OT Lance Stephenson

[traitor71]

You may be able to complain about James not being called for fouls, but using the calls from the last game is a pretty bad way to do it. As for Vogel, he should be blamed for the way that team handles itself. Hell, he's at the head of it with his sideline antics, running around like a maniac and leaning out onto the floor to yell at guys when they are shooting in some attempt to distract them. It's grade school stuff and that team seems to embrace it. If there was ever a team that needed to grow up, it's Indiana. I don't think it will happen without major changes though.

 

[dogfan96]

I've watched the Pacers since AJ was on the team.

I like Hill, Paul George, David West, and Frank Vogel. In fact, I feel badly for Frank Vogel. I think he's milked everything possible out of that team..and that team has exceeded expectations, and they've come back to earth a bit. And he's blamed for it.

George is incredibly talented. I like a 24 year old that excels at defense. His offensive skills aren't there yet, but they'll come.

Stephenson though..most of the time the guy drives me nuts. I would hate him if he was my teammate. But I find what he does to Lebron and Wade to be sort of funny.

As for the refs..the entire Pacers starting lineup got in foul trouble at some point during their trip to Miami. The calls on Lebron weren't bad calls, they were just calls not typically called on Lebron. Cry me a river.

It's not like everybody on the Pacers was in foul trouble and everybody on Miami was fine. They had multiple players with 4+ fouls too. And for the series, the Pacers have shot more FTs by a considerable number.

 

[junglehusky]

too many photoshops!!!

 

[gtcam]

I don't know. Most of those fouls on Lebron last night were pretty ridiculous, that one included. The guy averages a foul and a half a game and I'm not sure any of the ones called on him last night were clear fouls. The timing does not do much to quiet those people who say the league has their thumb on the scale when a team's trying to close out a series early.

LeBron draws a thousand fold more fouls by his constant carping to the refs everytime someone touches him yet he, while a very good defensive player, does a lot of holding and hand slapping. I feel no remorse for LeBron. People say Kolbe complains but with his style of play he is banged a whole lot while going to the hoop. Watching LeBron trying to draw a fould on EVERY jumper he takes makes me wish for an offensive "flopping" penalty.

 

[intlzncster]

True, but a rogue official is different than a league - TV network motivated conspiracy to fix outcomes of games. Then again, historically the league absolutely assigns certain officials ( Bavetta*) that favor home-teams in situations were a home-team W keeps a series going. And so once you routinely do that you may be essentially telling these officials that they are expected to favor the home team.

from Wiki
*In a 2002 article, Bill Simmons named the worst officiated games of the prior four years, alleging that the games involved either extending a series so it did not end quickly or advancing a large market team for the NBA's benefit. All seven games named had been officiated by Bavetta. [20]

I get that, and you are right. I was just trying to say that NBA officials are definitely ones to keep an eye on, even if simply their over the top favoritism of star players (and the assigning of certain guys like you say). The home team favoritism is actually pretty normal across all sports; it's human nature.

 

[blackbird]

It's not like everybody on the Pacers was in foul trouble and everybody on Miami was fine. They had multiple players with 4+ fouls too. And for the series, the Pacers have shot more FTs by a considerable number.

Their entire starting lineup was in foul trouble in game four, and all of their starters except David West were in foul trouble in game 3.

But it was apparently silly for Paul George to make comments about the refs. Meanwhile, when Lebron gets in foul trouble (once in what..five years..) it must be a conspiracy.

Come on, don't be like ESPN.

 

[dogfan96]

Their entire starting lineup was in foul trouble in game four, and all of their starters except David West were in foul trouble in game 3.

But it was apparently silly for Paul George to make comments about the refs. Meanwhile, when Lebron gets in foul trouble (once in what..five years..) it must be a conspiracy.

Come on, don't be like ESPN.

Like I said, check the stats.. Indiana shot 37 FTs to 15 by Miami in Game 1 but I didn't hear anybody crying about the refs then. In the past 2 playoffs, Miami has had the FT advantage over their 1st round opponent (and I'm not totally sure that they shot more FT than the Bobcats) and pretty much NOBODY ELSE. So the ref talk is tired.

 

[Rocktheworld]

And for the series, the Pacers have shot more FTs by a considerable number.

I remember seeing a stat before last game saying the Pacers overall, after complaining about game 4, still had shot like at least 20 more FTs over the course of the series. Well, they shot 14 more than the Heat last night, so we're looking at an overall 35-40 FT advantage over 5 games. Averaging 7-8 more FTs per game.