How can a game be called evenly but completely effect the outcome of a game?

[JHTruth]

Oh please we have no excuse for that embarrassment. The refs actually kept us in the game for the sake of the ratings. Pierce and Allen were flopping all over the place and getting bailed out just so they could put up mediocre numbers. Toward the end of the game we were blatantly fouling kobe on jumpshots and on drives and the refs tried to keep it close. If they called the game with less ticky tack fouls we would have been blown out by 30. We benefited by those soft calls by far. A very pathetic showing. Don't let your homer goggles mislead you.

Well I have to disagree with you here but whatever. You are obviously not going to change your view.

I think the close nature of the calls hurt us more than helped us. It's tough to say either way. I think the officiating just made the game boring rather than severly impacted either team..

[ducksawce]

The Celtics were very clearly affected by the style of officiating in game 1.  Though I witnessed just as many bogus and unnecessary fouls called on the Lakers throughout, I knew that the pace of play would bode well for LA.

Let me set this straight though first: I've seen several replays of various defensive trips from game 1 since Friday...and I'm thoroughly shocked at how dysfunctional everyone was.  Players were out of rotation, or just entirely out to lunch in not responding to imminent penetration and post-up threats.  The Celtics obviously lacked not only a killer instinct on Friday, but also any semblance of team focus.  Oddly enough this bodes well for game 2, because this team clearly wasn't out-talented...they just didn't do what they normally do...and they paid for it in being embarrassed by LA.

However, the excessive foul-calling took the C's out of their element, and they didn't seem entirely prepared to deal with the consequent adjustments that immediately needed to be made.  With Ray out of the game, their offense suffered tremendously...no spacing, no 3 pt. threat, no room for Rondo and the bigs to work with in the lane.  In all, it resulted in an offensive disaster.  Defensively, it necessitated putting FINLEY in the game..which quickly resulted in 6 straight Laker points!  Later, the lack of production at the 2 position totally crippled the Celtic defense in attempts to guard Kobe in the 2nd half.  By that point, the damage had been done.

Of course, none of this matters one bit.  The next game will not be officiated in nearly the same way that game 1 was.  There will be different refs, and of course Joe Crawford won't be around (he is known to call VERY tight games).  In addition, no two consecutive games for the C's (or anyone else for that matter) have been called the same way. 

I guarantee that we will see a loosely-officiated game 2 in which the Celtics will successfully get back to their stifling brand of D that led them to such success through April and May...with renewed offense, solid rebounding, and many opportunities for fast-break points.

[nickagneta]

RESTART

Just as a game that is called evenly but very tightly can effect the outcome of the game in the direction of the Lakers, a game that is called evenly where lots of incidental contact is allowed, where contact for jockeying for position is allowed and where slight movement by the pick setter on picks and screens is allowed effects the outcome of the game in the direction of the Celtics.

Again, don't get me wrong here, the Celtics played much better than the Lakers in the second half of that game and won the game. The Celtics did not win because of the refs. It was an evenly called game where the boys were allowed to play. A type of game that is usually seen in the playoffs where the refs step back and let the players decide who is going to impose their will upon the other team  and win. The Celtics players imposed their will upon the Lakers and the game and won.

But this all goes back to illustrating the original intent of this thread. That a game that is tightly called but evenly called favors the Lakers because of their style of play and, let's be honest, team psyche. They aren't by nature a tremendously physical team and don't want to be one. They prefer a tightly called game that causes teams to play off each other with less contact and allows them to work. And they don't appear to like getting into fights.

The Celtics on the other hand, love and thrive in a physical setting and want the game to be called looser with more contact being allowed. Let's face it, if this was a middle school team the Celtics would be the bullies of the school. They like beating people up and taking their lunch money. Absolutely love it. In a game called evenly but where teams are allowed to bang and jostled for position and where the more physical, emotional and imposing team where usually come out on top, the Celtics should be and will be favored and probably come out the victor.

Conspiracy theorists will say that the NBA made the refs call it tight the first three games hoping the Lakers took a big lead and now the league is going to inform the refs to call it looser to allow the series to be extended. While I do not believe that, I can see where people can think that given the plethora of evidence(credible or not) out there that the NBA manipulates situations.

But the first three games of this series were called very tightly with tons of off the ball fouls being called. The Celtics averaged 28 fouls per game and the Lakers 25 over the first three games of this series. Those are incredibly high numbers and way out of the norm for not only both of these teams(Celtics averaged 22.1 fouls per game during the regular season, the Lakers 19.2) but also high for what is normally called during playoff basketball(see John Hollinger's artcile regarding this). And what happened? Laker's take 2 out of 3 game.

Last night the Celtics were called for just 21 personal fouls and the Lakers 23. Much more normal numbers and a much more physical environment was allowed to exist and the Celtics won.

So, once again, I maintain, games can be called fairly and evenly and yet depending upon how the game is called it can definitely effect the outcome and favor one team over another depending upon their styles of play.

[wdleehi]

The allowed contact down low is a key.  It allows the Celtics big men (Perk and Wallace mostly) to physically move Gasol from his "happy place" on offense.  And when that happens, he is likely to role up and disappear.  (offensively and defensively)

[RAcker]

The allowed contact down low is a key.  It allows the Celtics big men (Perk and Wallace mostly) to physically move Gasol from his "happy place" on offense.  And when that happens, he is likely to role up and disappear.  (offensively and defensively)

I love that because that is exactly what it is.  Without being on the block or elbow, Gasoft is a lot less comfortable and a ton less effective.

[Fafnir]

The allowed contact down low is a key.  It allows the Celtics big men (Perk and Wallace mostly) to physically move Gasol from his "happy place" on offense.  And when that happens, he is likely to role up and disappear.  (offensively and defensively)

The Celtics were called for 21 fouls last night, 7 less than their average for the series.

Were the C's less physical defensively than other games?

This is a very even series, so the refing matters even more than usual.

[Brendan]

They've called post play tight and wing play... inconsistent.

The one place close calls helps is when Ray is running through traffic... if they call it close Pierce and Rondo have to penetrate to score, KG and Pierce have to post. And Ray has to run everyone through screens (and the screens cannot give a little extra.)

The problem has been they have not been calling contact on blocks on penetration very much. With the exception of Kobe - Pierce, Ray, Rondo have gotten few calls going to the rim. (No idea if the stats would back up my observations here.) Baby's been able to draw fouls the most consistently going to the rack, again out of post play and close in face ups.