Nuggets outmuscle Lakers to even series
Typically, an NBA team can expect to score one point per possession (or thereabouts) over a course of a game. So when one team outrebounds another on the offensive glass by a margin of 20-9, it’s really 11 extra possessions and 11 extra opportunities to score. That’s why the Nuggets were able to bounce back tonight from a tough loss in Game 3; they dominated the glass by a margin of 58-40, and went on to win 120-101.
The win is even more impressive considering the struggles of Carmelo Anthony, who went 3 of 16 from the field. Chauncey Billups picked up the slack, and had key back-to-back buckets when the Nuggets were nursing a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter. He drove to the hole and got the “and one,” and then on the Nuggets’ next possession, he brought the ball up and drained a three. Billups was one of seven Nuggets to score in double figures; J.R. Smith deserves mention for his 24 points and four assists off the bench.
Kobe Bryant posted 34 points on 10 of 26 shooting (39%). Pau Gasol added 21 points and 10 boards, and Andrew Bynum had 14 points and five boards, but Phil Jackson isn’t getting much production from the rest of the roster. Two vets that the Lakers are counting on — Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher — combined to shoot 3 of 15 for 10 points.
The series moves back to L.A. for Game 5 and if the Nuggets can avoid the mental errors in crunch time, they have a good shot to win this series. The Lakers are inconsistent and out of synch, and they really need that supporting cast to raise its game.
From a statsitics standpoint, the Nuggets outplayed the Lakers overwhelmingly. They hit their shots and they out-rebounded them all night. Their bench performed well all night and made the Lakers squad look like a bunch of amateurs.
However, from a basketball-fan standpoint, how could anybody take this game seriously? The referees ruined this game with their foul-calling down the stretch in third and the beginning of the fourth quarter–i.e when the game mattered. I don’t know if you could call this “homer-calling,” but you’re a fool to think the Lakers didn’t get screwed, at least in this respect. The referees called every foul on the Lakers in the paint. This not to say the Nuggets didn’t get called for some ticky-tack fouls, but there were just so many “pussy” (and I hate that word) calls that it almost made me throw up on my dinner. They missed the technical when Jones blatantly tripped Kobe and instead called a bullshit technical on Walton and a flagrant foul on Bynum. Denver fans are kidding themselves if they think they won this game on their own. Granted, they did outplay the Lakers and should have won (I honestly believe that), but the referees obviously called in their favor (a toddler could see that). Referees are ruining this game as witnessed by the Orlando/Celtics series. I can’t take seriously whoever advances. We aren’t watching basketball, we’re watching referees turn b-ball players into a bunch of women. It’s laughable, unfun, tedious, and annoying.
How can we decide who the best team in basketball is when referees don’t allow it? Basketball is becoming so boring when a fingertip on a shoulder classifies as a foul. I’ve never been one to suggest a NBA conspiracy to extend the series to 7 games, but these past games are justifiable. I, for one, don’t care anyone who wins this NBA championship.
John, I respect your opinion as your co-worker and because you’re a smart NBA fan. But how can you even enjoy these playoffs? They’re a joke. Baseball in tainted by steroids, hockey is ruined by the ice adjustments, and basketball is ruined by the referees. It all seems to come to a head during the playoffs. It appears to all be about the money and not the athletics. How do you feel about this as an intelligent and genuine sports fan? I’m so fed up by the bottom of my heart.
The year should not be written in the NBA record books. It’s as big a sham as steroids. let them play.
Honestly, I didn’t notice that last night’s game was officiated any better or any worse than any other NBA Playoff game in recent memory. The refs always blow a few calls, but what we’re seeing this year is a number of flagrant fouls and technicals in order to get the game under control woofing-wise.
Re: Jones’ trip. Yes, it was intentional and yes the refs missed it. When I first saw it happen, it looked accidental, so I understand why the ref didn’t make the call if he wasn’t focused on the play. I thought the commentating crew went overboard though calling for a suspension. Jones was beat and knew it and stuck his foot out to trip Kobe and keep him from having a free path to the hoop. It’s not much different to me than one defender grabbing a guy who beat him on the dribble. That happens all the time. He deserves a flagrant foul, but no suspension.
Re: Bynum’s flagrant. Again, on first glance, this looked like the right call. As a player, you don’t wind up with both arms when you’re trying to steal the ball. I think that Bynum was trying to deliver a hard foul and didn’t much care where his hands and arms landed. They happened to get a lot of ball (and a lot of arm) but the intention was there (the wind-up) to lay a hard foul. This is something the NBA is trying to clean up so I understand why the ref called it that way. He doesn’t have the benefit of instant replay. The Bynum vs. Jones thing is a direct result of Bynum’s play being on the ball (where the refs eyes are) and Jones’ play being off the ball (in the refs’ peripheral vision).
Re: Walton’s technical. The NBA is trying to get rid of the woofing. Nene hit Walton with an elbow as Luke tried to get past him, then there was a whistle somewhere else on the court. Walton complained to the ref who must have not given him the response he was looking for because then he went up to Nene to confront him. They didn’t get chest to chest, but Walton got in his face. The ref whistled him for a T. I don’t know what he said, but it must have been unkind because the ref didn’t give him any leeway.
Home teams are typically going to get more calls than the visitors, which is why there is a home court advantage. The foul disparity was 31-24, so pretty distinct, though the Nuggets were taking the ball to the glass while the Lakers were settling for more jumpers. (LA shot 31 three-pointers to Denver’s 24.)
So to answer your question, I didn’t think that the officiating was any worse than it has been in years (or games) past. I prefer this to the thug-ball that prevailed in the ’90s. (Thanks to the Bad Boys of Detroit and Pat Riley’s Knicks and Heat teams.) This way, at least a guy has to try to defend a dribbler without shoving him off his pins and you have to at least try to make a play on the ball when someone goes to the glass.
The officiating isn’t particularly good, but it’s tough being an NBA ref. The fans are closer than in any other sport, and they take more abuse from the players and refs. They need some new blood — a lot of these refs are getting up in years and there eyesight has to be going. Not to mention the difficulty of trying to keep up with athletes in their 20’s. And there are probably more judgment calls in the NBA than any other sport — that only leads to more disputed calls and perceived error.
Thanks for the informed response. I just felt like the Lakers were taking outside shots because they weren’t getting any calls in the paint. The Nuggets, however, got every single call in their favor when they drove to the hoop. I’d love to see how many free throws they were awarded in the final 15 minutes. It’s like if Odom, Bynum, or Gasol so much as laid a finger on a Nugget when they drove the lane, they would get called for a foul. That was the most frustrating part — not so much all the technicals.
From the game’s play-by-play, neither team shot any free throws in the final three minutes of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets shot 20 free throws to the Lakers’ 17.
Walton was called for technical foul early in the quarter, then J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin were all called for techs later on.
They’re trying to clean up the griping, and now that Kobe has his 5th, he isn’t saying anything to the officials, so in a sense it’s working. Once he gets his 7th, he’s suspended for a game.
That still seems like way to many free throws for either team to have in just one quarter. I didn’t feel like I was watching basketball, but rather a free throw seminar. I remember points scored from the three-point line, but any time somebody drove the lane somebody committed a foul. It was just really boring to watch.
And I don’t know how the referees are going to tone down the griping when they call a foul any time they see contact. I would gripe too. I understand that players will retaliate when a call is not in their favor or they feel the referees missed something. The griping must be extremely annoying for the official. Still, they need to let these guys play to a certain extent.
There are two separate issues here — 1) the technicals for the griping and 2) the way the game is being called. I have no problem with #1 because I get tired of watching players bitch at the officials.
#2 seems to be where the problem was last night. I agree that 37 free throws is too much for two teams to shoot in a quarter. Phil Jackson didn’t think that the refs were consistent from qtr 1 to qtr 4 and he’s probably right. That’s all you want as a player or coach — consistency.
That said, I prefer they call it tight versus calling it like they did back in the days of thug ball, but consistency is the key.