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[TheGreatGatsby]

Yup. Ray Allen went into villain mode once he became a traitor:

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Game 5 started. Spurs are playing like crap; but the refs are already doing their thing. They call KL for swiping at the ball on Lebron from 15 feet away. But when multiple Miami players do it to Duncan as he goes for the dunk (likely actually getting the arms/hands), there is no call.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Documenting the bad/questionable calls. Not looking to criticizee any touch fouls not called. This is just the blatantly missed calls / no-calls.

1st Quarter

0-4 Leonard reaches out and looks to just touch the ball as Lebron shoots. Looked to be a bogus call. Due to the early foul, Spurs switch Diaw onto James and lose much needed defense.
0-6 Lebron slaps/swipes Duncan's wrist as he goes to shoot a lay-up. No foul call.
2-11 Leonard called for a (very slight) travel after Ray Allen bumped (fouled) him.
5-13 Ray Allen lowers his shoulder into Parker. When he slaps at the ball and misses, Allen throws down the ball to sell the ghost foul.
5-16 Lebron goes for a lay-up and makes it. Diaw makes no contact and is still called for the foul.
18-25 Lebron backing in Ginobili. He simply loses the ball. But the refs call Ginobili for his second foul and put him on the free throw line.
20-27 Norris Cole travels (not called) and then they call a bogus foul on Splitter on the shot.

To save time, I'll just do the first quarter. You get the point. Seven bad calls in twelve minutes is a lot for the "best referees in the world." And of course all of those bad calls went against the Spurs too. I honestly didn't see a bad call in the first quarter that went against the Heat. Usually, during the game, the refs will make a bad call or two for the other team to try and confuse the issue...but for the first quarter anyhow, they came out with a strong commitment to give the Heat all the help they could get. It worked too. That combined with the Spurs unusually bad shooting, and they took a lead to the second quarter for a change.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Watching the Heat in this series and their demeanor on the court and off after Games 3 and 4, I got the sense that they had no belief that they could win this series. I question whether they felt that good about it going into the series even.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

From the 2012 OKC series:

"Well, congrats to the refs for winning the Western Conference Finals. They gave OKC everything they've got."
-- Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes of Hell and ESPN.com

"That was … controversial: Some really questionable calls will end up tainting what ended up being a truly fantastic display of basketball over these six games. We saw two teams play at a high level almost every quarter and truly battle. Sad that the officiating will be what's remembered."
-- Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live

"Refs have decided they'll make sure OKC going to Finals. One outrageously bad call after another. Ginobili robbed of 3-pt play, Sickening."
-- Skip Bayless, First Take

"I WILL recognize this in Game 6 only."
-- thunderfan

"Yeah some of the calls have been pretty shocking"
-- Durant 35

Did the refs take over game 6?
Yes, the refs took over ~ 195 votes 85%
No, it was a fair called game ~ 34 votes 15%
-- RealGM Poll

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Leonard didn't come out of nowhere for the Finals MVP. He was just playing within the system like the rest of the team.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

You see that kicking the ball call by Ray Allen to rob the Spurs of a fast-break lay-up? That was convenient. He stuck his foot back on purpose and it nicked his foot but still went to Parker. Pretty cheesy call I thought.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

2Q: I had an 06 flashback when Wade drove to basket against two defenders and threw up some slop and got a nonsense call.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

LOL - Gotta love the call at 45-37. Lebron throws a helluvah elbow into Leonard on a drive to the basket. He then stops and holds the ball on the whistle, and they call it a shooting foul on top of the fact that Leonard didn't foul him in the first place!

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

LOL - Gotta love the call at 45-37. Lebron throws a helluvah elbow into Leonard on a drive to the basket. He then stops and holds the ball on the whistle, and they call it a shooting foul on top of the fact that Leonard didn't foul him in the first place!

Spurs were on a 16-2 run and the refs were desperate to stop the bleeding.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

This is why Bird beat Jordan 14 straight times at one point:

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Leonard's 3rd foul was a nonsense call also (It was him bumping against a screen on a way around it! Not sure I've ever seen something like that called other than people tyring to barrel through a screener!). I know I documented the first two being nonsense. And I remember the last three being nonsense. I think the refs literally fouled him out on six nonsense calls!

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

65-83; Duncan blocks Chalmers and goes to get the loose ball but is held. No foul call; he just smiles like here we go again; got to handicap the Heat like they're children.