul trouble.

The only time he usually contends at the rim is during his "chasedown" blocks or with help defense - because in those two ways he can avoid making contact with the offensive player by jumping past him (and not directly at his body).
 

[CoachBo]

News flash: Facts are in the eyes of the beholder.

And this eye sees the officials as a CLEAR non-issue in this series. If the Celtics lose the series, it won't be because of the officiating - it will be because they weren't intelligent enough to stick with the gameplan in Game 1 and because they absolutely mailed in a turd in Game 3.

[FallGuy]

Yeah, it's "whining" to state facts. If that  makes you feel smarter then  keep ignoring this blatant bs.

We'll agree to disagree that you have a full grasp of the "facts."

I'm not claiming I know everything but the constant commentary about how the refs protect Lebron, about how Stern wants this or that, about how Shaq shuffled his feet, about how KG gets hit, etc, etc, ad freaking nauseam is so RARELY contexted with even a bare minimum of commentary about what calls may have gone in the Celtics favor that, yes, I consider it whining.

YMMV.

[Chris]

Yeah, it's "whining" to state facts. If that  makes you feel smarter then  keep ignoring this blatant bs.

We'll agree to disagree that you have a full grasp of the "facts."

I'm not claiming I know everything but the constant commentary about how the refs protect Lebron, about how Stern wants this or that, about how Shaq shuffled his feet, about how KG gets hit, etc, etc, ad freaking nauseam is so RARELY contexted with even a bare minimum of commentary about what calls may have gone in the Celtics favor that, yes, I consider it whining.

YMMV.

Well, I will throw out that during the C's run at the beginning of the 4th today, there were a lot of no-calls where the C's were making a lot of contact. 

While the reffing has not been perfect, and Lebron certainly gets "superstar" calls, I do not think the refs have been anywhere near as big a story this series as it has been made out by some people. 

Other than game 3, I actually think it has been pretty even (terrible, but even)...and game 3, I think the C's got a couple bad calls early, and simply folded, while the Cavs took advantage of it.  We will never know if things would have evened out in that game, since the C's never challenged it, and instead of adjusting to how the game was being called, they just gave up. 

[angryguy77]

Nobody is saying that kg ect don't get favorable calls, we all know they do. But if you can't admit to Leroid getting extra love then I don't know what games you're watching. When has leroid ever had to sit early due to foul trouble? When has he ever come close to fouling out?

 

[Chris]

Nobody is saying that kg ect don't get favorable calls, we all know they do. But if you can't admit to Leroid getting extra love then I don't know what games you're watching. When has leroid ever had to sit early due to foul trouble? When has he ever come close to fouling out?

 

Absolutely true, he gets the benefit of the doubt.  However, he also does deserve some credit as a guy who does not foul much.  He moves his feet so well, has incredibly quick hands, and rarely reaches.  He should be called for more fouls, but not that many.  He has the reputation as a guy who doesn't foul much for a reason.  He is a remarkably clean defender.

What bothers me much more are the no calls on him on offense, with the travels (not the "crab dribble", but he does travel a lot), and that no call when he obviously hooked Tony Allen (when you can clearly see it from the balcony, its bad) was tough to take.

[FallGuy]

Nobody is saying that kg ect don't get favorable calls, we all know they do. But if you can't admit to Leroid getting extra love then I don't know what games you're watching. When has leroid ever had to sit early due to foul trouble? When has he ever come close to fouling out?

 

The short answer to both of your questions is - I don't care.

I don't mean to be rude but honestly, I'm interested in Celtics vs. Cavs, not in some historical breakdown of Lebron's foul situations. Because that digression seems indicative to me of a specific mindset - that the Celtics are Stern's victims. And that, to me, is preposterous on its face and even flimsier under any kind of analysis.

Of course the stars get more calls. That's the way it goes across the league. And nobody is happy with how their favorite team gets reffed. Cavs fans could make a case the Celtics got a lot of favorable calls today. They'd be right. Celtics fans could do the same thing. But how much energy do we really want to spend on that?

Again. YMMV.

[CoachBo]

I'm not in the slightest bit concerned about James and how he's officiated. Not in the slightest.

Because if the Celtics had taken care of business, this series would be at least 3-1.

I'm concerned about this team showing up Tuesday night, playing focused basketball giving great effort, making the extra pass, hitting the glass and defending every possession.

If that happens, we'll be fine. If it doesn't, we won't.

[vinnie]

Nobody is saying that kg ect don't get favorable calls, we all know they do. But if you can't admit to Leroid getting extra love then I don't know what games you're watching. When has leroid ever had to sit early due to foul trouble? When has he ever come close to fouling out?

 

The fact that you call him "Leroid" says pretty much all I need to know.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, in watching this game from start to finish, it appeared to be rather well-reffed, if there is such a word.

The refs let both teams play some..missed a few on the Cavs, missed a few on the Celtics.

[rav123]

About the moving screens: almost everybody who sets a screen in this league leans in, or twists their hips or whatever. People only stand stock-still on screens where they've had plenty of time to get in position for.

[dlpin]

I don't know how anyone can deny that officiating has been very one-sided this series.

I agree that there is no fix in the NBA, and that Stern could care less if Lebron made the finals or not. I think there is no "anti celtics" bias or "pro cavs" bias.

What I do think, and I think the evidence supports it, is that the NBA has changed officiating to promote 2 things that draw in fans: offense and superstars.

Since the early 90s with the hand check rules and so on, it was clear that the NBA wanted to give the superstars and the offensive teams an edge. But it goes beyond the official rules being changed. Just look at how inconsistently traveling is called.

So I have no doubt that referees have a sort of unspoken rule of "when in doubt, call it pro offense or pro superstar." And I think that is the reason why the celtics are getting screwed this series. It's not that they hate the celtics or want Lebron in the finals. Is that 50/50 calls will generally go towards the superstars and the players who are aggressive on offense. Once upon a time Paul Pierce got those calls, leading the league in FTs, but now he is older and less aggressive. Now it's just Lebron's turn.

Granted, more people have noticed it now because Lebron gets this treatment more than anyone before him, but it's not new.



Ps:
Players who averaged 9 freethrows, 1 steal and 1 block a game while committing less than 2 fouls a game:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&type=totals&per_minute_base=36&is_playoffs=N&year_min=1947&year_max=2010&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&height_min=0&height_max=99&lg_id=&franch_id=&is_active=&is_hof=&pos=&qual=&c1stat=pf_per_g&c1comp=lt&c1val=2&c2stat=fta_per_g&c2comp=gt&c2val=9&c3stat=stl_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=1&c4stat=blk_per_g&c4comp=gt&c4val=1&order_by=ws

Lebron, twice.