San Antonio Spurs forward Brent Barry after the NBA admitted Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher fouled him in the waning seconds of Game 4 with the Lakers leading 93-91.
“That’s awesome because Doc Brown is waiting for me outside, and we’re going to get in the DeLorean and fire up the flux capacitor and we’re going to go back and shoot a couple of free throws.”
Many people are asking who gets the credit for the Lakers return to glory. A vote online gives you the option of voting for Phil, Kobe, Kupchack, the Grizzlies front office, or Pau Gasol. Yes, all of these options have helped contribute to the Lakers great season. Phil held the team together. Kupchack put the team together. The Grizzlies office donated Gasol who took the place of the injured Bynum. And Bryant smoothly played his best year of basketball ever and took MVP honors.
But aren’t we forgetting somebody. Ummmm… like the rest of the freaking Lakers, whom without the Lakers couldn’t even be called an NBA basketball team. Five players are needed to start this game. And there should probably be some sort of bench to replace the starting five. Imagine five players alone trying to play a whole 48 minutes against the Warriors? And a few extra players are certainly necessary when injuries happen.
How good are the rest of the Lakers? Good. This team is deep. From spots 3-10 they can all play ball. They are more experienced in the offense as most of the team has had a couple seasons in it and understands the complex cuts and rotation of the triangle. They are stronger with the ball, think of Fisher, Odom, Jordan Farmar or pre-injured Bynum. They rebound better, think of Odom or pre-injured Bynum. They are shooting better than last season, think of Vujacic and Radmonvic. They play better defense, think of Turiaf, Walton and pre-injured Ariza. The team also has young legs (barring Derek Fisher) which is an obvious advantage. And last and most importantly, they all believe in each other. It can be seen on the bench as the Lakers cheer on their team mates.
So without the rest of the team, this years Laker squad could never had hoped that they would make as much noise as they have. Kobe and Pau would be one hell of a two on two squad at the local gym but they couldn’t do squat on their own in the NBA. It takes a team effort.
There will be a new champion in the NBA this season.
The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, rallying from a 17-point deficit to dethrone the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, 100-92.
The Lakers could find out who their NBA Finals opponent tonight if the Celtics can get past the Pistons in Game 6.
So who would the Lakers rather face?
Boston went 25-5 against the West this season. Detroit went 22-8. Both Eastern Conference teams will have home court in the playoffs as well, although the series format will be a bit different going the 2-3-2 variety. Either way it’ll be a tough draw for the Lakers, especially if the home team holds serve and goes up 0-2. That would almost certainly mean the Lakers would have to sweep the three home games. Good thing for Lakers fans is L.A. hasn’t lost at home in the playoffs.
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If Ashton Kutcher (I’m not referring to Utah Jazz’s Kyle Korver) were an NBA player he would battle Vlade Divac for the NBA’s greatest flopper award. That is how impressive the flop has become. It has gained so much airtime that it might as well be a MTV afternoon show.
The NBA has its hands full as it tries to get rid of flopping in the NBA. If MTV can’t get rid of the god awful Punk’d series, how does the NBA think it can get rid of flopping? It is too much of a judgment call for referees. NBA fouls should be black or white not gray. Think of the controversy if BSlim’s favorite ref, Joey Crawford, who already missed an obvious foul of Derek Fisher on Brent Bary in the closing seconds of Game 4, missed making a flop call. That could start a civil war between Texas and California.
So does the League undermine the calls of its refs? Does fining a player a few dollars out of their pocket really change the game?
Something should be done, but just like canceling MTV’s Punk’d series, it seems impossible.
NBA, you’ve been Flop’d.
Everyone has been getting a kick out of Mariah Carey’s first pitch in Japan and I figured I’d spend a few minutes hours seeing if I could compile some sort of best/worst first pitches. You guys are so lucky to have me.
Up first: Cinci’s Mayor in an absolute travesty of a mockery of a sham of manhood. The look on Eric Davis’ face is priceless.
Second: How is this even possible? I’ve been to Petco and I don’t remember having to check my testicles at the door.
Third: Unless you were simultaneously drunk, stoned, tripping, high, wasted, trashed and stupid there is absolutely no excuse for this. Ever.
Fourth: Eesh, Mariah. I’m pretty sure I heard a “sexy0″ from the Japanese announcer in there somewhere. G Slim, how do you say “BALL” in Kanji?
Five: In case you had any doubts about why G Slim appreciated his time in Japan so much, click here.
Donaghy, believed to have bet on over 100 NBA games, will be sentenced in July on gambling and wire-fraud charges. He faces 25 years in prison, but WCBias.com has learned Donaghy is already wearing stripes.
According to sources close to the situation, Donaghy’s witness-protection program has him back officiating in the NBA – the last place in the world anyone would expect to see him.
Donaghy shaved his head and has taken on a new identity, going by the name Joey Crawford.
The plan has worked like a charm so far as Donaghy has blown call after call, got in an on-court squabble with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and failed to blow his whistle in the waning seconds of Game 4 when Brent Barry was clearly fouled by Derek Fisher. A foul call would’ve put Barry (a 95% shooter) at the line with a chance to send the game into overtime.
But instead of blowing his whistle, Donaghy decided to swallow it, just like Crawford would have. Late Wednesday, the NBA even sent out a statement admitting Crawford blew the call and that Barry should’ve gone to the line for a one-and-one.
Donaghy’s impersonation of Crawford has been so outstanding, Jack Nicholson is hoping to meet with him after tonight’s Game 5 in hopes of having him audition for the starring role in his upcoming film about the life of Pete Rose entitled “Charlie the Hustler and Degenerate Gambler.”
Here’s an update on WCBias.com’s picks for the Western Conference Finals, resuming tonight at Staples Center with the Lakers leading the series 3-1 (Yo Amy Lawrence, they don’t play at The Forum!).
And although the four of us were split on our picks, BG and I (BSlim) weren’t that far off considering the officials played a big role in the Spurs demise.
Here’s how we saw the series shaping up when we did our picks before Game 1 along with an updated note below:
GSlim: Lakers in 6. Kobe is too good, Gasol too long, and Duncan too old.
Update: GSlim looks like he’ll win this thing. Way to go out on a limb there G. And Duncan isn’t that old – he’s the same age as Ryantific. Respect your elders.
Ryantific: Lakers in 7. It will be a battle but this will come down to two things, Lamar Odom can’t be guarded by the Spurs and the young legs of the Lakers bench.
Update: While Odom has played hide and seek against the Spurs, the Lakers bench has been a difference maker. In Game 1, which set the tone for the series, San Antonio’s bench was outscored 21 to 11. If there’s one thing Ryantific knows, it’s the significance of bench play. Trust me, I rode the pine with him in high school.
BG: Spurs in 6, a) to be different b) until they actually lose, they are the team to beat. However, if Stern decides to spring Donahey out of prison so he can blow some whistles in LA’s favor in Game 7 to avoid another awful Pistons-Spurs Finals matchup, then I reserve the right to switch my pick.
Update: Well, BG, you were definitely different – and out of the running. Spurs in 6 can’t mathematically happen thanks to the Game 4 loss in San Antonio. Maybe that wasn’t Joey Crawford who swallowed his whistle in the waning seconds of Game 4. What would Tim Donaghy look like with a shaved head anyway (just wait to see this next post)?
BSlim: Spurs in 7. My wife is a huge Spurs fan, her cat is named Duncan and the dog named Ginobili. If I don’t go with the Spurs, I’m sleeping on the couch with Manu. Like BG, I reserve the right to change my pick if Joey Crawford is wearing stripes.
Update: It ain’t over yet, although it’s not looking good for yours truly. Now the only question remaining is who’s my scapegoat. My wife the Spurs Fan, our dog Ginobili, or Joey Crawford, the worst official in the history of the NBA.
FISHER FOULED BARRY! Speaking of which, the NBA officially agrees that Derek Fisher fouled Brent Barry in the closing seconds of Game 4 and that he should’ve gone to the line for two free throws. Hmmm. Sounds like something somebody on this site said yesterday. All bets are off! All bets are off! BG and I want our money back.
Early word out of LA is that AJ’s surgery was a smashing success. WCBias caught up with the doctor who performed the operation (pictured at right) and asked him a few questions.
WCBias: Dr. Nick, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. AJ sure is in good hands.
Dr. Nick: Thank you very much but I’m not actually a real doctor. I made my diploma with Photoshop and I had my first name legally changed to Doctor, so I’ve got my bases pretty much covered.
WCBias: Well, the LA Times is reporting that everything went well during the surgery, is that your understanding as well?
Dr. Nick: Yes, correct. Other than the fact that the patient was actually dead when he was brought in there was nothing out of the ordinary.
WCBias: Prior to the surgery AJ was batting .167 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI. Let’s say the surgery is a total disaster and AJ comes back a shell of his former self. How would we even know?
Dr. Nick: I can’t speculate on that at this time but you raise a good point, there’s no way to know.
WCBias: Were you or any of your staff at all tempted to try grafting other body parts onto AJ? Any old lady cadavers laying around you might be able to borrow from?
Dr. Nick: Like I told Joe Torre earlier today, anything like that would be highly unethical and also not covered by the Dodgers’ HMO.
WCBias: Thanks for your time, Doctor. Sounds like he’s in great hands.
I love Charles Barkley, but before Tuesday’s game he said something stupid again.
Sir Charles said, repeatedly, that Joey Crawford officiating this game “isn’t a story.”
Well, if it wasn’t a story before the game, it sure became one afterward.
But I don’t want to ride just Barkley, because Marv the Perv and Collins the Crappy Coach (15-23 in the playoffs) sucked even more during the play-by-play portion of the broadcast. Collins, AN EX-COACH OF MJ – didn’t even realize the shot clock hadn’t reset on the Lakers’ final possession when Derek Fisher “air balled” (another call the refs probably blew) a shot in the waning seconds.
So when the Lakers got the ball back after it ricocheted off a Spurs player, the fans had no idea Kobe Bryant was going to jack up that quick, off-balanced shot that fell short (unless you were watching the miniscule shot clock in the corner like my boy Ryantific).
Then, on the next possession, TNT’s dynamite duo failed to mention if the Lakers were in the penalty, which left more questions than answers when the final horn sounded and Brent Barry’s desperation three shanked off the backboard after an apparent foul by Fisher.
And neither commentator even bothered to bring up the previous history Joey Crawford and the Spurs had, even though this hack blogger has been writing about that “isn’t a story” storyline since the Phoenix-San Antonio series. (If it’s not a big deal, why did Crawford and Gregg Popovich have that on-court squabble during the conference semifinals, with Popovich throwing Crawford’s hand away when the ref shoved his index finger into the coach’s sternum).
And wasn’t it Crawford who was involved in another off-court issue involving NBA referees in 1998 when he was one of eight zebras charged with filing false income taxes?
Dear David Stern, why are you opening yourself up to another officiating scandal? If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times. Fire the dude or banish him to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Someone in the mainstream media finally asked Stern about the Crawford-Spurs beef last week when the commish was on Rome is Burning.
Rome: Should (Crawford) have been in that series (Western Conference semis)?
Stern: When I have a referee that I can’t assign to a series then I don’t have a referee.
Rome: You couldn’t have put him in another series just to avoid that (conflict)?
Stern: I have to put a referee in the rotation. We can’t do that. If a referee can’t referee a game then he can’t referee.
Well David, it’s becoming quite clear Joey can’t referee. Crawford, as luck would have it Tuesday, was in fact the official who swallowed his whistle on that final play, when Barry was clearly fouled by Fisher after the up fake. You know if Kobe made that pump fake, he would’ve got the call. Heck, RK’s boy Sasha Vujacic got a whistle on a three-pointer toward the end of the third quarter: and at least Barry has a last name. But “he didn’t sell it,” another TNT brainiac, Reggie Miller, pointed out after the game. Hey Reggie, when did NBA players become used car salesmen. I guess he should have had a “full steam of head,” too.
The only question that remained was whether Barry was fouled on the shot (continuation goes a long way in the NBA) or on the floor. Either way, Barry should’ve been at the line with two free throws (that was the fifth foul on the Lakers) to tie or three to win (if that last foul came on the shot). I thought it was a one-and-one, myself.
Then again, Fisher’s last shot likely hit the rim at the other end and should have reset the shot clock and put an end to that last Spurs’ attempt to win or tie it.
And if you watched the entire game, it was obvious the Spurs didn’t deserve to win this one and never led for a reason.
They were outrebounded 46-37. And they got seven points from Ginobili on 2-of-8 shooting.
Defense and guard play, y’all.
Maybe that’s why both Popovich and Barry took the high road after the loss, saying (although I doubt they believe what they were saying) that it was a good no call in the end.
“That’s not going to get called in the Western Conference finals,” Barry said. “Maybe in the regular season. But that call shouldn’t be called in the Western Conference finals.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said: “If I was the official, I wouldn’t have called that a foul.”
If you were that official, you would’ve have thrown Tim Duncan out of a game for laughing or challenged him to a fight either.
Say it with me people, “Hey Joey Crawford and you TNT hacks, how do you have a job?“
I have ruined exactly 2.5 relationship because of my addiction to fantasy sports. The .5 is the one I’m currently ruining at this very moment. All good girls; cute, smart, fun to be with but I just couldn’t put them first. Recently, I came upon the realization that fantasy sports has taken over for porn. The other night when my girl caught me at 4:54 in the morning trying to add Clayton Kershaw to my fantasy baseball team, she actually told me she hated me. It was as if she would have actually preferred me to be looking at naked pictures of Pamela Anderson then fretting over who I was going to drop to create space for my new ace (rhyming unintended but that is why WCBIAS is more than just a sports blog, its an experience). To be honest, my past relationships tell me that most girls would probably rather prefer their man to be surfing spankerwire than the waiver wire. Why you ask? Well, although girls hate porn they know their man would always prefer a real live naked women (them) to some image on a screen that they can’t touch. However, with fantasy sports, the women today really aren’t sure where they stand in comparison. It’s uncharted territory for them. It’s like, I know he says he loves me but he cries when his closer blows a save and doesn’t seem to bat an eye when I have a bad day at work. Why does he spend hours a day on the phone with his best friend talking about the rookie call up Jay Bruce (he went 3-3 with 2 walks, 2 rbi, 2 runs, and a steal in a spectacular debut) but seems completely put out when I want to talk about our future? The answer is because fantasy sports is the new porn and we are addicted like we never have been before. Sorry ladies but it’s true.
