The hot topic in the sports after last night’s Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals is whether or not a foul should have been called on Derek Fisher on the last play of the game when he clearly bumped into Brent “I Still Owe You That Dunk Contest Trophy, Mr. Finley” Barry. People are citing the classic conspiracy theories already: “Stern wants the Lakers in the Finals, they’re a big market team, they have the league’s top superstar, Lakers vs. Celtics will draw huge ratings, etc.”
I am compelled to weigh in.
An admitted Laker fan, my defense of what happened last night may, on the surface, appear to be blatant homerism. But I’m a basketball fan first. You want to see egregiously partial officiating: 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers vs. the Kings. I was watching at a bar with a co-worker who was a Kings fan and I felt obligated to buy him drinks all night to amend for the hideous calls going in favor of my Lakers that game. It was awful.
The very next year, LA played a Game 3 in the first round against the T-wolves that we should’ve graciously forfeited had we somehow won due to the referee’s wearing purple and gold all night.
Last night, however, was different. Do not add this one to your manilla Conspiracy Evidence folder my friend. This was simply a case of bad officiating on all fronts cancelling itself out.
Regarding the “questionable” non-call, my determination is, yes, it probably should have been a two-shot foul (I may grudgingly concede a foul call on the final play of a crucial playoff game with the ball 30-damn-feet from the basket, but there’s no way I’m conceding continuation), but it’s a play that never should have happened in the first place.
As many others have already blogged about before me, Derek Fisher’s jumper on the Lakers’ final posession did get rim. Grazed, yes, but it hit. The refs blew that call, creating the threat of a shot clock violation on the ensuing inbounds play, forcing Kobe to jack a shot up when he should have been able and catch the ball and hold it until the inevitable foul. He goes to the line, hits his free throws (if we’re presuming Barry would hit his and force overtime, then we should also presume Kobe would hit his to put the game away) and that last, controversial play never happens.
Additionally, before the Lakers’ last possession, Tony Parker was beneficiary of a blown goaltending call on Lamar Odom, who cleanly pinned his layup to the backboard. If Tony isn’t awarded the bucket, LA takes the ball to the other end of the court in a situation where the Spurs are forced to put them on the foul line, where they likely seal the victory.
The Spurs, as an organization, have handled this controversy with their usual class. Pop said that he wouldn’t have made the call. Barry didn’t complain about it. The only people complaining are fans, many of whom aren’t even Spurs fans, just Laker haters.
Fact is, you can’t argue this call without mentioning the above-mentioned blown calls that put the Spurs in that position. The Spurs know this themselves, which is probably a contributing factor in their refusal to blame their loss on that call.
It’s a non-play. A phantom. Stop comparing it to Ginobli’s foul of Nowitzki from Game 7 in the ‘05 semis. It’s not the same situation (for one, as people are so quick to forget, that wasn’t the last play of the game, or even the quarter: the Spurs had 20 more seconds in regulation, and secondly, the Mavs hadn’t just been given the opportunity courtesy of blown calls against San Antonio).
UPDATE:
If there is a situation to compare it to, it would be this…
Back to last night, had the call been made and the Spurs gone on to win, people would be rightfully complaining about Fisher’s shot and Odom’s block.
And stop saying “two wrongs don’t make a right.” It’s a stupid phrase, it’s never made sense, and even if it did it wouldn’t apply to this situation.
In the end, it all balanced out, and the team that was supposed to win won the damn game.
THE. END.
