Lamarcus's bad goal tending vs Thunder

[PapaG]

I always find the "well, if they would have played better, the refs wouldn't matter" crowd to be completely out of touch with reality. These are elite athletes with very small margins for error in any game.

Having a referee clearly make up a call with the game on the line should never be defended by anybody who knows how difficult it is to win in the NBA. The bottom line is this. LMA made an elite defensive play that should have won the game for his team. A referee who has had his name associated with a known felon makes a call from near half court that ties the game. The two other refs who were closer to the play didn't make the call, and must have seen a clean block.

It's unrealistic to the use the "well, they should have played better" defense, and it always amuses me.

"Well, the Blazers shouldn't miss any shots or turn the ball over, so since they did, the refs don't matter."

 

[PapaG]

The refs got it wrong ... and then the Blazers completely fell apart. So you can blame the refs or the utter lack of execution in crunch time that led to the refs having an opportunity to decide the game.

A clean block on Durant's shot at the end of the game is a lack of execution? Interesting theory.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Scott Foster should have never made that call. He was 45 feet from the basket with a bad angle. Both the other refs were closer, had better looks and didn't call it. Unless you have a clear look and it's obviously goal tending, that should be a no call. Foster took that game from the Blazers and gave it to the Thunder, and I am 100% convinced it was because it was Kevin Durant who got his shit swatted like a little bitch. The NBA can't have the Sports Center Play of the Night showing their latest darling failing with the game on the line. Durant bobbled the ball on the way up, laid it up weakling and rightly got it swatted. End of story, end of game - except in Davis Stern's corrupt superstar driven NBA. When is that crooked piece of shit going to retire? I want to see the NBA return to a team game, not this incestuous media/superstar/marketing/hype bullshit Stern tries to pass off as basketball.

BNM

 

[Blaze01]

That wasn't even a close call, it was clearly a block...no doubt about it....

Just a horrible call, I am sure POR will get a condolence card from the NBA in a few days....

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

is it me or did they just take the video down?

:MARIS61:

 

[THE HCP]

Wait a sec....... I thought I was a homer?

 

[magnifier661]

is it me or did they just take the video down?

:MARIS61:

Crazy right?

 

[illmatic99]

lol what a farce this league is.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

conspiracy!

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

FYI, it was a one point spread for the game last night. different books had it going either way.

http://www.oddsshark.com/nba/oklahoma-city-portland-odds-february-6-2012

:MARIS61:

 

[Nikolokolus]

A clean block on Durant's shot at the end of the game is a lack of execution? Interesting theory.

That was an awfully close call that could have gone either way when it has to be decided in real-time. They got it wrong, but it wasn't some egregious example of favoritism.

 

[magnifier661]

That was an awfully close call that could have gone either way when it has to be decided in real-time. They got it wrong, but it wasn't some egregious example of favoritism.

No what made it a conspiracy was that the official 45 ft. from the basket made the call. He had a bad angle too. How in the hell was he able to determin if the ball hit the back board or not? He was behind the play.

 

[PapaG]

That was an awfully close call that could have gone either way when it has to be decided in real-time. They got it wrong, but it wasn't some egregious example of favoritism.

It was the wrong call. Scott Foster blew it and made the call from 45' away from the play. The Blazers executed on defense and should have won the game. How many times is an NBA team supposed to win a game? That loss is directly on Scott Foster.

 

[Nikolokolus]

It was the wrong call. Scott Foster blew it and made the call from 45' away from the play. The Blazers executed on defense and should have won the game. How many times is an NBA team supposed to win a game? That loss is directly on Scott Foster.

OK.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE call. Scott Foster should be punished for making that call from 45' away, and he was on the other side of the court from the rim. There were two officials much closer to that play, with better views. He should NOT have had any say so in the play. A good ref trusts himself, but he also trusts his teammates to make the correct calls. In that situation, he has to defer to those who are in best position to make the call.

Nobody else called it. It was even a little late for the call. I think once the ball caromed, and he realized Portland could end up with the loose ball and run down floor, he blew his whistle. Bullshit call. If the NBA had any desire to prove that it's completely bipartisan/non-partial, they'll apologize to the Blazers for the incorrect call AND penalize Foster. But that shit won't happen. Which is why my attachment to the NBA is ever-dwindling. I used to buy lots of Blazers gear and go to 15-20 games/year. And that was when I was spending money I didn't have. Now, I actually have money to spend. But I'm not spending it for the BS I see on the floor from the NBA. You get my 1-2 games/year, and that's it.

F you, Stern. And no, I'm not bitter. Just keepin' it real.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The wry smile Durant made after watching the reply was very telling.
He knew he got away with one.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

That was an awfully close call that could have gone either way when it has to be decided in real-time. They got it wrong, but it wasn't some egregious example of favoritism.

Tie goes to the superstar?

I guess this makes up for the late Sabas hookshot to beat Houston(?) back in the 90's.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

At least they admit they messed up!

http://www.nba.com/official/

Incorrect Goaltending Call
Feb 7 2012 3:25PM

With six seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge was called for goaltending on a shot attempted by the Thunder's Kevin Durant (shown below). With the benefit of slow motion replay following the game, it has been determined that Aldridge made contact with the ball just before the ball hit the backboard. Therefore, this should have been ruled a good block and goaltending was the incorrect call. (As determined by the NBA's Competition Committee, referees may not use instant replay on goaltending calls.)
Click Video Here

For more information about goaltending and other rules, click here to view the NBA.com/videorulebook

 

[Nikolokolus]

At least they admit they messed up!

http://www.nba.com/official/

*golf clap*

 

[BBert]

Foster should be fined double the amount he made throwing the game. For embarrassing the NBA, of course, not for throwing the game.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

After the play, why the hell didnt the other refs speak up, huddle up, and tell Foster he got it wrong?!?!

 

[BlazerBeav]

After the play, why the hell didnt the other refs speak up, huddle up, and tell Foster he got it wrong?!?!

That's the most galling part to me - the other two officials, who clearly saw a clean block, chose not to at least offer some help to the incorrect official. Ridiculous.

 

[magnifier661]

That's the most galling part to me - the other two officials, who clearly saw a clean block, chose not to at least offer some help to the incorrect official. Ridiculous.

Did you see the snippet when the other two officials were like "fuck that's a bad call but what can we do?"

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Did you see the snippet when the other two officials were like "fuck that's a bad call but what can we do?"

I remember that one of the two was a rookie ref and I think the other was young (experience wise) too. Foster's the lead official, and overruled their (non) call. Maybe foster isan asshole to work with and they didn't want to make the next game they all worked together a shitshow of office politics. Maybe the NBA has a policy that says the lead official is the final word if he Changes a call.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I remember that one of the two was a rookie ref and I think the other was young (experience wise) too. Foster's the lead official, and overruled their (non) call. Maybe foster isan asshole to work with and they didn't want to make the next game they all worked together a shitshow of office politics. Maybe the NBA has a policy that says the lead official is the final word if he Changes a call.

Actually I caught a snippet of Courtside when they were talking about this play and apparently Foster is the official who makes the goal-tending call based on where he was on the court ... regardless of being 45' away or not.

 

[magnifier661]

Another thing to consider?

The Gambling Evidence Does Not Look Great for Scott Foster or the NBA

Circumstantial, as it may be, there is a lot to be uncovered in these NBA referee scandals when it comes to the action that Las Vegas receives on particular games. Obviously, the 130 phone calls from Tim Donaghy to Scott Foster are in and of themselves very bad news. Donaghy = guilty, and those swell-piece hits define "by association".

As R.J. Bell of Pregame points out, there might be a lot more to the Foster business than just the phone calls too.
During the 2006-07 period under investigation, seven games refereed by Scott Foster had lopsided enough betting on one team to move the point spread by at least 2 points; those seven teams were undefeated against Vegas – meaning that the big-money gamblers won a 7 of 7 times on Foster's games; the odds of that happening randomly are less than 1%.

Statistics alone cannot convict, but it's certainly noteworthy that seven times in Foster's games one team was bet extremely heavily, and all seven times that team won," said RJ Bell of Pregame.com.

Two of those seven games stand out:
On January 19, 2007 the Kings opened as a 1.5 favorites at Boston; betting on Sacramento moved the line to -4.5. Kings won by 5, shooting 25 free throws, versus only 14 free throws for the home team Celtics. On March 20, 2007 the Nuggets opened as 2.5 point underdogs at New Jersey. Denver was bet so heavily, they closed as 1 point favorites. Denver won by 4, shooting 32 free throws versus only 22 for the home team Nets.
The point that RJ is making here is pretty simple -- generally speaking, lines can shift, but when a certain set of games shift heavily and Vegas loses all of those games, well, something ain't stirring the Kool-Aid.

Again, statistics can't convict. Nothing short of testimony from the referees and gamblers involved can actually prove anything; conviction is in reality an entirely different issue if we're speaking in legalese.

And furthermore, none of these do anything to prove that the NBA is is fixed, in the sense of a conspiracy from top to bottom. (Although the NBA scrambling to deny the ridiculous number of phone calls doesn't help.)

Yes, it would be absolutely horrible news for the L (obviously) because it means that more than one referee's games were compromised and suddenly, things from that period look much darker.

Again, there's a long way to go on this investigation, particularly considering we are working on circumstantial evidence at this point, but it's a pretty safe bet you can count on some subpoenas and other less friendly legally-related documents heading Foster's way.

At least we know Donaghy won't mind talking! Sigh.

 

[huevonkiller]

Goal tending is something that should be reviewable, like a three pointer or an out-of-bounds play.

It is not a judgement call at all, so the NBA doesn't have to freak out over it.