Huge Cavs fan here. The officiating has been horrible - but to say Lebron is getting all the calls is a bit much. Dwight gets the ball and uses one arm to completely shove our defender out of the way and we get called almost every time. Or one of our player's face gets in the way of one of his elbows after a play and we get a T. The calls have been going both ways and Lebron hasn't been getting any better treatment than Howard. I was at the game last night and can't believe what Howard gets away with underneath. We are fans of our teams and are always going to complain about the refs - and it is easy to say it is a conspiracy - but go back and watch the games a second time and you will see how the calls have gone both ways. And before you tell me Howard is just that big and strong remember that Lebron weighs the same as he does.
I think the problem some here are seeing is that Lebron is getting the officiating he deserves in the regular season. Not the officiating he should get in the playoffs. The best comparison is Wade with Bron. Wade imposes himself on the defense by driving consistently to the rim. lebron is INITIATING contact. HUGE DIFFERENCE. having said that...i thought the foul calls last night were legit. Orlando was fouling him. Sorry...but if it was BS officiating..YOU KNOW I would say so. Michale Pietrus had at least 9 fouls last night. The DPOY needs to learn how to plant his feet and elevate to block shots and NOT jump WITH guys to the rim. Alonzo Mourning is rolling over in his grave and he isn't even dead yet.
I agree with that and would argue that Howard lowers his shoulder and initiates contact that gets called as a foul consistently as well. Look at it this way - we have had 2, 3, even 4 big foul out of have 5 in most games - other than Howard, Orlando hasn't had nearly as high of a rate. Both Bron and Howard are initiating contact and getting the calls. Bill Simmons actually wrote a great article about this just the other day. The refs calling these fouls are ruining the league - this isn't basketball in the way we all go play pick-up games - this is just who can get to the line the most. I miss the old games when you had to actually beat the other team and not rely on getting to the line every other possession.
Bill Simmons knows nothing about basketball. he just thinks he does. Bill Simmons favorite team (the celtics) for years and NOW AGAIN benefits greatly from illegal screens on the high pick and roll. They as well as the champion Pistons of Larry Brown set illegal screen after illegal screen and got away with it because they would set about 200 a game..so they can't call all of them. he won't mention that though because Bill Simmons is an ******* of the highest order. or should I say M*******?
Complete fabricated bull****. You do realize that Howard doesn't handle the ball at the top of the key/half court right? LeBron barrels his way right into the defender from straight on. Howard gets the ball in the post and does a typical low post move(spin/back down) Half of the time you guys foul him is when he tries to go straight up to the basket. LeGod forbid the refs ever call a reach in too, but thats another story... The best ones are when LeGod just throws his elbow into a defender and draws the foul about 90% of the time he does it....I've even seen it from multiple directions lol, how in the hell can someone throw their elbow behind them - and still draw a defensive foul....Oh its LeGod....it would be NBA sacrilege not to put the messiah on the line all night for easy buckets. Skip Bayless put it as simple as you can get. While everyone else out there is trying to play basketball, LeBron is allowed to play football. It's kind of funny...but also sad.
I didn't argue that Lebron gets the benefit of the calls - I am saying Howard does as well. He rams into defenders and then gets the call even though he initiated the contact and they were set. The argument was whether Lebron initiates contact and gets the call - Howard does the same thing. They do it in different ways with the same result.
This is exactly what you said. I called bull**** on that. When LeBron is criticized for bowling over people with his shoulder, it is the times where he is handling the ball at the top and just drives straight into defenders. These cases where you are suggesting Dwight "does the same", he receives the ball in the low post like every other big man, and does a limited set of moves that does not involve ramming into players. There is the traditional "back-down" and a spin move, neither have him lowering his shoulder into the defender like a battering ram. When Dwight is fouled almost every time he is trying to jump straight up with the basketball, often times with 2/3 opposing players all over him. How in the **** can any sane person compare that to LeBron ramming someone?
You should go make a Cleveland Cavalier Thread and talk to yourself there because I don't really want to read anything that compares the treatment LeB*tch has gotten with Dwight Howard. On the Flip side, I am glad your a Dolphin fan
Can't wait for this game tonight. Varejao's probably brushing up on his acting skills right now. Should be no reason we can't take care of these guys tonight, I want our next away game to be in LA.
If the Lakers actually play like they give a damn they could easily take The Cavs in 4(assuming the Cavs somehow force a game 7) Lakers-Cavs isnt as intriguing as it sounds. Point being I think the Magic has a better shot of beating LA then the Cavs do.
I read today how the Cavs were so confident about winning Game 5, they already had the plane booked and tix for the families to come down to Orlando to watch the game tonight. I'd like to give them a reason to stick around for a few days and go to some theme parks with their families by losing tonight. Might as well, seeing as how they're already down here.
I will sling a rod, blow a gasket and most likely develop a serious case of hemriods from the strain of screaming at my tv if the Magic lose tonight.
so even though I may not believe the story fully myself, i figured you magics home-uh---fans would enjoy: so i work at a coffee shop in LA that gets fairly high profile people on a regular basis. anyway, last night a limo driver was in, and since they are naturally social/lonely people he was talking for a while and said that he has driven around a bunch of sports players, including a few basketball players. -he said barkley is the man, and they stopped to get a basketball so he could sign it for the driver, and when the agent yelled at chuck not to sign things he told his agent to f off and signed anyway -he said jordan is the nicest guy he's ever met, and would work for him for free -and the one you'll like, he said he met lebron, and that he's a huge a$$hole, and that the only person he would spare breath for to talk to was his mother now, I'm not sure how much of this I believe. this guy seemed to be a storyteller. the thing that made me question all of it, is that he couldn't remember bron's name at first, and when describing him, said "you know, that guy that plays for in like cincinatti or cleveland.. sometimes has a beard, older, like 30-something"- i feel like most people would know that bron is quite young (24). so maybe he was making it up. but i kinda want to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, even though bron seems like a nice guy on TV.
I like how the TNT commentators are going the with Cavs underdog story. **** that, it's Magic time, let's get it done!
hey bron... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT4IMWzRvsk"]YouTube - Waterboy - Captain Insano Shows No Mercy[/ame]
I like how LeBron was talking in the 3rd person when they asked what to expect from the Cavs tonight, .
Damn James is good, to miss that shot and still get it with less than a second left in the 1st. Whew.
Speaking bout how much TNT sucks...did you read this? The Magic stand on the precipice of the NBA Finals for the first time in over 10 years. By most standards, that would be something to celebrate. Yet, judging by the coverage, it seems more like the NBA was preparing for a funeral than a celebration. The camera cuts to the dreary rain pouring down outside of Quicken Loans arena. Listen to the eerie Phil Collins music playing in the background of the arena while the analysts give their pregame analysis. "I can feel it coming in the air tonight," Collins' voice sings over a hard drum. Most disturbing was the fact that most of the pregame show focused on how Cleveland could stay alive in the series, rather than how the Magic could close out the Eastern Conference finals. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...cavaliers-owens-29052909may29,0,1754306.story
I'm a little concerned that the game is still close. We should be blowing them out already. We should be taking advantage of some of the mismatches that are on the floor right now. Cleveland is also shooting very well right now. Hopefully their FG % won't stay that good all night.
There we go...that's exactly what I'm talking about! Open up that lead! Up 18 at the half! 30 more minutes guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta love Sir Charles. Ernie talking about how Cleveland tied their playoff low in the first half, but that it didn't matter in the other game because Cleveland still won. Charles: "These ain't no hawks."
YEAH! Don't slack off, we were behind like Cleveland is now a few games ago, and came back and LeBron hit that pain in the *** jumper, so I won't be happy till it's over. Come on Magic, don't let up!!!!
Nobody take this as an overall complaint about the general officiating, but that **** is funny as hell when James gets to the FT line for throwing an elbow.
The Magic have one quarter to go to make it to the finals. Another bonus will be these stupid Lebron/Kobe puppet commercials being yanked as well.
congrats on your win folks. but now, get ready to meet your maker.. you know who i'm talking about.... LA's main man..... the one, the only.... PAUUUUU GASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOLLLLLL
