Garnett had same exact offensive foul called on him that Melo did.

[soap07]

Foul should've been called on Paul there at the end. He was pretty much hugging Carmelo before he swung. That's alright though, I'll take it - considering the C's didn't get called for a tech with Delonte on the floor and that KG didn't get called for that moving screen. That's a lot of nice bounces the C's way.

[JumpingJudkins]

I think the point is that if the situation had been exactly the same, but with, say, Paul Pierce shucking off Carmelo on the offensive end with 30-something seconds left in a close playoff game, every single one of us would have been apoplectic if the refs gave the ball to the Knicks on an offensive foul.

[Jaycelt]

I think the point is that if the situation had been exactly the same, but with, say, Paul Pierce shucking off Carmelo on the offensive end with 30-something seconds left in a close playoff game, every single one of us would have been apoplectic if the refs gave the ball to the Knicks on an offensive foul.

HELLOOOOO!!!! I will say it again.... Pierce had that exact same call called against him in a playoff series against the Pacers only IT WAS WORSE!  He was called for a flagrant foul and tossed from the game and the Pacers were given free throws with just seconds left.  Are you people really Celtics fans?  Do you not remember this?  Not a single fan (that I can remember) or media member complained about the call.  In fact Pierce was pretty much skewered by the fans even though the majority of people admitted that Tinsley flopped.
I don't want to hear the "it's never called in the final minute of a playoff game against a star" argument again because all the evidence says that's not true.

[RebusRankin]

Instead of the foul how about the media focusing on Melo going 1 for 11 in the second half?

[Fafnir]

Instead of the foul how about the media focusing on Melo going 1 for 11 in the second half?

They're talking about that as well, though mostly in the context of how Amar'e should have had the ball more.

[Tai]

This "timing" thing on calls is grinding my gears, too.

Either it's a foul or it's not. Plain and simple. Not "well you can call it in the 1st quarter but not the fourth". If it's a foul early on in the game, it can be a foul later on in the game. Same thing for the "ticky-tack" fouls. Those are ticky-tack no matter WHAT point of the game it is. Either they should be called or they shouldn't.

Telling me that offensive foul on Melo when he elbowed Pierce twice is "bad timing" is bad arguing.

[KobeShesNotConsenting!]

.

[KobeShesNotConsenting!]

This "timing" thing on calls is grinding my gears, too.

Either it's a foul or it's not. Plain and simple. Not "well you can call it in the 1st quarter but not the fourth". If it's a foul early on in the game, it can be a foul later on in the game. Same thing for the "ticky-tack" fouls. Those are ticky-tack no matter WHAT point of the game it is. Either they should be called or they shouldn't.

Telling me that offensive foul on Melo when he elbowed Pierce twice is "bad timing" is bad arguing.

That's just how it is. I don't agree with it really but that's how they operate alot of the time. Same as 'superstar calls' another thing i dont like

[RedsCeltics34]

Its so funny because the same knicks fans that are saying you need to swallow you're whistle there are the same Knicks fans that would be going crazy if Pierce swung his arm back and it wasnt called lol....  Like that St. Johns college basketball game vs (I forgor?) the St. Johns player traveled, Ran out of bounds & every other illegal thing you can do with the basketball  with a good 3 seconds to go and the refs let it go and walked off the court... & ESPN made a big fuss about should refs swallow their whistles at the end of games & they ALL said NO... 4th quarter is the same as the 1st 3, but no, Celtics are involved so now they say Refs shouldnt of called it just because of the time?!!?!!?

[Senninsage]

Foul should've been called on Paul there at the end. He was pretty much hugging Carmelo before he swung. That's alright though, I'll take it - considering the C's didn't get called for a tech with Delonte on the floor and that KG didn't get called for that moving screen. That's a lot of nice bounces the C's way.

Not necessarily, what Pierce was doing was just your basic aggressive ball denial, letting the passer know that if he tries to pass to Melo, he's right there, and might poke it away. Everything Pierce did on the play was legal.

What Melo did, however, not so much.

Fans, naturally, tend to overreact more in the high intensity crunch time situations, but it really isn't all that different from a call made earlier in the game, that caused a key turnover, and maybe led to that huge 3 pointer from Ray Allen, which maybe gave the team a 7 point edge, an edge that the Celtics, if they're playing correctly, never really relinquish for the remainder of the game.

So the offensive foul on Garnett is every bit as worthy of complaint if people feel the late game offensive foul on Melo was worthy of complaint.

It can't just be that only certain kinds of offensive fouls are allowed in late game situations. It can't just be that guy that goes barreling over a guy who had his feet set outside the restricted area, it can't just be that guy that set a really bad moving pick, it can't just be that teammate that pushed away a defender for his teammate to get open. It also has to be a guy expecting to receive the ball, using his elbow to knock back his defender.

Did Paul Pierce sell it with a bit of acting? You darn right he did! But then, so did Turiaf on Garnett.

It isn't actually the case that all Celtics fans would be here complaining about the late call. Know what I'd be complaining about? I'd be complaining about the Celtics allowing the Knicks to outplay them down the stretch, or even allowing the Knicks to build up that half time lead in the first place. Because, at the end of the day, players have zero control over the refereeing. They do have control over how they play the game.

This is why players talk to refs, to get an idea for what kinds of things refs will call, from what they won't call. Some refs do things differently. You try to get a feel for each ref, and the refs in last night's game, were not letting such things as what melo did slide, and the proof of that is KG's offensive foul in the second quarter.