ESPN pretty ridiculous this morning

[Q_FBE]

Funny to note that the losing team has shot more FT's than the winning team in both series. Seems like PP shot FT's throughout the 4th qtr after the Lakers got their 20 point 2nd half lead after 3.

Could it be to keep the Audience tuned in?

[footey]

ESPN has Magic on the studio team and Byron "I won't wear Green" Scott on the NBA show.

True, although I've got to say, Magic tries to keep things somewhat balanced.  He's got a lot of respect for the Celts, it seems.

Was just about to post the same--agreed. In fact, sometimes, I think he likes the Celtics more!!

[droopdog7]

ESPN has Magic on the studio team and Byron "I won't wear Green" Scott on the NBA show.

True, although I've got to say, Magic tries to keep things somewhat balanced.  He's got a lot of respect for the Celts, it seems.

Was just about to post the same--agreed. In fact, sometimes, I think he likes the Celtics more!!

All magic is doing is overcompensating trying not to sound biased.  I am sure we all KNOW he hates the celts.  Not buying in to him trying to sound impartial.

[tenn_smoothie]

Tim Legler got it right this morning (as usual, love the guy) when he said that controversial officiating has always been a part of this game, and that it was pretty much a wash if you consider the foul trouble the C's were in all game.

That said, I agree with you that showing only the bad calls against the Lakers was pretty lame and once again speaks to the pro-Laker sentiment among the national media.

i don't know - seems to me the refs in the 70's & 80's were actual men who had a pair and were not pulling on their whistle with a double T every time there was a little shoving. those guys could give and take with the players a little and understood it was not a game for the weak-minded.

these refs today are so afraid one player might get angry with another that they hit that whistle to "keep control of the game" - they are afraid of the players and of stern.

it's a sad state of affairs.


btw surfer ........i love your propic - i got to meet Mr. Most down in atlanta back in '78 at a Celtics game. i used to lay in bed at nite as a teenager listening to Celtic games, i could pick up WBZ radio all the way down here in knoxville - my mom used to joke about recognizing Johnny's voice from my room. i loved Johnny Most - as great a Celtic as Mr. Brown, Red and Russell.


and tell me Johnny wouldn't have a great time with this team when Rondo is out top surveying the defense and "fiddlin' & diddlin', now over to Ray on the right, Bang !!"

[celts55]

Funny, I didn't see anyone from ESPN complaning after all the cheap fouls Ray Allen got in game 1. Truth be told, I thought some of the fouls on Bryant were pretty weak, but than again so were a few on Ray. In general I think the refs have taken to flow out of the game with their consistant ticky tack fouls, but it's gone both ways. I'm sick to death of it being a issue when it happens to Bryant.

[Greenbean]

I watched the press conference following last night's game.  Kobe was asked about the fouls - in his reply he had NO PROBLEM with it, and stated that he just had to play smarter.  I could sense this was Kobe being honest, not politically correct.

I'll take a player's word over some media tool...

And over his coach's as well.

Candid Kobe in press conferences after games is the only version of Kobe that is tolerable.

[wdleehi]

Even Hollinger who said the official are blowing their whistles to much both ways only gives examples of bad calls for the Lakers. 

[Andy Jick]

I watched the press conference following last night's game.  Kobe was asked about the fouls - in his reply he had NO PROBLEM with it, and stated that he just had to play smarter.  I could sense this was Kobe being honest, not politically correct.

I'll take a player's word over some media tool...

And over his coach's as well.

Candid Kobe in press conferences after games is the only version of Kobe that is tolerable.

Short-answered Kobe too...  Very terse & direct - I like watching him wallow.

[FreeGreen]

It's great when the network carrying the game (ESPN and ABC are one and the same) is blatantly biased in it's reporting.  It's bad enough when every pre-game show is the Kobe Bryant Show, but their "Fouls affecting Finals" article is just one ridiculous.

Ray plays thru 5 terrible fouls in game 1.  Game 2 our entire front line has 3 first half fouls and 4 early in the 2nd.  Not to mention terrible foul calls on blocked shots by Paul and Davis, or Kobe's and1 where clearly no one touched him.  But the only thing ESPN talks about is the fact that poor Kobe had 5 fouls for once.  Hell ... Pierce played the entire Cleveland Series with 5 fouls and no one shed a tear.

I also love the misleading "the fouls were even and the FT disparity was 16" line ... that's technically true but 5 of the fouls and 10 of the FT came when they were fouling on purpose at the end of the game.  The real FT disparity is 26, which is ridiculous, especially when you consider we had more points in the paint.

The refs also had a prototypical series of "evening out the fouls" when they called 3 pointless fouls in a row on Fisher (who had none at the time), on the same possession at the end of the 3rd quarter (it was the Laker's first 3 fouls, so no bonus), all off the ball, away from the play.  The fouls had 0 impact on the game, but did a great job evening out the box score.

[seccom]

It's great when the network carrying the game (ESPN and ABC are one and the same) is blatantly biased in it's reporting.  It's bad enough when every pre-game show is the Kobe Bryant Show, but their "Fouls affecting Finals" article is just one ridiculous.

Ray plays thru 5 terrible fouls in game 1.  Game 2 our entire front line has 3 first half fouls and 4 early in the 2nd.  Not to mention terrible foul calls on blocked shots by Paul and Davis, or Kobe's and1 where clearly no one touched him.  But the only thing ESPN talks about is the fact that poor Kobe had 5 fouls for once.  Hell ... Pierce played the entire Cleveland Series with 5 fouls and no one shed a tear.

I also love the misleading "the fouls were even and the FT disparity was 16" line ... that's technically true but 5 of the fouls and 10 of the FT came when they were fouling on purpose at the end of the game.  The real FT disparity is 26, which is ridiculous, especially when you consider we had more points in the paint.

The refs also had a prototypical series of "evening out the fouls" when they called 3 pointless fouls in a row on Fisher (who had none at the time), on the same possession at the end of the 3rd quarter (it was the Laker's first 3 fouls, so no bonus), all off the ball, away from the play.  The fouls had 0 impact on the game, but did a great job evening out the box score.

That is definitely not correct, everyone of Fisher's foul is a team foul. It eventually lead to more free throws for the Celtic at the end of the quarter.

[DanMan08]

It's almost as if we've seen this game 2 before, except in reverse.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=280608002

[LarBrd33]

I thought Kobe got away with his 6th foul late in the game on a Ray Allen drive.

The Refs tried to job the Celtic big men as hard as they jobbed them in Game 5 against Orlando.   You can't talk about reffing in this game without pointing out that they took KG out of it early... and put Obese, Sheed and Perk all in foul trouble as well.  

And any debate with Laker fans about the refs has to start with Game 1 and Ray Allen.  All the hype leading up to the game was that Kobe would guard Rondo.  By Kobe guarding Rondo, that leaves Ray being covered by Fisher... a MASSIVE advantage for Boston.   Joey Crawford fixed that advantage in game 1 by taking Ray out early, never letting him get in rhythm and essentially making him useless until the game was already decided.   Kinda like in Orlando Game 5 how Joey Crawford jobbed our bigs and sent Human Kryptonite into the lockerroom with a (later recinded) obvious bogus technical.  

[LB3533]

It's all Phil's fault.

He whined about how the Celtics were too "smackdown" on defense.

The refs have been calling these games very tight and very early.

It's not Rondo or Ray's fault to flop on some calls if the refs are going to blow the whistle on each and every "touch foul".

We had a couple clear clean blocks negated because of ticky tacky fouls.

If the Lakers play smart and "adjust" to the reffing, their guys can flop too.

It will be a flop contest to see which team can buy the most of these ticky tack calls.

It won't be an enjoyable NBA Finals even if it goes 7 games.

[guava_wrench]

Wow, I didn't know that E S P N had been placed on the prfanity list  .

Anyway, the anchor all but sent a letter to Stern regarding the fouls on kobe (and by extension, those against the lakers).  Not a single mention of the fact that the refs butchered at least as many calls against the Celts or of them basically taking out Ray in game 1.  

Pretty disgusting really.

The refs definitely helped us greatly last night with some bad foul calls on Kobe. Thanks refs!

[guava_wrench]

Funny, I didn't see anyone from ESPN complaning after all the cheap fouls Ray Allen got in game 1. Truth be told, I thought some of the fouls on Bryant were pretty weak, but than again so were a few on Ray. In general I think the refs have taken to flow out of the game with their consistant ticky tack fouls, but it's gone both ways. I'm sick to death of it being a issue when it happens to Bryant.

None of those fouls against Ray compared to the Ray Allen flop that got called an offensive foul against Kobe. The one called against Kobe when Kobe was just standing there and Rondo fell on the floor as he typically does was pretty bad.

Props to Kobe for not complaining about this. While I do not respect Kobe, I respect his competitive nature and how he doesn't like to make excuses.