While once again the NBA or professional sports league has apologized for another blown call after the fact. In this case it was Brent Barry being bumped and foulled at the end of Game 4 against the Lakers. The Spurs were down 93-91 with 2.1 seconds left . The pass went into Barry who some say traveled. Then he got bumped by Derek Fisher, threw the ball towards the basket before the buzzer about a 23 foot jumper, mised and then looked to the referee for the foul. Later classily Barry and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said a foul wasn't likely to be called and while upset and disappointed there was acceptance UNTIL NOW! The NBA has issued another after the fact apology but in this case they could still do something that could still change the series.
I suggest before Game 5 tonight in Los Angeles in an empty arena with no competitive advantage to consitute San Antonio as the home team ha ha, Then have Brent Barry shoot the two free throws. If he makes them then overtime on an empty court so no Lakers crowd advantage ha ha to decide Game 4 before tonights Game 5. If the NBA is serious about it's apology then I want to see it. Remember when the Yankees and Royals came back to New York for a 12 minute game in the 1983 George Brett pine tar home run incident. Seriously though shooting these free throws is the best thing the NBA could do if they're sincere. But they WONT DO IT so all I as a diappointed Spurs and sports fan can do is talk about it. Let me know your thoughts friends and talk soon. Have a great and productive day. Best wishes. fenfan
They replayed part of the game with the Heat this season where Shaq was fouled out with only 5 fouls, even though Shaq wasn't even with the heat any longer. that was done months later and was the silliest thing I ever heard of .
I do not agree that they could correct this situation, but it is an intriguing idea. LOL
As a Spurs' fan, I would almost have rather they didn't make their apology. It doesn't help and jsut stirs up more controversy. If the Spurs had been down by only 2 and would have gotten 3 shots, I would have been more upset, especially since Barry is a 95% FT shooter, but in overtime they might have lost anyway.
fenwayfan'
You've got to love it when someone within the NBA's hierarchy comes out with an apology after the fact. Never mind the fact that it does nothing to change the course of the events that've already taken place .
And yet the fans and public alike are to entrust the officials with impunity and the fact they'll show their impartiality.
Somehow I for one don't believe that the league is doing enough to stop this sort of thing from happening. Too often we're seeing this happen repeatedly and there's no real recourse for the teams to take.
Is it any wonder Sterns sticks by these officials through thick and thin even when they're proven to be wrong ?
what if every time a ref began to feel they blew a call, they made public apologies...hat kind of circus would sports become?
yeah we all get mad an upset as fans, because we feel the refs miss calls. a foul here...a travel there...maybe a carry...why don't we even toss in a moving pick.
the point is that referees make up what is a human factor. they're just simply not going to make every call. whether we like it or not. i appreciate fans like Spurcse for being able to laugh it off, instead of letting it get under the skin.
I remember in '94 when a blown call by the refs against Pippen sent my Knicks to the finals vs Houston. i believe years later the ref admitted to blowing it...and here i was knowing the entire time that he blew it. what can it change now?
the only real way to get around it is to not leave it to the refs to decide the outcome. corny as it may sound...if you just come out and whoop the other team's ####...the refs may try, but their input will not hold enough weight to affect the outcome.
It was dumb to have Crawford there. That is the real story. It was a close call, as Barry did nothing to sell the foul; but instead shied away from contact. Even though I am rooting for the Lakers, I would not have been upset had they called it. I can see Spurs fan's beef.
What is so stupid is that you have an important game 4 being officiated by a guy that has past issues with the Spurs and was suspended for last season for ejecting Duncan. How can he make a close call with impartiality.
It makes no sense that the NBA would set themselves up for that and they deserve the fall out from that stupid decision.
Last edited by StreetCred on May 29th at 10:04 AM.
One explanation I heard for Crawford was that it was the regular rotation and that if the NBA did not let him ref that game, they would in effect be saying they did not trust him. How could they do that if they have reinstated him? I can see this argument.
We also have to consider the ramifications if the league did keep him from officiating Spurs games. Would this send a message to a player or a team that did not like a particular ref that they could demand he not do their games because they did not trust him?
He was going to have to ref some Spurs games eventually if they went deep enough into the playoffs. It is an unfortunate situation, but I am not sure how else the league could have handled it other than not reinstating him to start with. The fact that the Spurs have lost both games that he officiated and that he got into a rather hot argument with Pop and gave him a T in one of them, does not help matters.
But if they had not reinstated him, it would have sent a message to players that if they did not like a ref, just provoke him into doing something unacceptable and he might get fired.
Oh, and by the way, he was not suspended for ejecting Duncan. For that he would have only received a reprimand. He was suspended for asking Duncan if he wanted to fight.
He at first said he did not say it, but I understand there were enough people who heard it to prove he did. The league felt that was unacceptable and unprofessional on his part. And apparently he had been reprimanded for unacceptable behavior before. Subtle difference perhaps, but still a difference.
It's all a moot point. Everyone seems to forget that the refs missed the call right before this play where Kobe shot the the ball and the ball hit the rim and the shot clock wasn't reset which would have ended the game. There should be zero complaints from any Spurs fans on this play.
1MVP1, the problem with that argument is that you would have to go back to the first of the game and analyize every play to see if there was a non call and analyize ever call to see if it was legit.
Where do you stop when you start pointing out possible bad calls. Believe me if Barry had made that three pointer and the Spurs had gone on to win the game, you and every Lakers fan alive would be screaming murder and no amount of pointing out other bad calls would appease you.
I am not complaining about the call because to my mind it was just another bad call, and there is no use in complaining, it accomplishes nothing.
One bad call after another is going to lead to INSTANT REPLAY in the LAST TWO MINUTES of EACH HALF, just like they do it in the NFL.
The public apology is the first step in instituting this much needed rule in the NBA.
Because we have officials who are damn near 70 years old, keep in mind that their senses may not be as fine tuned as they used to be. Hence the need for technological assistance.
My opinion is that regardless...wanting the refs to decide that game over a foul...which by the way was not sold as a foul by Berry, is like wanting a Ref to give a boxer a win on a fight that he is lost every round just because of a low blow in the last round of the fight...can't and should never happen...
You might as well request that Game 4 be played over again. Honestly, the entire game was officiated horribly on BOTH ends. If you argue that it wasn't, you lose all credibility on this board. Everything from Tim Duncan's stroll through the park on his way to the rim...to Odom's invisible goal-tend...to D. Fisher's shot hitting the rim...to Fisher's foul on Barry. Bottom line is, get over it and move on with your life, bitter fans!
Shut up and the spurs got beat up tonight anyways. Now I will go to ebay to get my finals tix. What are you getting? Losses!
Thats right, Lakers Baby!!!!!!!!!
yeah lakers win but at least the whole world knows that there is an asterisk along side this win cause i know for a fact that Barry would have made those shots but its ok we know thats how CHEATERS WIN GAMES. Oh but let me tell you and every team out there they better watch out with next year cause THE SanAtonio SPURS WILL BRING THE TROPHY BACK and you better believe it everyone knows that the SPURS WIN every odd year and next year is ''2009'' GO BOSTON BEAT THE HECK OUT OF THOSE LAKERS(CHEATERS).
libra, as much as I think most of your post is kind of silly, you do bring up one good point. All season long we have been hearing how the Spurs could not win this year because they only one in odd number years. Wonder if everyone will spend next season saying they have to win because it is an odd number year? Wouldn't bet on it. LOL
Great comments friends,
I like the comments that a controversial topic like this brings out and the reaction to it. I as a Spurs fan have to admit the Lakers were the better team in this series. Congratulations and now you get the Celtics. It's what everyone outside of San Antonio and Detroit wanted. We'll see where it goes from here. Emjoy a great finals friends and talk soon. Best wishes friends. fenfan
Last edited by fenwayfanatic67 on May 31st at 6:18 PM.
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