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It is my bjournal…
And I have a good post coming soon…
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Not sure how many of my intermittent visitors (though, I don’t think Google Analytics tracks RSS feeds) are (were) watching the Rockets/Lakers game, but Kobe Bryant was just called for a technical foul (I’ll post a video later). There are a couple of things to comment on:
From my perspective and sensibilities, there is an easy solution to the problem of bad officiating: get rid of officals. The “foul/contest + observer”* mechanic of ultimate will take the place of officials. Many people would be skeptical of such a plan, but I must say that I have never played in an ultimate game where the officials had a significant impact on the outcome of the game (mostly because there aren’t any).
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest arguments against removing officials would be players like Kobe who think that every time they are touched, even if they initiate the contact, that it is a foul. I believe that the reason Kobe, and players of his ilk (which is a lot, by the way, I only chose Kobe because we were already talking about him, and he is being particularly whiney tonight) are sensitve to being fouled is because of officials. In fact, if you look at basic basketball strategy, much of it is centered around getting fouled. That seems wrong to me, and if you think about it, it is wrong. The game is about players.
Officials (observers), would still be necessary, of course, especially during the transition. They would be used to reset the shotclock, rule on twos and threes, call three-second and illegal defense violations, etc. Of course, they would also be there to resolve disputes and to intervene if necessary, and the League would review players’ foul/contest behaviours, and issue penalties if needed.
Think about it. Players controlling the game.
* A player calls a foul, the offending player can say ‘contest’ if they feel there wasn’t wrong doing, and the observer settles disputes, should they arrive. A contested foul results in a “do-over” essentially.
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At 8:50 to play in game 5 of Orlando vs. Boston, Mickael Pietrus cut behind the Celtics defense, leapt in the air, and dunked the ball. This shot put Boston down 77-63 with 8:48 to play. Over the next 4 minutes and 52 seconds, Glen Davis and Stephon Marbuy scored all 16 Boston points (they averaged 10.8 per game combined during the regular season), as compared to 8 from Orlando, and only four from Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu (who averaged 37.4 PPG during the regular season).
And even though Orlando was still up with 3:56 to play, the game was over as Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins, all of whom were not on the floor since 8:48, came into the game, and Orlando mustered three points for the remainder of the game, all on free throws intentionally given.
It may have been one of the most stunning and masterfully-coached sequences I’ve ever witnessed. Boston knows how to finish, Orlando doesn’t (hint: give the ball to Dwight Howard).
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I am watching Dallas/Denver, game 3, and Josh Howard just got a technical foul for hitting a ball into the stands after the play was over. I suppose that it goes down as a “delay of game” type penalty, and it isn’t the first time that I’ve seen a player penalized for it. The theory, I think, of throwing a shot like that back— after the play is over— is an assertion of toughness: any time you come in here, we’re planning on turning you away. The Celtics won a championship last year with that sort of mentality, and I think it is a winning one.
I have a huge problem with penalizing a player for it. The way I see it, the offensive player continuing after the whistle has blown is the one delaying the game, though I have definitely never seen a player penalized for it. In fact, right after he got a penalty for it, Chauncy Billups shot the technical free throw, ran up to get the ball, grabbed it out of the net, and put it back in the basket. Delay of Game, Technical Foul? Not a chance.
We like to call that a double standard.
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You know what nobody is talking about? The abnormal shortness of Ron Artest’s uniform shorts. Look at highlights from the Monday game against the Lakers.
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Rajon Rondo makes the Boston Celtics work.
Sure, Paul Pierce made the big clutch shots at the end of regulation last night and again at the end of overtime, but Rondo is the reason they were even in the game. Rondo takes pressure off of Pierce during the game so that he can do what he does at the end of the game.
In the five post-season games this year, Rajon Rondo is averaging a triple-double (24-10-11). That’s ridiculous. He also happens to be in the top-10 in scoring (8th), rebounding (8th), assists (3rd), steals (2nd, behind my boy Mario Chalmers), minutes played (3rd), assis-to-turnover ratio (8th), and is 16th in FG%. In other words, he’s been incredibly productive and incredibly efficient.
Just to put it in perspective, the only other players in the playoffs with even a double-double average are: Yao Ming (16-11-1), Joakim Noah (11-12-3), Chris Paul (23-6-11), Dwight Howard (24-16-1), LeBron James (32-11-8), Lamar Odom ( 18-11-2), Carlos Boozer (21-13-2), and Deron Williams (20-4-11). That means nobody from the Hawks, Mavs, Nuggets, Pistons, Lakers, Heat (sorry, HEAT), 76ers, Trailblazers, or Spurs is even averaging a double-double. Did I mention the only person on that list that Rondo is taller than is Chris Paul (by a whole, stinking inch). Also, how disturbing is it to see Joakim Noah’s name in that list?
Of course, straight stat-line statistics are a little misleading, since they don’t account for the pace or length of the game (especially since there have been four overtime periods in five of the Bulls/Celtics games and those games are already played at a frenetic pace), but even in a tempo-free stat like Win Shares (found at Basketball Reference) Rondo is impressively in the top-4 with 1.4 Win Shares behind LeBron (1.6), Chauncy (1.5), and Dwight (1.5).
Kid’s on fire.
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Because he missed nine shots
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Dear AI,
We’ve all been entranced with you since you’ve entered the league. You should either retire, or accept your role. If you aren’t going to do either, then you are not going out like you should, and you will be forgotten.
Love,
The Fans
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