Phil Jackson responds to what the League had to say about the ending of Game 4… Gotta love the guy.
L.A. Times: Fisher’s 17-foot shot with 6.9 seconds left appeared to graze the rim before hitting Spurs forward Robert Horry and falling out of bounds. The referees, however, said Fisher’s shot was an air ball, leaving the Lakers with only two seconds left on the shot clock. Kobe Bryant’s hasty turnaround 16-footer was short, and the Spurs gained possession with 2.1 seconds to play.
“What did they say about the 24-second clock?” Jackson asked rhetorically. “They didn’t want to go all the way? You’ve got to start peeling that onion a long way back, don’t you, if you start opening it up.”
His track record speaks for itself… nuff said right? Well since he did come out and give another one of his propecies, why not laugh about it en route to our dethroning of the champions tonight?
ESPN: “Bucher: The Spurs have structured their contracts so that only Parker and Duncan are under contract for the summer of ‘10, when a dozen or more superstars — Kobe, who has great admiration for the San Antonio organization, included — could be available.”
Please, let’s not talk about the foul-or-no-foul no-call at the end of the last game, let’s just focus on the game at hand.
Pertinent Facts -
Lakers are 2-0 in close out games.
Lakers are 7-0 at home.
Lakers rotation age average: Young.
Spurs rotation age average: Old.
Now, I know a huge deal has been made about the aging Spurs, but the truth is this is their last time around with this current roster (well, current supporting cast) and you have to feel that they’re going to give it their all in Game 5.
ESPN: The NBA announced to its teams this week at its annual pre-draft camp that fines will be imposed on players starting next season for clear cases of “flopping,” ESPN.com has learned.
The league office has yet to determine exact fine amounts for offending flops and how fines might escalate for repeat offenders, but in-game arena observers and video reviewers will be instructed to report instances of theatrical flopping for potential punishment as part of postgame reports on officiating and other matters.
The league’s pledge to crack down on flopping was conveyed to team representatives at Tuesday’s competition committee meeting in Orlando.
NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed the new policy Wednesday night saying: “What was clearly expressed to the committee is that we would begin imposing fines next season for the most egregious type of flops. When players are taking a dive, for lack of a better term.”
Because a precise penalty system has not yet been structured, it is not yet known whether serial floppers will be subject to possible suspensions after a certain number of fines for flopping, as seen with the league’s protocol on technical fouls. Players who accrue 16 technicals during the regular season are hit with a one-game suspension when they get to No. 16 — the limit is seven technicals during the playoffs — and receive one-game suspensions for every other technical thereafter (No. 18, 20, etc.).
UPDATE: Looks like Shaw won’t be heading over at all! Yahoo! is reporting Doug Collins will be back as the Bulls head coach next season. I think that’s a great fit, and selfishly, I never wanted Shaw to leave us. But IF he did/does, I as well as many out there wish him the best of luck.
O.C. Register: “I want to take a shot at it,” Shaw said. “I think I’m ready but that remains to be seen. I’ve always been the type of person that is ready to take on a new challenge and be placed in situation where it’s up to you, whether you sink or swim.”
If they’re watching the replay, wouldn’t they see that technically Barry traveled first? Oh well, the league claims a foul should’ve been made…
ESPN: The league office on Wednesday reviewed the final play of the San Antonio Spurs’ 93-91 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and acknowledged that a two-shot foul should have been called on Derek Fisher for impeding Brent Barry.
After falling behind by seven points in the final minute, San Antonio sliced the deficit to two and regained possession with 2.1 seconds to play.
Barry then wound up with the ball in the center of the floor on a play called for Manu Ginobili and faked Fisher in the air but struggled to get off a 3-point heave at the buzzer after Fisher came down and bumped Barry.
“With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made,” league spokesman Tim Frank said Wednesday.
The miss sealed an L.A. victory that moved the Lakers into a commanding 3-1 series lead entering Thursday’s Game 5 at Staples Center.
But the Spurs did not protest the non-call afterward, even though a foul called before the shot would have sent Barry to the line for two free throws and a chance to force overtime.
The non-call nonetheless generated more than the usual scrutiny because the closest referee to the play was Joey Crawford, with whom San Antonio has a contentious recent history.
Ball Don’t Lie: They’re not dead yet, San Antonio could win three straight to take the series and while I would be surprised, I wouldn’t be shocked. Let’s face facts, though: the Spurs are more or less finished.
That part, though we picked the Lakers to win and know exactly why the team has San Antonio in a 3-1 hole, still seems a little shocking. Knowing the game and understanding the science is one thing, but it’s still a weird sight to see Mike Tyson on the canvas, eight seconds into a ten count.
We’ll get into the particulars of the game later, hopefully a few hours away from the thought of the refereeing vicissitudes has mellowed your edge just a little, but for now we should remind ourselves of why, exactly, these Spurs are on the ropes.
(Can you believe we’re heaping this much reverence and working under these sorts of conditions regarding a team that has won exactly one NBA championship in a row? Yes, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich have established a Spurs dynasty – of sorts, and I’ve no interest in getting into what exactly makes and doesn’t make a dynasty – but this isn’t some team wrapping up the tail end of a three-peat. That’s says more about the Spurs than us, I think, that they’ve earned that sort of respect.)
The Spurs, as presently constructed, are getting so little, from so many. From the bigs to the bench to Manu Ginobili at times and Tony Parker in relation to what he usually does against teams with point guards on the wrong side of 32 (no 30-point games for Tony, ‘ere), the team is living off of its defense, Tim Duncan, and scraps.
O.C. Register: The career-long question for Lamar Odom is this: What are you?
Scorer? Rebounder? Passer? Leader? Facilitator? Main man?
On nights like this, the answer is simple: Yes.
Because, in the fourth game of Western Conference finals, with a howling crowd and a frowning NBA champion threatening to slither into his head, Odom went on an eight-point flurry that raised the Lakers’ lead from two to seven with :56 left, and put the Spurs into a tight corral. Which, of course, is where they showed their brand.
The Lakers botched the math in the final minute. Kobe Bryant took a quick shot when he could have used the clock to lock the door. Odom goaltended a shot by Tony Parker — “I thought I had him, I was going to be like Tayshaun Prince, coming from behind,” he said.
And Brent Barry found himself with the ball in 3-point land and a chance to actually win outright. Because Derek Fisher body-blocked him in the collarbone, his 3-point try didn’t even sideswipe the hoop, and the Lakers trotted off with a 93-91 victory, a 3-1 lead in the series, and another ace on another test. One more, and it’s a Finals exam.
“We’re getting an education,” Odom said later. “We’re playing a team with the heart of a champion, but we’re making plays for each other. We’re very tight, we have camaraderie. And we have a lot of people who can show us how to win.
Elie Seckbach reported from last night’s “Home Court Advantage,” where STAPLES Center was open for fans to come and watch the game.
Our very own varsityoptimism was there and interviewed by Elie. Great and funny stuff. And who is that Spurs fan? Come out of your hiding place… that must’ve hurt walking out of there after that loss.
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