Let The Crawford Controversy Begin!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

All pregame long we heard that Joey Crawford reffing this game shouldn't be an issue. Greg Popovich said it, Charles Barkley said it, Kenny Smith said it, and Marv and Doug both said it. Well guess what....it was.

We'll leave aside the Lakers unbelievable journey to get to this point (up 7 and on the line with :50 left), and just go to the controversial videotape....



Unbelievable. I don't see how you look and that and not make a call. It's one thing if Barry got away and got off a clean look, but with 2.1 seconds left you HAVE to call that. I warned everyone yesterday afternoon that San Antonio wasn't happy and you can bet they're going to be livid tomorrow. The Duncan incident, The Popovich poking incident in Game Five of the Hornets Series, and now this.

Wow. I just don't know what else to say.

33 Comments:

Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:32:00 AM  

Tim Legler said the right call was made on the 11pm sportscenter and that if Barry wanted the call he should have fallen down instead of forcing the shot.....

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:43:00 AM  

Don't worry, the ref was behind him, he couldn't see the contact. Great no-call!

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:44:00 AM  

Uh, what about Fisher's shot that was ruled an airball that hit rim. Lakers should have had a new 24 and been running out the clock.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:46:00 AM  

Oh I'm not saying there weren't calls on both sides that were missed. It was just extremely ironic that the game came down to that one play and he didn't make the call.

The Lakers got completely hosed in the first half and were lucky to still be up at the half. I think they had three players with three fouls at the half.

NBA officiating is just garbage.

May 28, 2008, 12:49:00 AM  

Jemele Hill's dream matchup of a Spurs-Pistons NBA Finals died tonight.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:57:00 AM  

Barry did the patented Coach K pump fake then dive forward to shoot move that should be a no-call every time. As bad as it looks it should be a no-call every time.

Jeff V said...
May 28, 2008, 1:07:00 AM  

Popovich seemed to have no problem with it - he said after the game "if I was the referee, I wouldn't have called that a foul." As a former ref, I'm in agreeance - you shouldn't be deciding the game for the teams. In my opinion, that was a lousy playcall - Barry should've jacked it up right away, rather than trying to draw the foul.

Dan Hocking said...
May 28, 2008, 1:33:00 AM  

who was the idiot running the TNT camera?
why did they zoom OUT? it sure was nice to see the 10th row on the inbounds pass.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 1:39:00 AM  

Contact clearly BEFORE the act of shooting...good no call

Unknown said...
May 28, 2008, 1:41:00 AM  

I think that the two straight 50/50 calls that went in favor of the Spurs led to a 'make-up' call of sorts. The goaltend that wasn't, followed by the airball that wasn't, either of which could have effectively ended the game.

This wasn't really a 50/50 call (to be honest, I believe it should have been a foul on the floor, shooting 2). But the Lakers got extra leeway due to the pair of previous calls, having both gone the Spurs' way.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 1:43:00 AM  

brent barry traveled. watch him pick up both feet after stopping his dribble. great no-call both ways.

Unknown said...
May 28, 2008, 2:11:00 AM  

oOf course he will be a big deal. We all know the NBA refs suck and always favor the lakers over anyone else. On top of that, that ref who did illegal game fixing said ref/player/coach relations play and have played a HUGE role in deciding games. Should be a foul. was not. The NBA wants la in the finals, so they put duncan's nemesis to ref it. Crawford should not ref this one.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 3:47:00 AM  

In the last minute...

Kobe Bryant got mauled going to the basket by Tim Duncan. No call was made.

Lamar Odom got called for a goaltend he never actually committed.

The Lakers got a shot-clock violation when they had a shot to run the clock out (or get fouled to hit free throws to ice it).

And yet, the NBA wants the Lakers to make the Finals, so they give them all the calls?

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 4:43:00 AM  

I didn't watch the game, so I can't comment on other calls during the game. However, considering he got fouled AFTER the pump fake, why couldn't they have called it a NON-shooting foul??? I think the Spurs should have gotten 2, not 3, free throws, but still gone to the line.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 7:24:00 AM  

sounds like a discussion for awful officiating NOT awful announcing

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 8:48:00 AM  

after the crap the spurs have gotten away with over the past two playoffs, they deserve all the negative karma they get.

and i'm not even an basketball fan

-dan

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 9:25:00 AM  

I'd just like to point out that, while "agreeance" may be a word in some languages, English is not among them. Are we all in agreement?

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 9:33:00 AM  

The Spurs are a dirty and cheap shot team. Karmic payback is a bitch!! Bowen will try to goon Kobe next game. Just watch for it!!

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 9:35:00 AM  

$100,000 says Cheap Shot Rob vents his frustration in the fifth (and final) game, giving Vujacic the Steve Nash hip-check.

This whole "NBA wants the Lakers to win" conspiracy theory is so tired. Everybody knows the Spurs are the most boring team in the world, and yet the NBA has given them plenty of calls. Remember Amare's suspension for leaving the bench? Nash's bloody nose? Or, basically everything Bruce Bowen has ever done?

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 9:37:00 AM  

Karma is a bitch, Spurs. Play how you play, and don't bitch when you don't get a call. Ask David West and the other Hornets about how shitty officiating affects games. Everything involved with the NBA from the play to the officiating is a joke.

TomahawkFlop said...
May 28, 2008, 9:37:00 AM  

Say what you will...that call should have been made. I'm kinda surprised it wasn't, considering the Associations' love of long($$$) series.

The officiating in the NBA has boggled my mind for as long as I've watched(30+ yrs.) No wonder conspiracy theorists abound.
There are always a few "givens"...Rookies get hosed...Vets get suspect calls...whistles get swallowed late...blah blah blah. Yet, I keep watching.
You think star players have big egos...how 'bout them refs. From small hometown Men's Leagues, right on up to the big time, it's all the same old crap.

Monty said...
May 28, 2008, 10:10:00 AM  

Complain all you want to about the refs, but what do you propose as a change??? These are apparently the best in the world so if they suck...well, it looks like there will always be bad officials.

Seems like something we will always have to deal with...like Tony Romo's homosexuality.

GMoney said...
May 28, 2008, 10:28:00 AM  

Maybe the refs had money on the Lakers?

/Complete assinine non-call.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 10:30:00 AM  

Good gravy, why did Finley back up to half-court?!? With 2.1 left you could have easily got off an inbounds pass-fake-pass-shot from 25-28 feet on the wing. By backpedaling, Finley is completely out of the play, practically forcing Fisher to rotate to the ball, wasting the solid screen by Ginobli.

That's a no-call on a Wednesday night in the 3rd quarter in Milwaukee, and a no-call at the buzzer in a WC Final.

Doneycat said...
May 28, 2008, 10:47:00 AM  

@gmoney-I propose the refs call it like they see it. Seems simple, doesn't it?

A foul is a foul..no matter what the score is or how much time is left in the game.

Monty said...
May 28, 2008, 10:52:00 AM  

Good no call. Had Barry not hesitated once Fischer was up in the air and shot the ball right away, I could see a foul called. Barry decided to take an extra dribble and initiate a LITTLE contact on Fischer's way down. Just an opinion.

Tepid Epics said...
May 28, 2008, 10:53:00 AM  

The Spurs got exactly what they deserved. KARMA

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 10:56:00 AM  

I say if Barry would have went up for the shot first instead of bringing the ball down and dribbling into Fisher he would have got the foul.Bad decision on Barry.Good call.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 12:28:00 PM  

I dont care for the Lakers but hate the San Anboringo Spurs and glad they lost and hopefully lose the series

Mark B said...
May 28, 2008, 1:41:00 PM  

Lots of discussion on that last play. Two things for those who don't know about the finer points of basketball:

1) A player cannot step into or dribble underneath a defender who's in the air. That defender has a right to come down in his spot. Brent Barry dribbled into Fisher after faking the 3. This is in the referee's rulebook. No foul.

2) Brent Barry travelled on that last play lifting his pivot foot.

Anonymous said...
May 28, 2008, 2:17:00 PM  

Do you really still feel that deserved a call? Even the Spurs didn't complain about it, doesn't that say anything? They knew the only reason they were even in the game the first 3 quarters was because of the refs.

LA Ball Talk said...
May 28, 2008, 8:15:00 PM  

Ok first off, Brent Barry did indeed travel, you can see him pick up and move both feet before even dribbling. And also i believe the reason there was a no call is cause Barry lowered his head and shoulders and went into Fisher. If it wasn't a game deciding call i would say it would have been called a foul, but i know from experience the refs at ALL LEVELS of basketball always try and let the players decide the game at the end. Which is how it should be. And Barry should have only gottin 2 free throw shots anyways. But i think it was a good no call.

Anonymous said...
May 29, 2008, 5:59:00 AM  

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