Even the League Admits That a Foul Should’ve Been Called
It wasn’t the reason San Antonio lost the game; heck you could even make a very good argument that had the refs done a better job (particularly, on Derek Fisher’s last shot attempt), that situation would have never even materialized.
The truth of the matter, however, is that Brent Barry should’ve been sent to the free throw line late in Game Four. Everyone knows it, even the League.
“With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul should have been called,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.
That’s now twice in this postseason that the NBA has been forced to admit that its referees made a crucial mistake - the first being on Chauncey Billups’s controversial buzzer-beating three in Game Two of the Orlando series.
Gentlemen, can we expand the use of instant replay already? Because this is getting embarrassing.
84 Responses to “Even the League Admits That a Foul Should’ve Been Called”
May.29 at 9:02 am
Eboy says:
No sh*t.
May.29 at 9:06 am
marcgar says:
everyone keeps saying the shot clock call would have changed the outcome aswell. you didnt see the other missed calls that went the lakers ways did you? First came the no-call on Kobe Bryant’s three-step odyssey to the hoop that ended with a bad miss with 33 seconds left and the Lakers up 93-89. Then came Lamar Odom obliterating Tony Parker on a breakaway with 28 seconds left. Odom got called for the goaltend but not for driving Parker through the photographers and into the first row with contact after the layup (that’s part of the play, folks, being able to maintain body control after the shot attempt). Then came Kobe with the amazing, changing pivot foot as he was harassed by Manu Ginobili near midcourt. Then came Brent Barry up-faking Derek Fisher, getting LANDED ON and not getting a call. All within half a minute
May.29 at 9:12 am
marcgar says:
got the last comment from Tom Curran
NBCSports.com
May.29 at 9:17 am
Benoit Benjamin says:
The Spurs didn’t complain, barry didn’t complain, but I bet the media will turn it into a new consiracy theory about Stern wanting boston-LA in the finals. it’s getting old.
May.29 at 9:18 am
DDB says:
Sure Brent Barry may have gotten fouled but I’m sure Kobe got fouled too at some point during the game. How often does a STAR shoot 0 FTS???? Before game 4 in San Antonio I would have said “never.” Tom Curran must hate the Lakers. Odom barely touched Parker until well after the play ended. You either let Kobe change that pivot or call Manu for the bear-hug/reach in.
May.29 at 9:23 am
marcgar says:
ddb: even if the play ended it was still a foul and manu wasnt hugging kobe he was just in close, be real. i know how much the precious lakers mean to stern and the bandwagon fans but everyone needs to stop making excuses for their win. stop trying to justify it. the game should have gone to overtime and thats it.
May.29 at 9:30 am
lane says:
if memory serves — and i could be wrong - odom was the one under the basket harrasing robert horry on that fisher airball - and if odom would have been whistled for the foul he committed on parker he would nto have even been in the game to harrass horry and have the ball bounce off his leg. — that being said — at least the lakers still had a chance to get a shot off. the spurs just got screwed — ********************************** no question if thelakers win the title there will be an *************
May.29 at 9:31 am
Hursty says:
I agree. the clock stops after a basket anyways, so if theres ‘reasonable doubt’ then why not? especially in the playoffs. fans complain about time, but its better they get it right in the first place.
May.29 at 9:32 am
flo_rida evans says:
That’s why I don’t eat shrimp.Anyway,yeah,maybe that call got blown,along with the other 3.Now that’s what I call consistency.
May.29 at 9:33 am
Randy Brown says:
There may be a slight hint of anti-Spurs bias here, but f*ck the Spurs they f*cking deserve it. And no, I’m not going to elaborate
May.29 at 9:36 am
Hursty says:
YEH! fu(k elaborating!
May.29 at 9:43 am
WhaHuh says:
Does anyone still care? this is all so yesterday
May.29 at 9:46 am
Hursty says:
lakers should wrap it up today anyways.
May.29 at 9:48 am
Hursty says:
lakers have had the easiest conference finals run of the 4.
May.29 at 9:57 am
mamadou n'diaye says:
Just because Detroit and Boston made it ugly doesn’t mean they played tougher teams Hursty.
May.29 at 10:02 am
Syk says:
it should have been a call if he didn’t travel first. watch the replay. he definately switches up his pivot foot before fisher lands on him.
May.29 at 10:04 am
Captain America says:
too bad, move on…
May.29 at 10:24 am
Jess says:
theres nothing that can be done now…consistantly terrible officiating has been the norm for the playoffs. I thought the Celts/Detroit game last night was called terribly..on both sides. But some of the detroit fouls were ridiculous…oh and the flagrant on PJ Brown was not a flagrant but when Pierce tackled Billups to the ground, by the neck, if youre going to call flagrant - thats it…..terrible officiating all around
May.29 at 10:33 am
Hursty says:
@ 9:57. C’s went 7 games and then another 7. D was down in their 1st round, then lost billups for a good bit, crucial player/injury etc. Lakers won sweep and then 6 game against tired and bad call Utah, spurs had suns=running=old bodies, then hornets game 7. Lakers = easiest run… so far.
May.29 at 10:37 am
Joe says:
Was this really a foul? absolutley not. Instead of Brent Barry giving a pump fake and taking an extra dribble, he should have passed the ballto a WIIIIDDDDEEEE OOOPPPEEENNNN!!! Michael Finley. If you watch the play again Kobe sprints away from Finley like he has a contagious disease. Kobe ran from sideline to sideline for no reason at all. (go watch the play again and look at where kobe starts and ends).
May.29 at 10:40 am
Bubba Chuck says:
Tha pistons still wouldve beat tha magic
May.29 at 10:41 am
Joe says:
correction. it was derek fisher who left finley open not kobe, but kobe still runs to the other side of the floor for no reason.
May.29 at 10:47 am
Shooter#9 says:
guys i’m sorry to put it here, but maybe some celtic fan can help me out
do any of you know another habit, BESIDES light up the cigar, that red auerbach had “on the court”, or, when he was on the bench? thanks guys
May.29 at 10:49 am
mamadou n'diaye says:
I guess I have to spell this out for you Hursty. The lakers would have swept Atlanta and definitely not let the Cleveland series go to 7. They wouldn’t have lost two to Phillly either. Denver is much better than philly or atlanta. Utah is a far more complete team than the magic or cavs. So yes, the Lakers made it look easier, but they played tougher teams. Feel free to continue making your “point” as this is my last comment on this one.
May.29 at 10:53 am
The Best Yet says:
i could care less what the league admits to. Fact of the matter is that the refs were right for the no-call. in the deciding moments of a game you gotta let it play out. no body wants refs to make whistle plays that determine a games outcome, nor does a ref want to deal with the scrutiny that is sure to come thereafter.
Here in Holland the women’s finals are currently underway. At the end of regulation with literally no time left, both teams retreating to their benches to re-amp for overtime, the REFS decide to then make known that a foul had not been added with 2 or so minutes remaining. That interference lead to the converting of 1 of 2 FTs which decided the game at 73-72 for the away team. Next game the same damn ref inflated his whistle to the point where it become obvious that he was calling bias. Spurs had their chances, refs screwed up as MARCGAR clearly stated, but to call that!…nah.
May.29 at 10:54 am
Havoc - Jack says:
Oh well get over it Spurs fans! LAST YEARS champs…. How about Earlier than all those calls in the first half when Tim Duncan caught the ball on the three point line took 3/4 steps and dunked the ball, boo hoo Lakers will take it tonight…
May.29 at 10:58 am
Havoc - Jack says:
Oh and Hursty you got owned couldnt agree more with mamadou n’diaye… Lakers would have swept philly and A town… And as for the Magic and Cavs would have taken them no more than 6…
May.29 at 10:58 am
Hursty says:
ok…. what I’m saying is that regardless of conference, the lakers have had the easiest run to the C. Finals. making it hard on yourself is not a good thing. less games = better yeh. you can switch teams around and whatever, but the lakers are the freshest team out there.
May.29 at 11:01 am
ciolkstar says:
The Lakers run was definitely the easiest in the West and probably easier than both teams out East (maybe not Detroit) Utah is waaay overrated, Denver dysfunctional.
May.29 at 11:04 am
Hursty says:
Add up the games played. superstar minutes. injuries to teams. OT’s, closeness of the games. Lakers have had the easiest run. Im not arguing about whether the result would have been the same or better for them in the East. thats irrelevant. I said RUN. people who argue should really read the original statement before replying.
May.29 at 11:14 am
riggs says:
it was a foul huh? then brent barry walked. i mean if you want to get TECHNICAL about it.
May.29 at 11:27 am
vtrobot says:
so much for the lakers/celts conspiracies. that clear path foul and the PJ Brown flagrant were both garbage calls last night. far and away the biggest problem for the NBA is how much of an impact the refs have on the games and how frequently they’re making the wrong calls. have robots and cameras start reffing the games as soon as possible.
May.29 at 11:40 am
Froggiestyle says:
foul schmoul - if the league ever does go the instant replay way I swear I’ll never watch a live NBA game again. Already in playoff time 2 minutes of game time in the 4th can equal over a 1/2 hour with TO’s FT’s etc…. imagine the drawn out nonesense of instant replays on calls - what a nightmare. Its already offensive in the NFL. There comes a point when we have to stop acting like this is playstation or an episode of CSI and remember that its a friggin LIVE event with HUMAN beings playing and officiating, which by definition means that errors will be made - you just “hope” they even out (heard of make-up calls). What they should REALLY do is use the instant replay where its most needed and review the tape of why/how Horry has no more game, Manu couldn’t get anything to fall, etc. before they jump ALL over the refs for one specific bad call.
May.29 at 11:44 am
Nick says:
if memory serves right, I remember Timmy taking 300 steps before that weak ass dunk, KB24 going to the line “0″ times, Lamar Odom getting a block called on an obvious charge for his 5th foul, the FT discrepancy favored the Spurs by 2x, LO blocked , did not goaltend, Fisher’s shot hit the rim, and this all happened over 24 hours ago.
May.29 at 11:47 am
marcgar says:
bandwagon laker fans need to stop justifying the win. by them doing that only shows that the one bad call out of many bad calls played a big part in the lakers win. spurs play horrible and the lakers are still bareyly getting by (except game 2) the lakers need all the help stern can give them to beat the spurs.
May.29 at 12:05 pm
ciolkstar says:
The Lakers have outplayed the Spurs for most of this series and truthfully (as much as it hurts to say) SA didn’t deserve to win game 4. We just didn’t play well enough. I think replay should be used only in the last 2 minutes of the fourth so as not to bog the game down too much. On the real though, I NEVER want to see Joey crawford reffing a Spurs playoff game.
May.29 at 12:51 pm
Genenene says:
Get over it Spurs Fans! The better team won. And the Lakers are just better. End of story.
May.29 at 12:51 pm
44-32-24 says:
Wow. Stern is really losing his touch. Why offer an apology when you are not going to change anything? Actions speak louder than words. All this will do is inflame Spurs fans and Laker haters and add fuel for the conspiracy theorists. Besides, if they are going to apologize for screwing up that call, they should also apoligize for missing Fisher’s shot hitting the rim. And the blown call before that. And the one before that. It doesn’t matter, this is a lame apology, completely lacking in media savvy and hollow to the core. What NBA fans really want is consistent officiating. Come on Stern, wake up.
May.29 at 12:53 pm
starbury&stevey says:
yeah,but could barry hit all of 3 FT?…
May.29 at 1:01 pm
marcgar says:
brent barry is great free throw shooter it would have been two and yes he would have hit both of them
May.29 at 1:01 pm
Diesel says:
Look man - everyone - enough with this no foul call sh*t. Fact is referees are human, they’ll miss calls for both teams. At the end of the day there will probably be an equal amount of missed calls on both sides of the ball. I’d look at the pile of missed 3’s before I look at the no foul call.
May.29 at 1:12 pm
Michael says:
Stupid move by the league. The story was dieing down now they give it new life, and now all of the conspiracy theorists will run rampant. Since they’re apologizing though, i want one for Tiom Duncans Lebron James special when he took 5 steps for his dunk, one for not giving Kobe one freaking freethrow despite him taking 29n shots and one for not giving the Lakers the ball after D-fishs shot hit the rim.
May.29 at 1:17 pm
marcgar says:
diesel: i totally agree the spurs lost that game by not making any shots they had plenty of chances to take a lead. the spurs are handing them the series
May.29 at 1:38 pm
niQ says:
no sh!t sherlock.
May.29 at 1:42 pm
RV says:
it wasn’t continuation anyway, he took another dribble after the hit
May.29 at 1:47 pm
Rico says:
How many of you damn lakers fans are eating crow now? Of course the leage will admit it after the fact, but no way in hell would they go back and change anything if it meant a lakers loss…Stern would shed tears!
May.29 at 1:58 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Obviously there’s a League-wide conspiracy to get the Lakers to the Finals. Otherwise the San Antonio Spurs would have won at LEAST one NBA championship by now. It’s disgusting how much manipulation goes on. And I can’t believe that Tim Duncan will retire without ever winning a ring. Biggest travesty in professional sports.
May.29 at 2:09 pm
Rico says:
The Spurs have never won a championship? I swear they won at least once….can someone please validate this?
May.29 at 2:13 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
How could they ever win when David Stern is such a blatant Laker fan? I’m looking forward to Kobe winning his 10th ring this summer.
May.29 at 2:14 pm
The Last Kings Fan says:
This was a terrible decision by the NBA to admit this. I think Jeff Van Gundy had it right on last night’s broadcast of the Celtics-Pistons. The league should just admit they call the game differently in the last minute and a half
May.29 at 2:19 pm
Rico says:
Kobe has 9 rings? Is that more than Jordan?
May.29 at 2:20 pm
Diesel says:
It has to suck if you’re a spurs fan though. Between game 1 and 3, this series could have just as easily been 3-1 Spurs. I think they still push this to 7 games.
May.29 at 2:24 pm
RV says:
Is Rico serious?
May.29 at 2:27 pm
BxBaller says:
Who cares? I wonder why everybody is complaining about the Spurs getting “screwed”. People complain non-stop that they are boring and now since they are on the other side of a bad call people are upset. Nothing can be done about it now so GET OVER IT. Did you guys really want to see SA in the Finals again, I for sure didn’t. I guess people are upset that if the Spurs are knocked out, they won’t get their mandatory shot of Eva at every Spurs game. Oh well, I can’t wait for a Lakers/Pistons Lakers/Celtics Finals. BTW, cut the conspiracy s*#t, if their are any, the Knicks would have won the 1st pick in this year’s draft, BronBot would have won a ring last year, and Kobe would be in the Finals every year.
May.29 at 2:29 pm
Rico says:
Serious about what? Life? Hell yeah! My questions? What if I am? I just started watching NBA this year so I’m not Stat Geek.
May.29 at 2:48 pm
marcgar says:
i’m a spurs fan and ya i’m mad that the call wasnt made and that joey was the ref for the game but i still think that the spurs are beating themselves. they would be up 3-1 if they didnt blow a 20 point lead in game one and make some shots in the last game. nobodys taking this game from them not even the lakers and the lakers are doing great. i hope they can push it to 7 but my hopes arent too high. but if any team were to come back from a 3-1 defecit it would be the spurs
May.29 at 2:48 pm
what says:
Barry gettin fouled doesn’t change the fact that Fisher’s shot hit the rim and Odom’s goaltend was a clean block. It all evens out.
May.29 at 2:58 pm
Rico says:
@marcgar…… You really consider yourself a true spurs fan? No real fan would leave that kind of a comment….you’re f’n pathetic! You’re not worthy to be a spurs fan…you make me sick…i wanna throw up in your f’n face!
May.29 at 3:17 pm
Diesel says:
and Rico is a high school guidence councelor everyone
May.29 at 3:18 pm
marcgar says:
@rico: you idiot. didnt you just start watching basketball? i’ve been a fan of the spurs since i was four so dont tell me sh*t about being a true spurs fan. i’m still a fan even when they lose not like all these lakers and celtics bandwagon fans you piece of sh*t i just tell the truth i’m not gonna cry that they didnt get the call even though they should have. they should be beating the crap out of the lakers and not have to take a last second shot
May.29 at 3:49 pm
Rico says:
Yes Diesel, and your mother is my most “counseled” student.
May.29 at 4:03 pm
tealish says:
@Certain Laker fans: Why are you pointing out that Kobe had no FTs last game? On what play did he get mauled to half the extent of that last no-call? Which were the plays that you all think he deserved to get to the line?
……..BUT HE’S KOBE BRYANT!!!!
May.29 at 4:39 pm
Dutch Rich says:
Where’s Khalid when you need him?
May.29 at 4:41 pm
BETCATS says:
two words: Move On
May.29 at 4:45 pm
Diesel says:
Man a mom joke…really? I’m so angry now. There’s no comeback for such a bright comment.
May.29 at 4:59 pm
warr says:
Kobe is not shooting free throws because he shooting jump shots he not driving that much. The know call at the end is not why they lost,the spurs could not rebound tim ducan is the only person rebounding. Everybody its just entertainment please exhale the bloggers care more about the game than actual players now thats the problem.
May.29 at 5:01 pm
lol says:
instant replay ruins the game. technology shouldn’t be used that much in sports. soon, all yall will be seen is coaches with some frigin massive ass laptops to figure out strategy for them. cmon!
May.29 at 5:15 pm
nigga says:
lakers would have won either way
May.29 at 5:43 pm
youngmuggsy says:
spurs didn’t deserve to win because they didn’t even bother to box out most of the time. seriously timmy d looked like the only spur botherd about rebounding.
May.29 at 5:43 pm
brandonmeza says:
good game
May.29 at 5:47 pm
youngmuggsy says:
If the spurs had won with only one player giving effort on the boards it would of been a disgrace to the game of basketball.
May.29 at 5:48 pm
Sesa says:
One thing y’all should know that before Fisher landed on Barry, Barry HAS TRAVELED!
May.29 at 6:11 pm
speedy says:
Hell no mutoni. Please stop referees from using instant replay and make them work better . It’s so poor that three officials can’t get this job done better .
May.29 at 6:34 pm
warr says:
referees have a tough job they have to makes calls in a split second its nots easy I had to ref at a summer camp last year and its was hard and I was doing 16 unders the game was so fast and u have to be bias. One game I seen two college players refereeing a game and they called not one call and the person runnin the camp fired them. As a ref u need to control the bums and protect the stars. On every level theirs bums and stars and spurs gave the ball to their bum. LOL and I love the spurs for the record
May.29 at 6:36 pm
speedy says:
Whats even worse than the officiating is a league that doesn’t stand to the point of view of it’s refs.
This scene can be seen in two ways non of it is wrong .
1. the offensive player creates contact with a defender while this one is in the air by changing the direction of movement > no call
2. the contact is their > call
Brent had the possibility to decide the game himself but didn’t take it and let the refs decide. And they did . Live with it .
May.29 at 6:39 pm
warr says:
think about this tim ducan is the only big man on the spurs has he been in foul trouble yet? The nba not about to let tim ducan sit on the bench in the conference finals watch how many times Paul gasol get fouled they not going to call that, tim the star and Paul the bum in this case
May.29 at 6:53 pm
Diesel says:
Spurs got robbed! We’ll take it in 7 though!
May.29 at 6:56 pm
Rico says:
Diesel, you be tripping dogg!
May.29 at 7:11 pm
davidR says:
karma for the hip check last year?
May.29 at 8:17 pm
Lakers Blog says:
Hey everyone, I think you may all like this: http://www.laballtalk.com/2008/05/29/nba-nothing-but-assholes/
May.29 at 9:06 pm
Sophile says:
There are only two options, really. Either, you only watched the last few seconds (on a replay), and determined that - “Oh, yeah. That WAS a foul. They DID make a mistake..” OR you watched the entire game, and watched Joey try to make up for the ‘Duncan incident’ over the whole game, to appease the Spurs fans. KOBE didn’t get to the line, huh? The Spurs hit the line more times than ‘Scarface’, and Kobe never drove?..please!
May.29 at 11:55 pm
D.A. says:
I am a firm believer that there is no longer a firm travelling rule in the NBA now. Case in Point, kobe steals the ball at half court and gets to the rim with one dribble…. from half court. Please. If you dunk it, or the play can make the highlight reel, no call required.
And I agree wit Rus, poor Spurs and just not being able to win a title… Alot of politics involved…. Wouldn’t you agree Rico?… pfft.
May.30 at 1:36 am
Penny Hardaway says:
Let them talk, Rico. Us Spurs fans will always have the 2000-2002 three-peat to cherish
May.30 at 10:18 am
Rico says:
@D.A… you tryin’ to start somethin? You and everybody knows that Stern would do anything for LA vs Bos…..he’s so giddy right now i bet he can’t control his bowells now that LA is in.