NBA Basketball

The refs stole the Warriors opportunity to make history. I think they can do it next year again, and maybe the NBA will get it through their thick heads that the last decade of mediocrity is over and the viewership has not skyrocketed because of watching two mediocre teams play a championship, but has skyrocketed because we finally after 10 years have an amazing team and fans recognize the same. This clearly should have been a sweep, and the Cavs are going to need the Warriors to be injured, or players ejected to win another game, because there will be a huge fan backlash if they try to neutralize defense in the NBA.

I don't think the Warriors have ever had all 5 starters receive 2 fouls a peice in the first quarter.....early in the first quarter. I have never seen a technical given and then removed in the second one half.

It was so obvious that it was shameful. When this chit happens, I have always argued that you open the door to illegal gambling influencing the game. That first quarter was so obvious and the sports shows are talking about the technical but even more was the Irving over and back call.....that was so obvious that people are going to have that foot at least of separation as a poster to NBA refs.

The sequence before the Draymond tech was telling. Green was literally wrapped up under the hoop on a lay up... no call. Then he was called for a foul under the other hoop defending a lay up with much less contact. I'm not one to cry about calls... but that was irritating. The cavs likely would've won no matter... but we'll never know because the gsw momentum was cut off several times.

Oh well... game on tonight. I still think that the games are spread out too much. The series feels disjointed.

The NBA thought it better to risk the integrity of the game to give ABC one more game of near record viewership, than to worry in the short term that fans would not see the obvious. The Warriors are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, and the Cavs are one of the worse defensive teams in the NBA. If you take away defense with unfair foul calls, there is only one team which gets the advantage. The team which cannot play a lick of defense. You cannot plow a defending player over and call it a blocking foul. You cannot make the worst call of the year on an over and back call and not understand that the NBA wanted to extend this series. Sorry, the sweep would have been better for the long term health of the league as a super team has emerged which will raise TV ratings, but once again the era of mediocrity and raising hero ball to good basketball to try to drum up excitement in the NBA is penny wise and a pound foolish. If I see more bad calls tonight, I will simply turn my set off. I cannot support this obvious money grubbing interference with the game I love.

I heard on sports radio today that LeBron is +6 in this series so far (the only player on the Cavs in positive territory).  The rest of the team is -25.  If LeBron is going to find a way to somehow get by this super team, he's going to have to do it playing wire to wire with no rest.  Averaging a 30+ point triple double - something no one has ever done in NBA Finals history - will not be enough.  

It is incredibly unlikely to happen, but if - IF - this were to somehow happen, that would absolutely end the conversation.  Personally, the conversation ended last year though another turnaround this year would make it that much more obvious for everyone else.

2seaoat wrote:The NBA thought it better to risk the integrity of the game to give ABC one more game of near record viewership, than to worry in the short term that fans would not see the obvious.   The Warriors are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, and the Cavs are one of the worse defensive teams in the NBA.   If you take away defense with unfair foul calls, there is only one team which gets the advantage.  The team which cannot play a lick of defense.  You cannot plow a defending player over and call it a blocking foul.  You cannot make the worst call of the year on an over and back call and not understand that the NBA wanted to extend this series.   Sorry, the sweep would have been better for the long term health of the league as a super team has emerged which will raise TV ratings, but once again the era of mediocrity and raising hero ball to good basketball to try to drum up excitement in the NBA is penny wise and a pound foolish.  If I see more bad calls tonight, I will simply turn my set off.  I cannot support this obvious money grubbing interference with the game I love.

I won't turn it off but I will be upset. The last game was unbelievable. The calls were bogus and lopsided. I realized I would not be allowed to sit courtside with that kind of crap.

I watched one of my granddaughters games....3 played on the same team. Our team was dominant and the other team had good players but they fouled every game, with a player or two fouling out. Some of the fouls were blatant. However, one game we had a new ref. that was officiating with a weaker but ok ref. During the course of the game she was calling fouls clearly out of her field of vision and not her calls to make. At the end of the game our team had 22 fouls and the other team 2. It is wrong for the refs to call an unfair game giving the other team the advantage.

Once the commissioner reviewed the books regarding fouls for the season and spoke with other officials, that was her first and last game.

With all due respect, you have a tendency to jump the gun.   You watched a mediocre Miami team win two titles when injuries to key players on opposing teams allowed a mediocre team to win.....it happens.  You then declared that Miami team the team of the ages.  With a couple more years under your belt, I am certain you realize that declaration was silly, and certainly premature at the time.   It could have manifest into a truthful statement, but it was not true at the time.  Now when a player is playing hero ball, you want to declare him something that he is not.   He does not play defense, and he destroys team chemistry which like folks who want to declare Russell Westbrook and his incredible stats the best NBA player when he simply is not.  Just one more hero ball player who will not get rings.  Westbrook may win the MVP.  His offensive stats were incredible, but the NBA has had a history of hero ball offensive players who could not win.  Declaring James the best is simply premature.  I personally do not think he will now make the top five.   Others have been stating the same.   The only chance that James has is to create some type of super team where he plays as a big and plays team ball and gets three more rings.   It is possible.   I cannot shut that door entirely, but it is highly improbable.   For the most part the silliness of the debate, like evolution of history simply requires years of context which makes any declarations again premature and silly.  Any player in a high school, or college game who lowers their shoulder and raises their forearm while plowing through a defensive player will get called on an offensive foul 80% of the time.  I have been a ref.  No refs I have worked with would ever allow that kind of charging and not call the foul 80% of the time.   The other 20% depends on defensive positioning and blocking.  When the NBA over the last decade was marred by mediocrity, it was essential to create superstars.  Kobe and Duncan dominated during the James period, and but for 3 years in a 13 year career, there simply has been no domination.  The very stat you have proudly announced as making James special is the indictment which will ultimately relegate him to only a top 10 player as KD and Curry pass him on the all time list.

All day today the sports radio shows were talking about the fix. I have Never heard this type of intensity. The crooked ex NBA ref admitted they are pressuring for at least a game six. Yet, tonight on ESPN and ABC the TV folks who paid big bucks for the NBA are trying to make that game seem legitimate. Not one truthful comment as the NBA and the networks perfect the fantasy. History was altered by a stolen game, and not talking about it confirms the fix. How can the air waves and internet light up about the same, but nothing from the TV commentators. I wish TNT had the final. We might get some truth.

If the Warriors do not win by a margin of 15, something is wrong. The Cavs cannot play defense. They cannot stop the warriors, but they can put an awesome offensive display if the refs take defense out of the championship series. shameful.

Game 4 was a travesty. We have President Trump. We have fake news. Now we have fake basketball. Anything for a buck.

she was calling fouls clearly out of her field of vision and not her calls to make.

I started to ref Junior high games and often I was stuck without another ref. You simply cannot see everything. With two refs you are taught where to transition and where to view. It is rare with two refs to miss a call. However, with three refs, there is absolutely no explanation for the Irving over and back but corruption.

Here we go again. Shameful There was no foul on Irving. Irving grabbed Klay's wrist.

Three key players with two fouls half way through the first quarter. I like the way Klay handled it. Just shaking his head. I will give it some more time, but I have seen two clear non fouls called on the warriors. Shameful.

Been in the backyard covering firewood. This is not a straight game so I am all but done. I check in from time to time, but this is nonsense. Big storm coming and I would rather watch the storm than what I have seen in the first quarter. James travels and still argues. This is horrible.

All day talk radio talked about letting the cavs rest on simple calls, and James travels and they take over a minute to determine a simple travel. Travesty.

I still can't get over the non-call on the obvious wrap up of the green lay up. It was an intentional foul to prevent the easy two... no call. There was no way to miss it.

James is standing not playing a lick of defense, and not even boxing out and rebounding, yet they keep calling fouls on the team which is playing defense. Love has not played a lick of defense. This game should have the warriors up by thirty. Who cares at this point. My NBA apple has lost it's shine.

He's literally playing only half of the court. Without the bullrush he has no business playing guard.

Without the bullrush he has no business playing guard.


The part that really has me piszed off is the announcers not zeroing in on his horrible defense where he left his man Durant twice and they start talking about bad switches and bad communication. How long is this media bias going to cover up his horrible defense. There is no top 10 player who was this terrible on defense in the prime of his career. He could not guard anybody, but he sure could not guard the best player on the planet. The failure to box out and rebound, and no defense, and then just pushing people over with offensive charges, sorry the NBA is bull chit in my mind right now as they have promoted hero ball to make up for the lack of good teams for ten years, and the myths just keep being spouted while the NBA rigs the series. The Warriors got robbed and some folks on talk radio are finally going to tell the truth.....the emperor has no clothes. I was so pumped up for a fair series, and instead got this chit. Sorry, I am so piszed that the announcers and the refs are trying to sell a fantasy. The warriors are a great TEAM.

Both teams are coming up against pay caps and expiring contracts. It'll be interesting who survives.

Did you hear the booing for silver. The fans know this chit is not straight, and Silver has risked the entire integrity of the league trying to keep the era of mediocrity alive with hero ball and a ref whistle.

PkrBum wrote: He's literally playing only half of the court. Without the bullrush he has no business playing guard.

The 4th quarter all of James points, spinning into the basket, the Warriors let him go uncontested. Each time he scored the Warriors answered with 2 or 3 pointers.

Joanimaroni wrote:

PkrBum wrote: He's literally playing only half of the court. Without the bullrush he has no business playing guard.

The 4th quarter all of James points, spinning into the basket, the Warriors let him go uncontested. Each time he scored the Warriors answered with 2 or 3 pointers.

They couldn't contest the whirling dervish... the league made that clear. It was a good adjustment.

The greatest team in NBA history has unanimously agreed to refuse a white house visit with Donald Trump. I say good for them.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/golden-state-warriors-decline-white-house-visit-donald-trump-nba-champions-a7787706.html

Here we go again. The Warriors have a path to be the greatest team in NBA history. They have two rings and should have had three rings but for the league interference in the series last year. I think I will totally agree that if the Warriors win five rings total in the next three years they will be greatest. They certainly won the most games in the regular season, but they stumbled at OK and they stumbled with the chit the NBA did last year. I do not think it is a good look for the NBA to not got to the White House. Finally NBA basketball is getting record viewership with the talented play of the Warriors, and they will turn a lot of people off. However, some things are more important than basketball, and as Steve Kerr's father was killed in the Middle East by terrorists, his disgust with how the President has conducted his policies is understandable.