Orlando gets hosed…again
Detroit is a great basketball team. Orlando is a good team. However, tonight, Orlando outplayed Detroit, but they couldn’t overcome the wrath of the whistle as they lost to Detroit, 100-93. As the team walked off the court, Stan Van Gundy muttered “f*ck*ng b*ll sh*t” and you are about to find out why. I am fed up with this league, the small market guys can’t catch a break. I look forward to the Detroit homers coming here and saying I’m wrong, I’m overreacting, but tonight, you won because of the Zebras.
In the first quarter, Orlando played well in the first quarter and was tied at the end of the quarter, but then the turnover bug hit Orlando and their ball movement became stagnant. 11 turnovers in the half and tentative shooting doomed the Magic as they were down by as many as 14 points. Rashard Lewis was continually hesitant to unleash three’s, and when he did the ball just couldn’t make its way down. The most concerning part of the half was the team’s lack of effort as Detroit continually beat Orlando to loose balls. Dwight Howard looked timid as well and lacked a lot of intensity, as he seemed out of his element in the first half. Orlando made a little run to end the half and trailed by just 10, with the score being 50-40.
In the second half, the Magic came out with a flurry, with Jameer Nelson dropping two threes and Turkoglu driving the ball to the rack to pull Orlando within four. After a lazy play by Howard in which he left Tayshaun Prince open and he made a three, Orlando started moving the ball again and kept making three’s, making six in a row, taking the game from 63-62. As a result, the officials started giving Orlando a little more lenience and the actually started getting some breaks.
With the game within one, Jameer made an open three to give Orlando its first lead since the Magic went up 3-2 in the first quarter. After Detroit tied, Mo Evans made another three to make it 7/7 on the quarter. On the next possession, Dwight Howard got hacked, and I mean hacked, by Jason Maxiell, but apparently unless to punch Howard in the mouth, there’s a good chance there won’t be a call. Then on the very next play, Jameer was called for a reach. I understand that Nelson did commit a foul, but you do not call that after a legit star gets blatantly hacked in the post, and this my friends epitomizes the lack of respect Orlando receives.
The team’s traded shots the rest of the quarter and at the end of the third, Orlando went from no energy and not being able to make a shot, to a team with a chance.
However, as the quarter expired, with 5.1 seconds left, Detroit took the ball inbounds and what ensued was perhaps the biggest screw job in recent memory. The clock stopped with 4.8 seconds left and the play continued. The Pistons took the ball up court and Stuckey received the ball within the arc, jumped in the air, hesitated and threw the ball back to Billups with the game clock still stopped. Billups hit a three and gave the Pistons a 78-76 lead. TNT then showed the time with their own shot clock, and it was 5.2 seconds to get the shot off, thus it shouldn’t have counted, but the officials gave it to Detroit and with it a huge momentum swing.
In the fourth, trailing by two, Howard grabbed an offensive board and slammed it home, tying the game and giving Orlando some more life. Again, the teams exchanged shots and then something miraculous happened…Detroit got called for two fouls in a row, finally, and then Jameer Nelson made both free throws, to gibe Orlando a 86-82 lead, but Hamilton drained a three a couple minutes leader to regain the lead for Detroit, and that was after he missed seven shots in a row.
As the game chipped away, Detroit pulled ahead and after a Jammer Nelson three to put the game within two, he was called on another off the ball foul and left the game after a dazzling 22 points. Then after a Rashard Lewis miss, Howard tapped in the ball to take the game to 94-93 with just over a minute left. Let’s keep in mind, the blown three pointer by the officials.
On Detroit’s next series, Maxiell went to the line but just made one to give the Pistons a two point lead. With 48 ticks left, the Magic fired up a shot to try to go two for one but Turkoglu was way off. Prince was then forced to fire a three as the clock expired and Orlando regained the ball with 18 seconds left, down 95-93. After Rashard Lewis missed a layup, Turkoglu got the rebound, but was slapped in the arm and the ball went out of bounds…and it was called out on Orlando. Injustice yet again…
Then with Detroit taking the ball in, Rip Hamilton tripped over Dooling and it was called a foul on Dooling and the Pistons got to attempt a free-throw and the ball back…screwed yet again.
Hamilton made the free-throw, then Billups went to the line made both and put the game out of reach.
So, poor officiating and a blown call decided Game 2. Orlando gave it a valiant effort, but two down and going back to Orlando, things look bleak. Congratulations Detroit, you win, but did you really earn it?
Here are some complaints I’ve had with officiating. I’m doing this as the game goes on and am fairly enthusiastic, so forgive me in advance…
First quarter. Continuation- The officials are very generous with Chauncey Billups taking it to the rack and giving him free throws very charitably. Or, how about Dwight Howard getting called on fouling Rasheed Wallace on a fade-away jump shot? This is the best center in the NBA and he still gets no love, or am I missing something? Then Orlando, namely Turkoglu, takes the ball to the rack and gets pushed every time, but no call there.
Second quarter. Dwight gets pushed, falls down and it’s a travel? You have to be kidding me. I’m sorry Mick, but this isn’t even debatable, Detroit gets a lot more calls than Orlando, it is not even close. What about reach-ins every time Dwight gets the ball down low and no call, but Mo Evan gets calls on reach-ins on the perimeter?
OR HOW ABOUT DWIGHT HOWARD’S “OFFENSIVE FOUL?” YEAH, HE DID NOTHING, REFS DO A MAKE UP CALL BUT JAMEER NELSON’S THREE IS TAKEN OFF THE BOARD!!!!!!!! YOU SUCK REFS.
Then on loose ball midway through the second, Turkoglu is called on a reach in? I’m not even being picky, I’m just calling out blatant calls, not even tick-tacks, this is ridiculous. Or a Jameer Nelson turnover out of bounds when he tried to get it in to Dwight? First, I thought rip Hamilton hit it, and then Dwight stumbled to get to the ball because he was being held by RATliff, isn’t that a foul?
That’s the half, I’m not even going to go into more bad officiating, I think the point has been made.
Never mind…In the third, Howard gets ABSOLUTLEY HACKED going up but no call and then they call a reach-in on Jameer Nelson on the next possession. That’s another two points possibly stolen from Orlando. Then with Orlando up by two, Dwight gets called with another foul on a fade away jumper. And this is after Howard got hacked.
THEN THE DETROIT PISTONS GOT A THREE TO THE END OF THE QUARTER!!! THIS IS THE BIGGEST HOSE JOB EVER!
This entry was posted
on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Orlando Magic.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
THE AUTHOR
RECENT ARTICLES BY DIVISION RIVALS
ARCHIVE
SPONSORS
52 Responses to “Orlando gets hosed…again”
May 5th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
The MAGIC fight the good fight and lose on TYPICALLY BAD NBA OFFICIATING. Dwight gets slammed on the offensive end, no call; then on the defensive end theres no contact & Rasheed goes to the line for two. The clock at the end of the third quarter is an NBA DISGRACE, made worse by the MAGIC accepting the call at the already flawed NBA refs judgment. I’ve attended nearly every MAGIC home game, watched every possible road game, and watch NBA League Pass every opportunity. All that to say NBA refs seem to have an agenda, it’s a shame that these “guys” determine the the outcome of as many games as the players do…
May 5th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Biggest hose job ever?
Gimme a break.
The turnovers and missed shots had nothing to do with it and Orlando had a lead in the fourth as well. Lewis choked big time. Hedu fired that three with 48 seconds and Van Gundy was livid. Didn’t want it, didn’t need it.
They lived by the three, died by the three.
You live in a dream world where you think Orlando doesn’t commit fouls and Detroit fouls them on every possession.
You are talking about “possible” points? That can be used to contradict your argument.
You are so mad that you even say, “Again, the teams exchanged shots and then something miraculous happened…Detroit got called for two fouls in a row, finally, and then Jameer Nelson made both free throws, to gibe Orlando a 86-82 lead, but Hamilton drained a three a couple minutes leader to regain the lead for Detroit, and that was after he missed seven shots in a row.”
That would make the score 86-85 after the Rip three.
Detroit hit free throws down the stretch and yes, that means they earned it. Should the three have counted? No, of course not. I re-ran it a million times on my tivo and knew it was close, but shouldn’t have counted. But the officials were off by .12 of a second, pretty tough to call. But “momentum”? Orlando took the lead back and turned the ball over and missed shots, it wasn’t like Detroit went on this spirited tear and pulled away. Take away the three, hell take five points away, Detroit is still out front in the end.
Orlando came back repeatedly and I expect more of the same. What kind of meltdown will you have if you end up facing Boston or LeBron? Want to discuss who gets calls? The crying about officiating gets redundant. Orlando doesn’t lose games? I know Detroit does.
May 5th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
How can Detroit get more calls when there is one foul difference between the teams? Orlando called for one more foul 23-22?
Dude, you’re trying to convince me of something here and I’m not the enemy.
I would rather Detroit blows out the Magic every game as well.
At least, wait until there are games played in Orlando to see what’s what, you aren’t even giving the officials a chance there?
Do I hate the officials? Yes. But there is never going to be a game in which each and every call is made. You make an argument for every Orlando possession but Detroit doesn’t get fouled with no call from the official?
May 5th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Mick, you give me a break. Orlando lost this because of officiating. How about Howard’s “offensive foul”? That’s another three points off the board? What about Jameer Nelson getting fouled out after he was on the floor? Or Rip Hamilton tripping over Dooling. No way man, Orlando was absolutley screwed out of this game. Did they live and die on the three? Yes, but they would have lived if not for officials, how you can argue it is beyond me.
Orlando was screwed over, case closed. If this happend to you, you’d be signing a completely different tune.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Orlando does not get the benefit of the doubt at home. This is not the first game we lost this season because of the Ref’s incompetence, but this was the worse I’ve seen since the game 5 between the Lakers and Kings quite a few years ago.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
First of all, there’s not much you can do about the clock stopping - the NBA rules are flawed. The only way that scenario could have an agreeable outcome is if they were allowed a do-over. Look: if they count the three, it’s not fair because the clock would have ran out before Billups let go of the ball. But not counting the three wouldn’t be fair either, because the players are checking the clock and thinking they still have time left. Stuckey would have taken the shot before he even passed the ball because the clock would have only had a couple of ticks left. In fact, that’s probably why he passed it at the last second: because he saw the clock.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Brendan, the more I read what you write about fouls makes me think you don’t understand what a foul is. Rip got fouled by Dooling right in front of one of the refs, you can’t say he didn’t have the angle. The rule is the rule, fouled before the inbounds pass.
I agree, it is beyond you.
19 turnovers. And some at the worst times. Come on, Lewis? The would have lived? Those shots would have miraculously went in?
And if you had won these games, you also would be singing a different tune as well.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:13 am
This is the funniest stuff I’ve read in awhile. Orlando fans ignore the fact that Howard benefits from the kindest whistle in the game. If he had been called for half the hacks at the rim on D or push offs and over the backs on the glass he’d have fouled out in the 1st half. Whine all you want but the facts are you’ve got a 22 year old getting superstar calls and you’re lucky to even be as close as you are.
Detroit is the worst possible matchup for the Magic. Tough roll of the dice, but there is always next year to improve. Right now the Pistons are the far superior team and it has nothing to do with the refs so stop crying like a girl.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:41 am
I’m glad I’m not the only one who was seeing all the push offs Howard got away with. I like the guy, and I think he’s pretty legit. But to say that he’s not getting calls is ridiculous. Take your pick. He can get the no call on the push off for the offensive rebound, follow with an easy dunk, and walk away with two points and no extra foul. Or if you’d prefer, he can get called on that stuff and get to the line for when he makes a move to the basket and try his luck at the free throw line. Given his percentage, I know which one I’d prefer as a fan.
Also, intentional or not, a guy trips on your feet making a move for the in-bound play it’s going to get called. Dooling was trying to make up ground. He got unlucky with his stride. Sorry.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:55 am
You’re not a very good journalist….i don’t understand why you’re blog is featured on NBA.com. this could possibly be the longest and most useless article i’ve ever read in my entire life. if hedo didn’t take such a bad shot and a stupid 3, maybe the magic would have had a chance. this is playoff basketball, there’s not going to be alot of calls down the stretch, especially tacky grabs here and there. stop whining and just respect the fact that detroit won a close game. you could at least write that orlando hung tough this game, and game 3 and 4 is in orlando. what a baby….
May 6th, 2008 at 1:02 am
and where was the $110 million dollar man in the 4th quarter…..if the orlando magic are paying rashard lewis all this money, why didn’t he step his game up when it counted….and don’t say “HE TRIED TO, BUT THE REFS PREVENTED IT!!!”….hes a perimiter player…if he would have gotten hacked, it would have been noticeable
May 6th, 2008 at 4:11 am
The officiating was poor. Regardless, I still think the Magic should have won the game. It’s just difficult to do so when you can’t catch a break.
By the way, TNT dumped on the officials giving the Pistons the 3-point shot and that so called Dooling foul. Way to give them a free point at a crucial stage of the game.
How about the play before that? On the rebound Turk was either hit, or the ball was stripped from him. Which one is it? I didn’t expect the foul call, but I expected the Magic to get the ball out of bounds.
Sheed going to the line shooting his fade ways was funny to me. Both Sheed and Howard are both big dudes. Howard backs down and takes it strong, and Sheed will often fade when he posts up. Rewarding a guy for shooting a fade away is kind of odd, but this is the same league that caters to guys like D-Wade.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve seen officials start plays and play clocks over again plenty of times because of the clock not being started on time or not being started at all. Considering that the clock went from 5.1 to 4.8 the entire time, why would they not just give the ball to the Pistons from out of bounds again? I’m sure there is something in the rule book of why they can’t. Apparently when the officials went to discuss what happened for 15 minutes the only thing they were talking about was how much time should be put on the clock. Awesome, it took them all that time to say .5 left in the quarter! It’s unfortunate that in today’s technological world the NBA can’t utilize this better.
Regardless, the free 3 points isn’t the reason the Magic lost. It sure didn’t help, and was one of the low blow momentum killer types of plays, but Orlando still had its chances. It would have just been nice if they could’ve gotten a break.
Even though I’m a Magic fan, I honestly picked the Pistons to win the series. I still think the Magic are one year away from contending. We need some help in our starting backcourt, and off the bench in the frontcourt. If this was 2009, I would have picked the Magic, but it’s not. Of course that doesn’t mean I can’t hope.
As for the rest of the series:
If the Magic really want to win game 3, Detroit will let them. Game 3 should go to Orlando. If game 3 ends up being close, I expect the series to end in 5.
Game 4 should be more interesting. It usually shows a lot more of what teams are made of.
Detroit is good enough to win one of the next two games. If they do so, the series is all but over.
In the end, if we all really want to see poor officiating, wait until the next round when one of teams is playing against the Lebrons or Celtics. I know that series hasn’t started, so that’s why I said both teams, but it’s going to be Celtics, and the Celtics will be going to the Finals. The NBA has endured too many “costly” low rated Finals because of teams like the Pistons and Spurs. David Stern has had the same wet dream over and over all season, Lakers vs. Celtics.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Detroit’s final 13 points all came from the free throw line.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:37 am
wow this is a total joke of an article…are you seriously going to sit there and point out every little call like the other side couldn’t do the same thing…how about this call from game 1-
http://www.need4sheed.com/videos/may_04_08_foul.html
my point is that bad calls happen on both sides of the ball and you have to live with it. should the 3 have counted? no. did the refs do the best the could to try and figure it out according to the rules? yes. and who is to say that detroit wouldnt have gotten the shot off a little bit quicker if they could have actually seen the clock running down….blaming it on the refs is about as busch league as it gets and if you think the NBA wants the pistons in the finals you are CRAZY. You should support your team, not embarrass it by crying like a baby and blaming losses on the officials.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Bad calls do happen, but they were completed one-sided in what was a very close game. My favorite explanation about the three-point shot at the end of the third was that the refs could’ve looked at the replay if the clock had read zeroes. The clock couldn’t read all zeroes because IT NEVER STARTED!
What about the early technical foul on Howard in which he complained about a call for a second, then no technicals on Rasheed or McDyess when they were cursing out loud in the fourth. They made a ridiculous call on an offensive foul on Howard that negated a three-point shot by Nelson, and finally the sixth foul on Nelson in the fourth quarter on a play away from the ball in which he was knocked down. Turkoglu was fouled by Ratliff with 11 seconds left when he grabbed the offensive rebound on a Lewis miss, but they called the play out of bounds off Orlando.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I watched the game and I heard the broadcasters explain the rule, not bad mouth the officials for calling it. It was a blocking call that turned into a trip because you cannot impede the offensive players progress like that. Dooling fouled him, plain and simple. Not intentionally of course, but he couldn’t keep his feet or balance.
How many times does Howard lower the shoulder into defensive players on shot or screens.
And Hedu WAS NOT FOULED! He lost that ball CLEARLY ON THE REPLAY.
Are you kidding me? I thought Cleveland fans cried, I can’t believe what I’m reading here.
How can calls be “one-sided”? Orlando was whistled for one more than Detroit and I have compiled the stats for their regular season games and playoffs so far, the numbers, or the ball, don’t lie.
Should the three have counted? No, but was the ENTIRE GAME DECIDED BY THAT?
May 6th, 2008 at 11:36 am
My comments are moderated now?
May 6th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Must be because of the links to the articles because these are showing up.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:56 am
No one is moderating your comments Mick, you are free to rant as you please. Did Orlando have a bad fourth quarter and lose the game? Sure, but it was with some help.
That three made a huge difference. Orlando was on fire from the field, had momentum and then lost it after that. they also cooled down because of the 5-10 minutes it took to decide what happend. So that play impacted the game.
And what about Dwight’s moving pick, which actually wasnt. Jameer’s three was negated from that, that’s a six point swing right there.
Hedo was touched by a Detroit player, as much as rip was by Dooling’s “trip”. You are wrong here Mick, the refs blew a lot of calls and in a close game, it made a difference.
For you other Pistons fans, call me a baby, I dont care because there are plenty of other fans that saw the same thing I did. Orlando lost because of their own mistakes, but the zebras made an impact in the game and it hurt Orlando more than it hurt them.
Andrew, I have actually been told I am a good writer by plenty of people who probably have achieved more than you. You in fact mean nothing to me, and you are too dumb to see that while Orlando had a chance to win, it was plauged by some piss poor officiating.
If the same BS happend to Detroit fans, you’d be bitching about officiating right now, but it wasnt Detroit that got screwed, it was Orlando.
And Mick, I know I can get carried away some times, but you can not say I dont understand what a foul is. I see it happen to Dwight Howard every play and no one call it. Have you ever played basketball? Orlando lost because of poor 4th quarter shooting and BS calls, pure and simple.
Oh, and saying Orlando got just one more foul than Detroit is BS too. You can hide behind those numbers, but if you actually watch the game, without your Motown glasses on, you’d see that Detroit gets a lot more love than Orlando could ever dream of.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
You can say all you want about momentum, but the fact is this: The Magic had a two possession lead in the 4th quarter, and blew it. You can’t possibly say that the phantom 3 took away your momnentum, because you took the lead after that, and then built on it.
Great teams get it dine, in spite of the refs. Orlando lost that game because of turnovers, missed shots, and bad descisions, not the refs. And if they let the refs get into their heads, then you can kiss this series goodbye. The refs are already in VanGundys head, so it’s started. You can blame refs all you want, but it’s up to the team to block it out and go about the business of winning. Next week when you are watching Detroit in the ECF, nobody will be around to hear you complaining about refs.
May 6th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I played basketball throughout school and for years in pickup leagues and tournaments with officials.
I have coached basketball.
I have been a fan of the NBA for over 30 years and have been to many games live and watched thousands.
I write sports for MVN (3 blogs), have updated the lead pages, wrote a couple items for Outsider, contributed to a Celtics-Pistons rivalry piece in Dime magazine, a Lions blog NFL Spot.com, I’m a Big Ten insider for NFL Draft Bible.com, am a member of the FWAA, and passed on a call in for an ESPN radio show Steve Mason hosts on 710espn.com last week while the Pistons were playing the Sixers, which if the Pistons continue in the playoffs, I should still get a chance to be on and also have a book I’m writing on boxing history. And like other writers here at MVN, have been contacted by other sites like Bleacher Report to contribute.
I understand officiating and know some suck at it and some don’t. I’m not just a novice fan.
If I actually watch the game? I have seen nearly every game this season, missing 3 due to power outages in my area and recorded each and every game.
Would I be mad? Yes, I am not for a minute discounting the absurdity of the call. And like Billups said, it would suck to be on that end of it. You weren’t old enough to see the Bad Boys era and the entire league and EVERY official against the Pistons. We have been there for many years.
You are blaming the game on that three pointer and the officials and completely ignoring that the Magic lost their cool (Howard’s early tech), poor shooting other than the third period, and bad officiating. You are going into journalism bro, you are going to have to be more objective. Nothing wrong with emotions but your love for the Magic clouds the facts a little.
I know you’re hating it and yes, I would be also, but not to the extent where the Pistons get fouled every possession, never foul anyone, and the rest of it. All of your posts have read basically the same.
My post that is being moderated right now has the links to stories written by Magic columnists in the Orlando Sentinel, who echo my sentiments.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I love how people will look at the stats to determine if a game was called fair or not. Brendan, do you ever have deja vu? I know I’ve had this conversation before.
Just because I made mention to TNT disagreeing with some calls doesn’t mean I was referring to the game broadcast. I was referring to Ernie, Kenny, and Charles.
There were just a lot of “questionable” calls or no calls down the stretch, none of which went the Magic’s way. Sometimes it happens like that, but what it means is that the team not benefiting has to play close to perfect to win. I would have like to seen just one of the questionable pivotal calls go Orlando’s way.
I mean, there had to be some reason Stan’s last words were “f**king bull$hit”!?
Just a coach being a coach, right? Yeah, that’s what I figured.
Way to ignore the fact that the Pistons didn’t have to execute anything down the stretch. Normally a team has to make a basket here or there, instead of scoring their final 13 points from the free throw line.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last field goal the Pistons made was the 3-point shot from RIP with 5:24 to go. From that point on, nothing more, just 13-15 from the free throw line.
As for the Magic, they shot a total of 4 free throws the entire 4th quarter. So you can look at the final box score all you want and say the Magic shot 23 free throws to the Pistons 28. But when it came down to it, and it really counted, who was getting the benefit of the whistle when it mattered most?
Say what you want, but both teams were playing hard and aggressive. I just don’t understand why Orlando couldn’t get a break down the stretch. They deserved one just as much as the Pistons.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I look forward to reading your comments if and when the Pistons advance. I bet you’ll be feeling like some Magic fans do right now when Detroit is facing the Celtics or Lebrons. Then you’ll once again be reminded what it’s like to be on the other end of things, when you can’t get a break. It will happen, and if you watch sports as much as you say you do, you already know this.
You fans should know as well as anyone how much officiating impacts games. The Bad Boys had it awful. (Celtics, Lakers, Jordan) At least the league was physical back then unlike some of this pussy play we see today. Hell, even in the last two exits for Detroit, I thought they didn’t get the benefit of anything against the Cavs or Heat. The Heat winning the title was one of the biggest jokes I’ve ever seen in sports.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
What about the turnovers and missed shots, factors that have nothing to do with officials?
Look at those numbers by the Magic in fourth.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Damien,
I guarantee you I’ll be hating on the Celts and LeBron.
But its been that way the whole season vs those teams, which is why I know the league prefers the Magic and would rather see Howard advance along with the Celts and Cavs.
The “love” for the Pistons doesn’t make any sense.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Yup Damien, sure does. I once had a stats teacher that said you can bend stats any way you want. saying one more foul means nothing if the right calls arent consistently made.
It comes down to this….Orlando ahd a chance in the game and couldnt take advantage. as I said, Detroit is a great team, orlando is a very good one. It is ahrd for a very good team to beat a great one, so when refs are changing the outcome of a game, and there is no questions they did this time, it is very hard for very good to beat great, case closed.
I may not have seen the Bad Boys get bad calls, but they won championships., right? You dont go that far and win it all without some love at some time
May 6th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
And no, the league would love a Celtic Pistons final over Orlando, I didnt even think that was debatable.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Funny I have been watching espn and all sports all day long and not a soul is talking about the refs blowing calls other than the three by Billups and thats because its in the NBA rules.
Orlando writers are saying they lost it in the fourth because they turned the ball over and missed shots. Jim Rome and have Around the Horn and PTI coming up.
Brendan, I don’t see the Orlando sports writers crying about the officiating.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
That’s because they aren’t bloggers, they have people they are trying to impress and cant be overly objective, while I can. Damien writes here and he has complained about bad officiating. Charlie writes for several prominent sites and he complained about it too. Nice try, but officiating played a big role in the game, whether you want to admitt it or not.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
And since you didnt by momentum being a factor with that three being made, here is what the experts day.
Charles Barkely-“(The Magic) just got cheated. It turned out to be a big play in the game, that’s what disappoints me the most. That’s just bad.”
Kenny Smith- “Momentum at the start of quarters and at the end of the quarters is big. (The Pistons) were able to end the quarter with a three giving them momentum. That’s big in the NBA. But normally, if you couldn’t tell when they started the clock…you’ve got to take it back out from the beginning (and start the play over). You still have the same 5.1 seconds to operate. How can you allow the basket, if you don’t know how much time actually went off? Plays will start over with inadvertent whistles, same way; this was an inadvertent clock that did not start. How can you continue to play?”
Orlando was hot, they made seven three’s in a row, and then they cooled off because momentum was lost and because the refs had to discuss the call for about 5 minutes. When you are in the zone, a 5 minute break isnt what you need. It made a huge difference in the way the game wass played, i dont know how anyone can deny that.
Yes, the turnovers hurt obviously, but despite that, Orlando was in it, and between Hedo getting pushed, Jameer getting fouled out after tripping on the ground and then Hamilton going to the line after he tripped were too much.
Or what about Howard getting a technical early on, then rashard and antonio bickering to the refs and nothing? Dwight’s “offensive foul” in which Nelson’s three was taken off the board…Yes refs blow calls both ways, but for Orlando it came at the worst possible times and they arent as experienced as Detroit and need everything they can. You cant beat Detroit and the refs, you just cant.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Around the Horn, unanimous, the three was a bad call, but the Magic lost the game.
Don’t even try the technical angle. Rasheed is an all time leader and have more techs in the playoffs than the entire Magic team. He has four, how many does Orlando have? Think he isn’t a target?
Howard got called for a screen where you are not suppose to move. These are calls RIGHT IN FRONT OF REFS, NOT TOUGH CALLS.
Young team making young mistakes.
Kenny Smith and Barkley are talking about the three being bad, a loss of momentum. Did Orlando get blown out from there? No, they had a lead and blew it. They started turning the ball over. The made bad passes and shots and couldn’t keep their heads under pressure.
I can’t believe you, I was going to ease up but no way now. Hedu got pushed?
And the Pistons won titles because they played over it and through it, the so-called “preferential treatment”.
Going to tell me Bird didn’t get calls? Jordan?
Its only “case closed” because you’re not objective enough.
Orlando should be taken by the hand and led through the playoffs. Doesn’t work that way. Must have been bad officiating when McGrady’s Magic were up 3-1 and lost or the sweep last year.
Bend the turnover stat. Bend the missed shots and poor shooting and decisions made in the fourth quarter.
I agree with Damien on it being a more physical league back then. Jordan changed that. But it is also an unwritten rule, but well known fact that the playoffs in all sports are going to be rougher. Its a given.
Detroit had to sit the same amount of time! How many free throws did they have in the final quarter? They scored their last 13 from the line. They missed shots also.
Cry all you want (and you will) about the rules need changing. You’re singing to the choir. I am the biggest critic of the Pistons and I write about them. I am relentless and take notes of every possession and play during a game. I know how it is.
Kenny Smith and Barkley, “experts”?
How about sports writers, which you are aspiring to be, they don’t count? Coaches? Other former players? None of them said anything about ANY OTHER CALLS LIKE YOU HAVE.
All in agreement, the shot shouldn’t have counted. But all but you are in agreement that it didn’t, and shouldn’t have, cost them the game.
If it did, they shouldn’t be in the playoffs anyway.
May 6th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Around the Horn, huh? Those guys have never been wrong. In fact, they are the best sports writers from around the globe I suppose, give me a break.
thanks for taking it easy on me, or at least thinknig about it, I really cant handle myself.
you saying that Dwight Howard’s “offensive foul” was the right call leaves me to believe that you were indeed watchnig the game with the Motown goggles on. Seriously. they shouwed that on instant replay, I rewound it three times, and it wasnt even close, he didnt move his feet, he didnt really lean into him, it was a bogus call. In fact, the refs tried to do a makeup call on the otehr end right after it because they knew they messed up. I really dont think I can respond to anything you’ve said after that, especially if you are making this personal. You saying that Howard should have been called for his pick makes you lose a lot of credibility in my eyes. Sorry Mick, that was a BS call and maybe you are not objective enough???
May 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Hey Brendan look at this call then tell me you’ve been getting all the bad calls.
http://www.need4sheed.com/videos/may_04_08_foul.html
You guys didn’t take care of business when you had a lead and thats what this all comes down to. You’re whole point about us going to the line so much towards the end is retarded too when a bunch of those free throws came from intentional fouls. I mean when you think about it like that we actually had more call against us because the last few you racked up were on purpose!!!
The only fair thing to do would have been to play the last 5 seconds over since our guys would have handled it differently had they seen the clock ticking down too, did you ever think of that????
This will all be a moot point when we sweep you again this year but I mean if you want to cry about it all off season be my guest.
Also when you said in the title: orlando gets hosed…again, when was the first time? did you get hosed in the first game? no you got worked. taste it.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Your link didnt play anything. “Again” means the bad officiating they have received the entire post season.
I dont think Orlando gets swepped, but they wont win. They arent good enough and they arent catching enough breaks. I picked Detroit to win the series.
If you cant see Detroit not getting the benefit of most calls, then you arent watching the game closely enough.
And I’d rather not tase anything that Detroit is offering, not very sanitary.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Johnny T, I’m sorry, I didnt respond to your post earlier with all drama from these biased Pistons fans. You are correct, the refs are bad and a lot of teams experience that, but Orlando caught a bad break, over and over again last night. You are always a rationale fan, so Im glad you saw it too.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
There are a lot of valid points here…from both sides. Being an Orlando native my perspective is probably a little biased, seeing as I am really looking for it on the Orlando side and not so much the Detroit side. That being said, I still the officiating was a little unjust at the tail end of the fourth quarter. In the 4th, where it matters most, there were 11 Magic fouls to 6 Detroit fouls. In the last 5 minutes of the game it was 10 Magic fouls to 2 Detroit fouls. That is a little lopsided. Nelson was called for 3 personals within a 2:40 second span which seems a little unreasonable, especially in a tight contest. The play that bugged me the most though was the play after Lewis took the unnecessary layup. Dwight was pushed in the back by Maxiell, then Turkoglu had the balled knocked from his hands. It was not a pretty play.
Concerning the 3 at the end of the 3rd, yeah it shouldn’t have counted, and yeah those 3 points would have made it unnecessary to foul near the end there and fire up 3’s instead of taking it to the hole, but you can’t judge it based off of that. If it hadn’t counted, for all we know, the Piston’s might have come out with more fire and stormed back into the game. That’s just one of those things where you have to let it go, especially since it was in the 3rd quarter, with plenty of time to rectify the issue for the Magic.
The Magic still could have won despite the calls but were careless and playing too much like a young team, throwing the ball away for no reason, committing stupid turnovers and taking bad shots. If the Magic had not made some of these mistakes they wouldn’t have even been in the position for the calls to blow the game for them.
P.S. Howard is a great fundamental rebounder, he boxes out, finding his place and putting him behind
May 6th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
How can you call another teams fans biased after the way you’ve acted the entire time. I think you want your team to win so bad that you will find any excuse for their loss. The refs did not cheat your team. Your team cheated themselves. That 100+ million dollar player did not show up, the MIP did not show up and your team lost it down the stretch. If they didn’t commit silly fouls then they wouldn’t have to worry about it. I don’t understand how you can talk about momentum change when your team went up in the 4th quarter. You are totally ignoring the facts, but sticking to that one shot. I seriously doubt it the shoe was on the other foot. If the Magic got that call and the score was the same, but with the Pistons losing you would not have created this horrible thing you call a blog. Get yourself together dude, and quit being such a biased homer. That’s all you are and to say that you are not is absurd. You should seriously look at that clip the guy posted earlier. You would probably keep your mouth shut after that. Detroit is up 2-0 and you can’t do anything about it. All you can do is hope your Orlando Magic come out to play. That 3 didn’t kill your chances and I love reading your argument against it you know the thing about Orlando not having to foul because they would have had the lead…blah blah blah. Like I’ve previously stated. I am a neutral, I watch basketball for the love of it but to continue to complain about that one call is crazy. I also like how in your article you said Dwight Howard is one of the best centers in the league so why doesn’t he get the call or something like that. So it’s fair to be biased on one side because the person is a superstar, but it’s wrong for the other team. I’m through you’re lost and that’s the end of it. You know what weak people do they find excuses. What are you?
May 6th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Well I’m not going to argue which fouls were called or not called - that’s nothing but a fools game.
From out here in Vancouver, WA where I was watching (Blazers fan - no ax to grind), this whole thing seems pretty simple to me:
1) The clock: The refs didn’t screw up at all, the NBA did by not giving them the power to get the call right. I’m actually amazed that they were only .6 seconds off, since they were trying to guess in their heads how long the play took. Since they were not allowed to verify the timing, they should have had the right to reset the clock & start the play over. They didn’t. The call stands. Everyone get over it.
2) The game: Pistons worked a nice halftime lead, Magic had a brilliant 3rd quarter to draw even, and then Orlando had every opportunity to win the game in the 4th quarter; they just couldn’t get it done. Refs or no refs, they didn’t make the plays or the shots when they needed them at crunch time.
Overall? Hey…I was surprised it was as close a game as it was. I figured Detroit would be more consistent, having so much more playoff experience — but Orlando showed me in the first 3 quarters that they have the skill & athleticism to compete with almost anyone. Good job, Magic.
Orlando fans should take heart and not play the “poor us, robbed by the officials” game. Your team had a chance right up till the end, & with a bit more seasoning the Magic will learn to close out games like that.
Your team is on the way up, just like mine. Enjoy the ride, & watch for a Blazers/Magic NBA Finals…coming soon!
(Blazers in 6…) LOL
May 6th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
The Magic had more fouls at the end of the4 fourth because they were fouling to get the ball back, not because of the refs. It happens in every close team. Detroit was in the lead, they didn’t need to foul. Again, bending the stats to fit your point of view.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Dude, don’t you check your spelling or grammar? I mean, if you’re going to be a journalist someday, you should work on that. I’m not trying to be a jerk; I’m being serious.
And bitching about the refs just sounds like you’re giving up on your team. They’re in control of their own destiny. If they want to win a championship they’re going to have to take it; nobody’s going to give it to them. When the Pistons won, they were up against a team with 4 Hall of Fame locks - do you think they got the benefit of all the calls then? No, but they played their asses off and shocked the world. The Magic would be given about as much of a chance to win a championship as they were then. They need to work a lot harder then they have been though if they wanna make it happen.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:29 am
This is to exhausting for me. I understand that most fans are going to see and believe what they want without budging. I really try my best to be unbiased and in no way do I consider myself a delusional fan (after all I picked the Magic to lose this series).
Monday night the Magic had their chances, I know that. But there was more to this team losing than turnovers and their own mistakes. Of course it all relates, but that’s the point, it ALL relates to the outcome.
I still don’t understand how the Pistons shot 15 free throws in the final 4:45 of the game. You can’t tell me that the Magic weren’t just as aggressive. I know how the penalty situation works; no need to explain.
What upset some Magic fans are trying to make is that there were a lot of calls that could have went either way in the 4th quarter, and not a single one went to the Magic. That’s the whole point of this entire debate. It would have just been nice to see Orlando (as a Magic fan) get a single break, and they didn’t (when it mattered).
I know it’s a coincidence, but it all started at the end of the 3rd quarter. Sometimes nothing goes your way, and for whatever reason, that’s how it went for Orlando from the end of the 3rd quarter on.
Not to bash on my Magic, but a Celtics/Pistons or a Cavs/Pistons sounds more appealing to me. The Magic are unproven, which runs the risk of a boring series. There is no story behind the Magic and either team. The Pistons on the other hand have been to the Eastern Conference Finals 5 straight years. They have been one of the best teams in the league for a while. They are a measuring stick in regards to the Celtics. They have a history with the Cavs. The marketing value of either series is better than one involving Orlando. The Pistons will make either series very entertaining.
Someone said Sheed is a “marked man” when it comes to officiating, and I completely agree, he is. It used to be a lot worst before this season. They seemed to tone it down on him a little. At the same time, do you not agree that he deserves it? The guy acts like he’s crazy. Granted, he’s not Dennis Rodman, but he deserves most of the T’s he receives.
As for “professional opinions”; I’ll respect a player’s opinion any day over these so called “experts”. Most of those “experts” picked the Magic to be a .500 or below team. Nice job. On the other hand, I said the Magic would be a 50 win team last off season, but what do I know…
May 7th, 2008 at 3:35 am
Oh yeah; Magic win game 3.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Its not about calls being “even”. If the Magic had 10 fouls and Detroit 2 its because thats the way the refs saw it.
And again, look back over the games this season, how many times did the Pistons go to the line compared to the Magic.
The biased Piston fans? Pot, meet Kettle.
Flu said it, Detroit didn’t have to foul, they had the lead.
And Brendan’s remark about columnists not being objective because they aren’t bloggers is the most idiotic thing he said through this whole ordeal and completely and utterly wrong.
Maybe you should rethink journalism.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I think I am done here. People are starting to make things personal, it’s just a game guys. It pisses me off that Orlando didnt get the benefit on a lot of calls why Detroit did. I’m with Damien, who always makes excellent points, he hits the nail on the head again.
Mick, please refrain from talking about me in the future, you have shown now after several personal digs that you are indeed classless. I never once took shots at you during this, but you have. Good luck the rest of the way, I’m sure you will feel the same pain Orlando fans feel now when you against either Boston or Cleveland.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:48 am
There’s a big difference between feeling pain over a loss and trying to turn that pain into blame and saying the other team cheated or the refs weren’t fair. After watching Boston and Cleveland play last night there’s no way I’ll be upset at the refs if we lose to either, I’ll be more upset with our team for playing poorly enough to let the refs affect the outcome of the game and not just go out there and win. You’re going to need some tougher skin too, especially if you want to write these types of articles. I didn’t hear anyone say anything about you personally outside of the context of the article and you better get used to people arguing with you and saying your arguments are idiotic, that’s just the nature of the game.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Yeah, Boston and Cleveland both looked bad. I dont care of people disagree with me, that is the nature of the beast, but I dont need people questioning my career goal. There are plent yof people with a lot more experience and more credibillity than some people here who have commended me for my writing ability.
As for making excuses, it’s not an excuse. I have said that Orlando lost the game themselves with poor play in the 4th, but had they gotten more questionable calls than the Pistons got, they very well could have won. There are plenty who agreed with me. You guys are Detroit fans so ofcourse you dont think we are getting ripped, but I know plenty of people in Orlando who feel the same way as I do, and all of those people are very level headed. My arguements make sense but as Pistons fans, most of you are refusing to see it from our perspective. Like Damien said, this is draining. We will see tonight if Orlando starts getting the whistle at home, and they might and if they do I will certainly admitt it.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hey Brendan, long time no talk. I was hoping you would post an article addressing the terrible calls. I didn’t read all of the postings, but I read a couple so excuse me if I’m reiterating points here.
The first thing to address is the obvious. If the clock doesn’t start you can’t count the play. Earlier this year they made two teams go back and replay the end of a game. Why couldn’t the officials say, redo the play. And the answer is because they were in Detroit and know the fans would’ve given them hell the rest of the night. After that play Orlando went cold from the field, and it took everything out of them.
Although I think the man has the IQ of toast, the thing I like about Charles Barkley is that he’s not afraid to tell it like it is. After the game during the game review he brought up 5 different points where the refs messed up, all against Orlando.
I love how people think Dwight gets to the line because the refs like him. Dwight gets to the line because people are trying to kill him. Just because he doesn’t through himself on the ground after every shot (Chauncy Billups) doesn’t mean he’s not getting fouled.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Great to see you Anders, hows it been? I agree with everything you say, now if only we could get some others seeing that.
That three should have been replayed, that would have made the msot sense considering the rules that were in place. And I think that perhaps the game being in Detroit influenced the officials a little, at least that’s not a farfetched notion.
And for Dwight getting fouled or not, I agree with you there too. He is so strong that he gets hit and it doesnt look like he gets fouled, but he does. I suppose if he fell to the floor every play he might get the call. As much as I think the refs are making bad calls through the series, i have to credit the Pistons players with being clever. They know as a team that has won a title recently they have more respect (it might be subconscious for the refs, who knows) but they do get some calls that other teams wouldnt. So, they take advantage of that, which is very sharp on their part. Chauncey throwing himself into people, Rasheed and Rip jawing to the refs, Rip tripping…they are all done on purpose because they know they will get the call. That is where Detroit’s experience has hurt Orlando and while it may not be fair, it is exactly what is going on. What’s your gut on tonight’s game Anders?
I have Orlando winning a redemption game. I am 6-of-7 in the post season, and the one game I didnt have right was Monday’s, which as I think I’ve already made clear, I think was tainted some. Orlando must win both of these games, not just one, to have a shot still.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
wow, brendan….you get awfully offensive on your blog. first of all, it is your job as a journalist to respect the opinion of others, and you have to hold your breath when it comes to negative comments….thats part of your job. you’re not always going to like what you see or hear, and your comments directed towards me were found offensive. you can’t blame officiating on every single possession. if orlando would have won this game, would officiating even been mentioned in your article? i dont even think the 3 that shouldnt have counted would have been mentioned either. you need to start having an open mind when it comes to opions. you keep ignoring the fact that hedo took a off balanced double clutch 3 that wasn’t even part of orlando’s game plan out of the timeout…..none of the orlando players are blaming the officiating. so why are you still ranting and raving the magic get no respect?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
and not once have i seen mick call you out……the dude’s just calling it how it is…you’re the one making it personal brendan
May 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Because I said something you said was idiotic? What you said about columnists not being objective when THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE BEING??? WRITERS FOR THE ORLANDO SENTINEL???
You dish it but don’t want it back? So people that don’t agree with you are classless (and there are others here that are disagreeing with you and saying worse things than I am)?
You want to be a journalist and you can’t take debate?
I never said thing one about your writing or that you shouldn’t write. What personal digs?
Wow, you call me classless?
You didn’t question my credibility? Compare our experiences and you’re credible and I’m not?
How much class is that?
I have been feeling the same pain you have for years before the 2004 title and had to stomach LeBron’s 25 straight points versus the Pistons in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. From the way you react to officiating, you would have had a heart attack over that.
Rip tripped “on purpose”? LMAO!
You want to be a writer, you have to get thicker skin. What area of journalism? I am sure you will be an objective writer while you threw columnists, people who are paid to write, under the bus.
Wow, and I thought I had been a pretty fair gentleman up until you turned this thing into a hissy fit over the three first, and then the officiating and then how wrong everyone in the world but you is wrong.
You sir, are NOT objective. Not even close. We write for our respective teams and are expected to have opinions (bias and otherwise), which I don’t fault you for having, but you had a hand into this whole discussion turning into what its become as well as I and others here.
I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, all I was doing was telling you how wrong that statement was by the definition of the word. Its the playoffs we are opponents. You read what is going on between the Cavs and Celtics writers and fans right now? Having a hard time believing your reaction from your original article to your responses even though you are a Magic fan.
Remember this though, as long as people are reading your stuff, right or wrong, you’re doing your job and getting a reaction, both good and bad. It sells papers, magazines, and books, or brings hits to your site.
Its sports, its the way it is. You ever want to talk off-site, drop me an email.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Andrew,
I really didn’t think I was calling him out or getting personal either. Thanks for seeing it.
He did get defensive but I understand where he’s coming from and did not expect spirited debate to turn into this or hurt the dude’s feelings.
Live and let live I guess.
Leave a comment