Tip-In: True Grit - Feisty Raptors Surprise Celtics 102 to 101
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 8:30 AM EST
in Tip-In (Post Game Reports)
Email
PrintYesterday's surprise win by the Toronto Raptors over the Boston Celtics was so intense that the HQ had to bring in some outside help to break it down...
Editor's Note: The HQ is expanding! Since about the end of last season it became clear to the team that they could use a few extra resources to help on the content side, so last month they put out the call to Ryerson's School of Journalism here in Toronto, seeking interns. They've narrowed their list down to a few final candidates, but want readers help in deciding who eventually rounds out the team. To that end, all week the HQ will be posting work from the finalists, and at the end of it, will seek feedback from you, the readers, as to who should get the gig!
We kick things off this morning with a recap provided by Gabe Lee, contestant number one...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With their 102-101 win over the Boston Celtics, the Raptors improved to 4-1 since Sonny Weems was inserted into the starting line-up. The Raps also welcomed back Jose Calderon into the starting 5, as a result of shipping Jarrett Jack to New Orleans. Both teams were shorthanded: the Raps were missing the new pieces they acquired in the trade and the Celtics' Rajon Rondo sat out with a hamstring injury.
The C's were off to a fast start, 31-23, riding the hot hand of Nate Robinson's 16 first quarter points. The second quarter appeared to be the Raps' best quarter of basketball (38 points explosion) against a quality opponent thus far in the season, their offence seemed to be really flowing and the play of their bench, led by Barbosa, was promising. The resilient Celtics kept it close until the end, but Rondo's playmaking ability was severely missed. Barbosa's steal off Ray Allen in the last 10 seconds of the game led to Amir Johnson's game winning free throws.
Andrea Bargnani is stringing a couple big games together, 29 points today, and looks to be settling into the role of the team's primary offensive weapon. Barbosa and Weems both had nice games, their impacts resonated beyond their stat lines. And free throw hero Amir Johnson chipped in 17 points and 11 boards. Boston's big three of Garnett, Allen, and Pierce were quiet for much of the game; the Celtics were led in scoring by Nate Robinson's 22 points.
With wins over Orlando and Boston in the span of two weeks, the Raps' losing ways seem like a distant memory. While they almost gave the crowd at the ACC a collective heart attack, one thing's for sure when they play together and play hard, this Raptor team is hard not to root for with their underdog mentality.
A few notes:
-The Raptors are 3-1 since Sonny Weems replaced Linas Kleiza in the starting lineup.
-Thought maybe we'd see some fireworks between Reggie Evans and Kevin Garnett. After the infamous KG and Charlie Villanueva incident, when Charlie accused KG of calling him a cancer patient. Reggie publicly called KG out in an interview with the Toronto star: "‘I’ve seen KG get his ass whupped.… He’s always barking, and when it’s time to get physical, he’s always been a little Chihuahua."
-Good patience shown all night by Andrea Bargnani, using what the defense was giving him, even passing on a contested three, swinging the basketball, using the screens designed to free him up, and trusting his team mates will find him again (which they did). Passing on a good shot for a great shot is an essential skill for a budding superstar.
-Jose spoke on an interview earlier in the game about how the game is fun for the Raptors because someone new steps up every game. It's great for the Raptors, but drives fantasy owners crazy.
-Speaking of Jose, a lot of Raptor fans whine about his defence, and it looks like he's taken it to heart this season. He took a charge from Big Baby and did number of little things right last night. Not saying Jose won't get abused by top tier point guards (a la if Rondo was playing and Nate in the first Q), but overall good to see him trying to get after it.
-A quintessential example of how the "ball don't lie", a phrase coined by former Celtic Rasheed Wallace, late in this one. A ghastly call made by the referee as KG blatantly loses control of the ball, slaps it out of bounds and the Celtics retain possession. The Raptors argue the call, and receive a technical. Ray Allen, a career .9999 free throw shooter (slight exaggeration), steps to the line and clanks it.
-Smart coaching by Jay Triano on the night overall. In particular, inserting a struggling Andrea in the 3rd Q to match up with the newly subbed in Glen Davis. Andrea immediately scores five points in the next two minutes, abusing Davis like a pylon.
-The battle in the trenches between Amir Johnson and KG throughout the quarter was riveting. Amir did an admirable job on many an occasion denying KG the ball and then closing out on KG's favourite jumper at the top of the key.
-There's a staggering difference between Boston's offence and Toronto's offence in the clutch. As Leo Rautins put it "Pierce's penetration creates opportunities to score," while the Raptors have been scrapping all over the place looking for someone to step up and make a play.
-What an unbelievable way to end the game. With the Raps down one, the ball is inbounded to Allen (who would most definitely go to the line and put the C's up 3, remember ball don't lie) and Barbosa appears to be looking to commit a foul but ends up stripping Ray. Jose picks up the ball passes cross court to Barbosa, Barbosa's layup is missed, but Amir Johnson is fouled on the offensive rebound!
Amir steps up and hits both free throws putting the Raps up 102-101 with 2.7 seconds left. Out of the timeout Piece misses a makeable look. Raptors win! Raptors win! Raptors win! The Raps almost gave the ACC a collective heart attack this afternoon, but undoubtedly they're a team that's fun to cheer for.
GABE LEE
76 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Stat error
So, are they 4-1 or 3-1 since Weems was inserted into the lineup? I think this piece says both.
Nice catch…they’re actually 4 and 2…
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 8:59 AM EST up reply actions
Other than the stat error, this piece wasn’t bad. I kind of like the bulleted note style of presentation, precursed by the blurb. Kind of like sexy Holly’s notes from practice. Gabe do you resemble Holly Mackenzie in any way?
LOL
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
I try to imagen
Poor Gabe in a dark room with a light in her face and DS asking: “What was, again, your take on defense and rebounding”?
Also funny ha ha…
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
That’s all part of the interview process, obviously ;)
by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Nov 22, 2010 1:25 PM EST up reply actions
No backing down
One thing that has to be mentioned is the toughness the Raptor’s showed. They did not get bullied by Boston this game and in fact seemed to do some of the bullying.
For all those that say Andrea is soft, he got in KG’s face last night, threw some elbow’s and showed KG he wasn’t CB4. It’s been a long time since I have seen a Raptor step up and push KG around like that. Add on to that Amir doing the same in the second half and it was a sight for sore eyes. Amir should really control his elbow though, if the elbow he threw at KG in the second connected it would have cost him a bunch of coin and some games.
Be careful Amir, the Raps need you to play not ride the pine!
I like the shorter rotation, it’s going to be interesting to see how Jay rotates his player now.
I actually thought Andrea did a great job attacking KG yesterday. KG was all over him late in the game, but Bargs was aggressive throughout and instead of settling, took it to whoever was guarding him. Just great to see.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
I agree. This is definately a big win for the Raps.
by Jeffrey Thompson on Nov 22, 2010 9:16 AM EST reply actions
Silly me...
I wrote this one off and didn’t watch. By chance, I decided to check the score and see how bad the loss was. Lo and behold the game hadn’t ended and the Raptors were leading. All I can say is that the last 4 minutes were damn exciting and good on the Raptors for pulling out the win. I have to think that if the game was played in Boston Barbosa would have been called for a foul regardless of whether that was the right call or not.
BTW, Gabe, nice write-up. I think you have a chance. You and D-Stance could develop a kind of good cop-bad cop routine regarding Andrea Bargnani.
Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the contenders have to offer. Great idea RHQ. I hope Gabe and his fellow candidates don’t lose to much sleep over this.
question
What happened to Howland? is he still around or did he bring his talent to South Beach too?
Renato -
It’s been a crazy year for me with my real job. I have not bought my talents to South Beach but I have been all over the world for work (Asia, Europe, US), in crazy time zones and working around the clock. It’s been tough on me, the wife, and of course the rest of the HQ team who have done a fantastic job and have not missed a beat.
I hope to be back full-time in a week or two. Either way we needed more help with content on the site and this is a great way to do it.
Dave "Howland" Randell
Co-Creator of RaptorsHQ.com
by RaptorsHQ - Howland on Nov 22, 2010 10:21 AM EST up reply actions
And I thought "I" was the globe trotter
I can relate to your job “inconveniences”, I know exactly how it feels like
Sadly the guy won't get the gig......
Franshise will never accept quotes like:
“Andrea Bargnani is stringing a couple big games together, 29 points today, and looks to be settling into the role of the team’s primary offensive weapon.”
Great win, very exciting and they played as a TEAM. Looking better and better without Bosh
Franchise has DS doing his dirty work for him
he hasn’t touched a knife for years now….
Ha ha ha…hey, I call it like I see it and Andrea has been pretty solid the past few games.
Not even going to nitpick the 2 rebounds because most of the time his man wasn’t getting them either since neither were under the rim. I only counted one late-game situation where Bargs missed his assignment (boxing out Big Baby which resulted in an extra C’s possession and Ray Allen 3.)
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 11:45 AM EST up reply actions
From Boston
They seem absolutely furious about Barbosa fouling Ray allen at the end of the game, was anybody at the game? I am curious to hear a first hand opinion on that
Wow
I just checked it out. Those dudes take life way too seriously. There’s a guy there who says the NBA has breached its contract with the fans and all the fans should be re-imbursed…like seriously….LOL.
And to think, here, post game after a Raptors L consists of HQers arguing about how much Bargnani was to blame for the loss.
Was it a foul? Maybe.
But from my point of view the C’s shouldn’t have been relying on a foul call when they didn’t deserve to win this one. Doc said as much post-game even though he too thought it was a foul.
Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com
by Adam Francis on Nov 22, 2010 11:46 AM EST up reply actions
I watched the reply
Barbosa definetly hits the ball hard, whether he hits the hand too I could not say
Check the replays again.
There’s a few in slo-mo that break it down pretty good.
http://celticshub.com/2010/11/22/crying-foul/#more-10957
It’s pretty blatant. He doesn’t even come close to the ball. Pierce’s foul is equally suspect.
Look, point is, calls like that shouldn’t happen in the NBA, ever. It was ridiculously pathetically officiated game, the entire game (i.e. the Tech on Calderon was freaking ridiculous) it just happened to screw the Cs in the end.
Everyone saying the C’s shouldn’t have allowed it to come down to a call like that are 100% right, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Refs were horrible, and incompetency like that just shouldn’t exist.
The C’s have benefited over the years from enough borderline or just plain wrong calls that it is pretty rich to be complaining when things even out.
All teams have.
I’m not arguing that point. Officiating in the NBA is a joke, and it won’t be dealt with until Stern is gone. His coddling of officials ruins the NBA on a regular basis.
And I see examples of it in all games, not just the Celtics.
I wasn’t complaining, I’m just saying call a spade a spade here. Toronto, if the calls went the right way, probably would have lost that game (I say probably, because well, Ray could have missed the FTs, is technically possible, so who knows) the replays show that. It was a foul, the refs screwed it up, you can’t argue that point.
No complaints, the Cs have noone to blame but themselves for missing 10 FTs, and allowing 38 points in the second quarter. But at the end of the day, they were in a position to win, and were screwed on some horrid officiating, the tapes prove that.
My only argument isn’t to complain and say the Celtics deserved to win (you can’t claim that after the way they played most of the game) but to call it exactly how it was: A horrible call that went the Raptors way and clinched the game for them.
Actually I'll rephrase that.
“A horrible call that went the Raptors way and gave them a chance to win the game.”
That’s what it was, they still had to hit the shots to win it, so I won’t say it clinched it for them, only gave them that chance.
I agree with your assessment, but it seems like a non-issue. Until some kind of super-human cyborgs start reffing the games these kind of things are going to happen. The NFL has technology and replays up the ying-yang and they still have reffing controversies. As a Raptors fan it is just nice to be on the upside of a blown call for a change.
Ok
I had never seen that image from this close, there it is obvious Barbosa hits the arm and not the ball. Anyway officiating did not start with that game and in a game there are plenty of chances to make the wrong call, for example, in the same game either Andrea or Calderon got a technical foul for … being right (the referees reversed the decision).
I have seen enough dubious calls or no calls favoring the "C"s to believe there isn’t a deliberate will to penalize them. Truth is when games are that close, anything can make the result swing one way or the other.
re Barbosa/Allen
A foul is only a foul when it’s called by the ref’s. The Celtics are the biggest crybabies in the NBA, bar none. They never lose, they are just unlucky, play poorly , or are robbed by the refs, never beaten by an opponent who played better on the night.
this is a comment
I asked for somebody who can give first hand opinion
Well they did lose.
And no loss EVER comes down to just one call. But it doesn’t change the fact that the refs blatantly missed the call.
Watch the replays, watch it in slow-mo and take off your Raptors hat for a second and use your brain, you’ll see how blatant it was.
I would even condone the missed call, it’s the end of the game, you let them play and unless it’s a blatant clothesline, don’t call anything? Perfect, I have no problem with that… so how the hell do you call the foul on Pierce there to give two free throws to win a game? You’re not going to tell me that was any clearer of a foul than Barbosa’s slap on Ray’s elbow… Either may or may not have been a foul, but if you let them play on one, you have to let them play on both. Awful officiating.
The Raptors, being an unfashionable team, have been on the wrong end of so many officiating gaffes that you are not going to find much sympathy around here. Don’t worry, the C’s should get all the calls when the teams meet next time in Boston.
Maybe, and that's my point.
Don’t we, as fans, deserve a little better than “Well it will probably correct itself and you’ll get all the calls in the next game.” type of attitude?
I don’t think it’s too much to ask that they get these calls right, especially when there as blatant as it was last night.
I think it IS too much to ask that the NBA ALWAYS get EVERY call right. No league will every achieve that kind of gold plated refereeing standard and anyway some cases are a judgement call that two reasonable people could legitimately disagree about.
However, what I would love to see addressed is the “star-system” that leads to blatant inconsistencies in foul calls. Very often fouls are called based on who is the fouler vs who is the foulee, where the game is being played and whether one club is one of the NBA’s glamour teams. In these cases, what actually happens has nothing to do with the call it is all based on “reputation” or some other non-sensical criteria.
Agree on the star system.
The star bias, especially on technicals is ridiculous.
But I’m not saying always get every call right, calls like last night were awful. I could argue ridiculous foul calls on Shaq all night, but that is what it is, and I don’t expect refs to be perfect for 48 minutes of a game.
What I do expect is when I am watching a close game that comes down to 1 or 2 possessions, that the PLAYERS on the court and not the sad little men on power trips decide the outcome. The bottom line is the final sequence of events that ultimately decided last nights games (ignoring everything leading up to it) was decided more by teh blow, or lack thereof, of the whistles, than it was the players on the court. That should not happen, ever.
I understand where you are coming from and I think we both believe that greater fairness in refereeing would be benefit the league and its fans. I have seen a few games this year where the refs have used replay late in games to make sure that out of bounds calls were correct. I don’t know if they can do the same thing on fouls. That might improve things a bit.
One last thought, I don’t know if you ever watch Summer League or NBDL games, but if you do you may gain an enhanced appreciation of the refs working in the NBA.
Thanks for posting your insights on here. Drop by any tme.
Team question
This team will go trough an evelution, part of which has already happened before our eyes; I believe we can all agree this team is better than the team that started the season and given the chance to play now some of the games it has lost, possibly the end result would be different. You can’t, Amen. Question is, we keep assuming this team severely lacks talent but there will be a moment where that assumption will have to be challanged. This team has plaid now with several elite others and has won some and lost others but it has been in the game all the time. You need to have some talent available to even put yourself in the position to win. I do not want to get ahead of myself but to borrow BC words: This is not a Ground Zero.
Writing Style of this post
Good quote from Reggie that made me laugh, but there are issues with this writing style.
However, I hated the use of “-” under notes, there is absolutely no flow here. ESPN uses something like this as game notes, but not for half the article. 1/3 of the article is written as an article, while the rest are disjointed facts about the game or observations. This wouldn’t pass the muster for the Toronto Star/ G & M by any means, so I’d rate the writing style as quite poor / juvenile…. There is no transitions and flow to this writeup. I’m definitely being critical here as this is a journalism student looking for a professional career in media and as such I would expect a higher level of writing.
As for the game, great game and we’re lucky to win. We stunk it up in the 4th, up 12 and couldn’t buy a bucket for 6 minutes. It took Pierce to miss an open jumper to win, and it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. Any other great team in the NBA up 12 in the fourth would be able to hold the lead, but we definitely choked. Don’t get me wrong, very happy we won, but I would have liked it to be a solid win (which it was looking like to be) rather than wow, we just barely won it…
Hey Smooth fan,
I actually sent in two different recaps of the game to Franchise, and he combined them eloquently for me; explaining the lack of flow between the article form and the notes form.
To address your point about choking away the lead, taking into account the Raptors were short handed and were never favourites to win against the Celtics at all, they showed a lot of character to come back from a double digit deficit, give up a double digit lead of their own, and find a way to scrape out a W.
Gabe,
That’s good, I’m being particularly critical as I found my writing only improved when people told me the truth rather than being nice to not hurt my feelings. I didn’t see your other versions, so I’ll take your word for it.
I absolutely agree that they were short handed and they were the underdogs. However, they played piss poor in that 4th quarter. There’s no other way to say it. Missing open shots, panicking, I don’t know what happened. They played well in the 3rd and the 4th it was just a terrible display. Like I said, I’m ecstatic they won, but I hate when they fall apart like that. Only this time we were lucky to finish the deal. I’ve seen them lose so many games this way, it’s not even funny.
Writing style of this comment
“There is no transitions and flow to this writeup.”
Hilarious!
It took Pierce to miss an open jumper to win
It wasn’t an open jumper. If you replay it, you will see that DeRozen did an excellent job of staying in Pierce’s face and contesting the shot without fouling. If it had been an open jumper, Pierce is too good of a player to have missed.
Agreed.
Good D at the end there, I thought Pierce had space on the elbow for the catch and shoot when he first came around the screen. I think he made a mistake putting the ball on the ground to drive, DeRozen did a great job recovering and staying in front of him to force a contested fall-away.
I would of rather seen Pierce pull up immediately off the screen, and take the shot at the elbow, I think he had good separation, and got greedy trying to find a better shot.
Maybe I didn’t see that final shot closely, wasn’t watching it on the big screen as per the norm. I thought Pierce had room and I think he was quoted saying he had a good look, but just missed….
Well, the fall away is still a decent look for him, he hits that shot pretty well, with the quick jab/step-back.
So I won’t say it was a bad shot, only that I thought he had a better shot and better look at the basket if he rose up right away after curling around the screen. He had a good step and a half on DeRozen on that point, and putting the ball down and driving allowed DeRozen to recover and contest. Which he did very well, and didn’t allow Pierce to get a step in front of him, to his credit.
Happy About the Win
First of all, very great piece on the game, I really enjoyed it.
I have come to realize that as a Raptors fan I do not expect them to make the playoffs this year nor even win 30 games. I just expect them to imrpove game by game and to make each game exciting for the fans. For them to even be in a game playing only with 8 on the roster against a premier team like the Celtics thrills me as a loyal Raptors fan. Bargnani is showing some signs of an all-star if he becomes more assertive in the 4th quarter (crunch time). Typical Raptors Situation: up by 10 going into the 4th against an elite team. Everyone knows that its going to come down to the wire, the fact that we are up 10 going into the fourth is an accomplishment itself, giving us an opportunity to come away with the win. The Raptors are not even close to being a Boston or L.A. but their home games fueled by the fans leaves them with a chance to compete with any team.
Very well done Gabe, liked your points and look forward to your posts in the future.
Nice piece, Gabe Lee!
Definitely like the blurb followed by bullet points, and I agree with your take on the game. Keep up the good work!
the celtics are crybabies
their just crying cause thats 2 games in a row they lost to teams they shouldnt have lost to…okc minus durant and jeff green, and the raps being short-handed..sure they didnt have rondo but we didnt have jack or andersen..point is the game shouldnt have been that close where their crying bout a non foul call..SHUT UP!!!! lord i can only wonder what the worst annoucers in sports (tommy heisman) had to say bout what happened, problably acting like someone got murdered or something…and the reggie thing…HAHAHAH is that what he said bout garnnet..my respect level for reggie just went through the ceiling after reading that..when did he say that after the kg, charlie insident…(which if its true KG needs his ass whooped for real for saying that garbage)
Is it crying to call a spade a spade.
If you’re arguing the Refs didn’t miss the call, then you need to open your eyes, the replays are pretty apparent.
It should have never have come down to one play, there is no question about that. There is no excuse to allow ANY team to score 38 in a quarter, ever. Not when you’re a championship caliber team that prides itself on defense, that just cannot happen.
But, the bottom line is, awful officiating and a blown call gave the Raptors the chance to win, while stealing it from the Celtics. Who knows, even if the foul was called as it should have been, maybe Ray bricks both free throws and they lose anyway. Could have happened, but it didn’t, because the Refs didn’t call it the way it should have been, and anyone with a brain and eyes that work can see that in the replay.
you clearly have not watch too many Celtic games
You sound like a Celtic fan that’s upset..buttom line is this the raps had just as much if not MORE calls against them that could have cost them the game..when the refs blown that call bout the ball going of a rap when it clearly went off garnett the raps got a tech and than the refs realize oh we fuked up and gave the ball back to the raps after giving the C’s a tech shot..and I think Reggie got a tech as well..point is if you haven’t watched a Celtics game or HEARD the announcers you would think the C’s never commit a foul or should never lose a game. There’s a reason a lot of players don’t like the Celtics they talk a good game but when they lose they almost always find a reason why they lost..crybaby Celtics.
by sherwin316 on Nov 22, 2010 6:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I've watched every Celtics game for the past probably... 10 years.
Well, maybe not every game, but most of them, certainly every game this year. I also watch a lot of other NBA games, and basketball is a big part of my life. I love the NBA and watch as much of it as I can.
And if you read my other responses, I mentioned the exact call you were talking about, and I completely agree the officiating was terrible for both sides. I never argued otherwise. The sad truth of it, is that call at the end of the game screwed the Celtics out of a chance to win. It was the wrong call, you can’t argue that if you look at the tapes.
Now, I’ll agree with you there are some Celtics fans out there that are a bit overblown, this city is very passionate about it’s team, many times to it’s own detriment. But last nights game is not one of those cases, I’ve watched the replays many times and tried to be as objective as I can. The bottom line comes down to… Barbosa never touched the ball, and got nothing but Ray’s elbow. It should have been a foul, and they added insult to injury by calling the foul on Pierce right after which gave the Raptors the chance to win; which was no more of a foul than Barbosa’s.
It was wrong, and unless you can argue that it wasn’t in fact a foul, and show me something in a tape to prove that, then I have every right to be upset. Not because this call happened to steal a game from the Celtics, but because I am a fan of the NBA who demands more than to see a game ultimately decided by the officials.
if your gonna be upset cause of a blown call
Than you might as well never watch basketball every again, blown calls happen nightly in this league. Fine it was a foul I didn’t see the replay so I won’t argue that the fact is it STILL should never come down to that especially from a championship team to allow a team like the raps to be blunt out play them for most of the game. And I just get tired of their whinning when they lose..just ask Kevin durant last year when okc played Utah and the last play he shot a 3 pointed, clearly got fouled and lost the game..blown calls happen gotta move on to the next game.
by sherwin316 on Nov 22, 2010 7:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You're missing the point.
I’m not saying they can’t miss calls, I get that their human. But what happened last night was different, I’m not going to say it was out right corrupt, but it was beyond incompetence, and it just simply cannot be accepted.
The complete irrationality to the calls is the problem, once you don’t call that foul on Barbosa, the precedent is set. Ok, no problem, you’re letting them play on and you’re not going to call a touch foul at the end of the game. That makes total sense and I’d say is a smart way to go, you should let them play more at the end of games like that.
But wait, you call and equally suspect foul on Pierce immediately after which puts Barbosa (a great FT shooter) on the line, for the go ahead. Ok, now there’s a problem. See my point? If the Raptors get that ball and knock down a jump shot, it’s one thing. Ya you missed the call, but the Raptors come down and hit a big shot, ok, fine.
But no, the Celtics play great defense, get a block, and then you bail the Raps out with an equally suspect call that puts them at the line? Now we’ve crossed into the ridiculous. And that’s where the problems come, official should have realized at that time, you’re either letting them play, or not, you simply cannot call a flimsy touch foul where Pierce just “maybe got a piece of his hand” in no worse way than Barbosa “maybe got a piece of his elbow” just 10 seconds earlier.
A sequence like that means either the officially is either completely incompetent, and completely corrupt (ala Donaghy) there’s really no other explanation.
Or it means...
that just like Pierce missed the last shot which was the most important shot of the game for him, a ref missed a call… maybe it was the most important call of the game, maybe not…
But I don’t see you calling Paul Pierce completely incompetent and corrupt because he failed to do something he is paid millions of dollars to do… maybe he should be investigated and suspended without pay until the situation is rectified…
I think Celts fans have every right to be mad that their team dropped two games that they ought to have won. That said, I think they should direct their anger at their own team’s play moreso than at the refs.
I am upset at their play.
No excuse for missed free throws, no excuse for allowing a 38 point second quarter. These things cannot happen.
But at the end of the day, no matter what led up to it, that call was missed. Unless someone can argue that point, unless someone can show me some evidence which says “hey maybe it wasn’t really a foul” then there is no reason not to ALSO be upset that yet another game’s outcome has been affected (not decided) by poor officiating.
It’s wrong, and it happens way too often in the NBA. Czar Stern needs to own up to his officials incompetence, the fans who spend their hard earned money to support his league DESERVE better.
And the blown call earlier in the game ...
resulted in Ray Allen shooting a free throw when he had no right to either, so yea get over the blown call, they go both ways… I also watched Reggie take out a rebound for an extra possession when he clearly had a foot on the endline when he got the board… oh well… I guess that means the game was rigged huh?
maybe Pierce should have got carried off in a wheelchair after missing the shot only to come back 2 minutes later and dominate… just sayin
It must be said
I commend you for keeping your cool although you’re being surrounded by people with one common opinion. Thanks for posting your thoughts eloquently and not resorting to personal shots at one another. I’d rather not get into the whole reffing debate because it’s impossible to be perfect and I think the refs do a decent enough job. I always say games are not won and lost by refereeing; there are many other instances in a game where the TEAM ITSELF could have done things different to impact the final outcome. And I’m sure you’re hearing this alot on this website, but the fact of the matter is, we’ve been on the wrong end of so many super star calls, we’ve pretty much accepted that the refereeing is not going to be perfect. We’ve seen phantom calls on Kobe, KG, Pierce, D12, VC, you name it. Toronto just doesn’t command respect in the league and if you live in the States, you can probably attest to that. In my honest opinion, it was just nice to see the Celtics not get any bonus calls for being a star-studded team.
Haha, thanks Dave.
I try not to resort to those things on other team’s blogs. Generally I enjoy debating basketball with all types of fans. Except LA. F*** LA.
Sorry, had to be done.
Mik’s pushing it with the wheelchair comment, but I’ll let that be water under the bridge and move on. Celtics just absolutely smoked Atlanta, in Atlanta, and since they swept us last year, I am in a considerably better mood right now.
Anyway, I understand your points, and I do try to appreciate the small market lack of respect I’m sure you deal with all season. I also have the utmost respect for Toronto fans after enduring this off-season and what you had to put up with in Bosh, what a grade A jackass.
I still stand by what I said though, officiating just simply should not be affecting the outcomes of games like that, I don’t expect perfection, but what we have now is just atrocious.
What I love about this set up
Is the easy access to other team’s boards. I’ve taken to defending Raptor honour against many different fan bases. So let me extend a warm welcome to Sizzlack. I enjoyed reading your viewpoints and look forward to disagreeing with you in the future.
Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.
by HQ Interloper on Nov 22, 2010 11:22 PM EST up reply actions
Thanks for keeping it civil :)
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Nov 22, 2010 11:48 PM EST up reply actions
Funny thing is
Toronto is the 4th market in the NBA (not sure where Boston is and I am not from TO and never been in TO so I am not being a homer). The lack of respects probably goes hand in hand with the lack of results.
hahaha good debate
Much respect sizzlack no hard feelings that’s why I love this site. Just debating bout certain topics without going over-board is always fun. Since I’m a raptor (and huge laker fan lol ) you can see why I was happy to see the Celtics lose. I think HDAVE hit it on the head for years the raps would get the short end of the stick..the lakers game last year is a perfect example..that had to have been the worst reffing job I ever seen (and again I’m a laker fan) so to see a blown call on Sunday was sweet justice for me not only cause the raps don’t normally get the calls..but cause it was against the Celtics lol
by sherwin316 on Nov 23, 2010 7:06 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I thought I smelled something.
Turns out it was LA stink, it’s a truly atrocious scent.
Thanks Sizzlack
Thanks for coming in and providing all that insightful discourse. I know every team is going to experience those blown calls over the 82 game season, and I know a lot of our own readers will just go back and say “well, it happened to us before too”.
As for my own opinion, I do think it was a blown call. I think in the minds of a lot of Celtics fans (not you so much :p) that they feel that it cost them the game. While I think our Raptors played very strongly against the Celtics, at the same time, I think the Celtics shouldn’t have allowed the Raptors to have the lead going into the fourth.
For whatever reason, (Robinson seems like a bad fit right now) it was way closer than it should have been and our Raptors team was lucky enough to come out with the win in the end. For our team right now, I think keeping it close and giving ourselves a chance to pull out a win down the stretch is the most realistic way for us to beat the Celtics of the world and luckily for us it worked out.
Kinnon "Vicious D" Yee
Author - RaptorsHQ.com Twitter @RapHQVicious
by Raptors HQ - Vicious D on Nov 22, 2010 11:46 PM EST reply actions
Don’t have to look too far back to find an example – remember the Bargs turnover to end the Charlotte game? Blatant foul – when you slow it down – similar to the Ray Allen one.
It happens – to every team – but this is the first time I can recall it going in our favor.
I was just happy to have a close game.
Oh, and it’s not like a foul would have clinched the game for them – 2 made free throws would have made it a 3 point game, so there would still have been something like 8 seconds to run a play for a three point shot.
by dhackett1565 on Nov 23, 2010 9:09 AM EST up reply actions
Sizzlack
If you lived in Toronto and dealt with the way the refs treat our players on a regular basis you would know two things; 1. They got a break at the end of the game on Sunday.
2. That makes them about 4-87 lifetime on game changing calls in the last minute
Also, I have noticed Boston is one of the teams that gets the benefit of the refs on enough occasions and is a “favoured” team, so it’s hard to feel bad from our standpoint.
In last years game seven, where LA was given every benefit of the doubt, that is what it feels like to be a Raptors fan on a nightly basis. The main point you are making is hard to debate if you are a true sports fan, all we want is for the players to decide the outcome and for the refs to get it right. Too many times in the NBA the refs make one sided calls all night. If you watch closely, as a Raptor fan, sometimes I see one official start giving us a few calls back and I swear it is because he is embarrassed out how one sided his colleague is being he just feels he needs to even it out a little bit.
Basically what I want as a fan;
Same rules for everybody and same calls for the away and home teams. FAIRNESS
Sounds like we can agree on that. I can also agree the Celtics got screwed at the end of the game but either team could have won that game and the refs made “A” mistake but they were not biased for the Raps all game long and it was not a trend of officiating. It’s harder to argue a call or two than it is to argue against a series of bad calls going one way. This was just a couple tough calls at the end of the game. I have seen the refs make so many bad calls against Toronto when we have played Boston that they have I would argue completely cost us the game. This was not the case here.
And just wait till we play in Boston. All we want is the same rules for both teams. The same rules for Pierce and Demar and Sonny.
And good win tonight for Boston. What is up with Atlanta though? Strange team headed to nowhere fast.
Ya, Atlanta is a mess.
As good as the Celtics played, the Hawks just showed no heart whatsoever. They took an uppercut in the opening round, and just never bothered to get back up.
And yes, we certainly agree on those points. It’s just extremely frustrating to see games ultimately decided like that, it’s a shame for the Raptors as well, who took complete advantage of a Boston team who didn’t have it’s head in the game all night and took it right too them. All credit for that, I thought they showed a lot of heart. Which is exactly why the whole thing bothered me, the Raptors deserved better from that win than an (*) in the minds of a lot of fans who will say… well, if it wasn’t for the Refs the Celtics probably would have won. True or not, doesn’t really matter, that’s the perception that will exist, the entire situation is bad for everyone, bad for fans of both teams, bad for the NBA; and it happens way too often.
the hawks are going no where
I still don’t understand why they didn’t blow that team up…every year they have an amazing regular season barely get by the first round only to get smoked in the second round. You would think they would make some changes..instead they keep the team together and sign Johnson to the most retarded contract known to man..smh
by sherwin316 on Nov 23, 2010 2:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
good read
I don’t usually watch basketball or even follow it….but this was a nice read. Good job Gabereee.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Raptors HQ
Related FanShots on Raptors HQ
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Shaquille O’Neal is in a Chinese beer commercial, too (VIDEO)
- ‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- C-a-C: This is probably as close to LeBron James working with John Waters as we’ll ever get
- Dwyane Wade’s hot pink pants: The kind of thing you can get away with when you drop 41
- Lamar Odom to New York? Dwight Howard on the move? For now, it’s all talk
