Lakers Coach Phil Jackson conceded afterward that Fisher had bumped Barry in his last shot, but also that he was positive Fisher's last shot had grazed the rim.
Look what happens when you don't sell a foul? Barry should have flopped. The rest of his teammates were probably upset at him for deviating from the Spurs' SOP.
What game did you guys watch? It was a questionable call for sure but even the Spurs head coach said it wasn't a foul. If he thought it was a foul he would have just focused on next game and said it was out of their hands so they just have to deal with it, instead he said it wasn't a foul.
The NBA wants a Celtics-Lakers final? I don't think the reffing has been near that bad in this series. You go back and watch the Mavericks-Heat series if you want to see bad reffing.
What game did you guys watch? It was a questionable call for sure but even the Spurs head coach said it wasn't a foul. If he thought it was a foul he would have just focused on next game and said it was out of their hands so they just have to deal with it, instead he said it wasn't a foul.
The NBA wants a Celtics-Lakers final? I don't think the reffing has been near that bad in this series. You go back and watch the Mavericks-Heat series if you want to see bad reffing.
Or Spurs/Suns from last year....
&$#! the Spurs, they get so many favorable calls, I am not going to lose sleep when they get a minor screw job, like last night may have been.
Coach Pop was telling the media it wasn't a foul, but he was certainly telling the refs at the end of the game it was a foul. He is just trying to get the team to re-focus. Phil Jackson thought it was a foul, Marv Albert thought it was a foul. It was a foul.
"Minor screw job"? - that non-call may have changed the series to 3-1 from 2-2.
trout it was one call, it isn't like the Lakers have been getting massively favorable reffing all series. Plus the Spurs deserve to be on the losing end of reffing because the refs basically held their hand as they beat the Suns last year, it was a joke. To say the NBA wants a Celts-Lakers final after one bad call is stretching it quite a bit.
Plus Kobe actually had a good interview, he spoke about learning from the Spurs because they are the champs. This is waaaaay overblown, one slightly bad call after the Spurs got a ton of good calls. Even then the game would have only gone to OT because Barry was not in the shooting motion when he was nudged, can't say the spurs would have for sure won considering they essentially never had the lead all game.
With a last chance, Barry turned to pivot at the 3-point line, and Fisher landed on Barry's back and shoulders. Watching without comment was Crawford.
If Barry had sold it, he would have forced Crawford to make the call. If Barry had done a Ginobili, flailing his arms, coming up through Fisher, then Barry would have shot three free throws.
A career 82 percent shooter, he likely would have made them. Having already scored a season-high 23 points, he would have become Sean Elliott in 1999, Steve Kerr in 2003 and Horry in 2005. The unexpected hero of a postseason.
But Barry says he didn't see Fisher, and he released his desperation shot only after Fisher had fallen to the side.
No one blamed Barry. As Popovich said, “We wouldn't have had a chance to win if it wasn't for Brent tonight.”
Popovich and Barry didn't blame Crawford, either. Both said it was the proper no-call.
a. A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an oppo-nent by extending a hand, forearm, leg or knee or by bending the body into a posi-tion that is not normal. Contact that results in the re-routing of an opponent is a foul which must be called immediately.
b. Contact initiated by the defensive player guarding a player with the ball is not legal. This contact includes, but is not limited to, forearm, hands, or body check.
1. Incidental Contact
The mere fact that contact occurs does not necessarily constitute a foul. Contact which is incidental to an effort by a player to play an opponent, reach a loose ball, or perform normal defensive or offensive movements, should not be consid-ered illegal. If, however, a player attempts to play an opponent from a position where he has no reasonable chance to perform without making contact with his opponent, the responsibility is on the player in this position.
Coach Pop was telling the media it wasn't a foul, but he was certainly telling the refs at the end of the game it was a foul. He is just trying to get the team to re-focus. Phil Jackson thought it was a foul, Marv Albert thought it was a foul. It was a foul.
"Minor screw job"? - that non-call may have changed the series to 3-1 from 2-2.
Yep, a minor one - Spurs had ALL GAME to do something, and they never held the lead IIRC.
Spurs can cry about being screwed when Duncan and Parker get suspended from a playoff game, while the other team only loses a scrub like Turiaf.
That, IMO would be a major screw job, and whichever team gets that favorable call wouldn't have the right to complain about a single non-call in a playoff game the following year since the previous year's championship was handed to them on a golden platter....
The league office on Wednesday reviewed the final play of the San Antonio Spurs' 93-91 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and acknowledged that a two-shot foul should have been called on Derek Fisher for impeding Brent Barry.
"With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made," league spokesman Tim Frank said Wednesday.
But the Spurs did not protest the non-call afterward, even though a foul called before the shot would have sent Barry to the line for two free throws and a chance to force overtime.
The non-call nonetheless generated more than the usual scrutiny because the closest referee to the play was Joey Crawford, with whom San Antonio has a contentious recent history.
"That play," Barry said, "was not where the game was lost."
The Spurs, in truth, wouldn't have had a chance to tie or win the game in the final two seconds if not for a fortuitous non-call on the previous possession.
"With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul should have been called," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.
Had that happened, Barry would have gone to the line for two free throws and a chance to tie the game. Instead, the defending champion Spurs trail the series 3-1 and face elimination Thursday in Los Angeles.
10th time these two teams have met in the Finals with the Celtics holding a 8-2 edge.
Also the 2 teams with the most championships will be facing off. 16 for the Celtics, 14 for the Lakers. I really want KG to get a championship and I hate the Lakers so this is easy. Go Celtics!
2-3-2 format is in play so games 1, 2, 6 and 7 are in Boston while 3, 4, 5 are in LA.
