Pop's influence on the Cavs/Pistons series

[Lurker]

Fine-worthy rebuke in orderBy Chris Sheridan
ESPN Insider

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- I'm not going to kill Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown harder than anybody else in this column -- I'll save that honor for the referees -- for biting his tongue after the Eastern Conference finals Game 2 loss, 79-76, to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, although I think he did his team a disservice by trying to take the high road by refraining from criticizing the officials in the interview room afterward.

"We're a no-excuse team," Brown said, a line that was echoed minutes later by LeBron James.

But make no mistake, the Cavs were absolutely livid at the lack of a call when James drove to the basket with eight seconds left and was hacked numerous times by Richard Hamilton, including a rake across his arm as he went for the shot everyone had been waiting three days to see if he would take.

I asked Hamilton in the locker room afterward if he had fouled James on the play, and Hamilton couldn't stifle a cackle before he gave his answer: "Nah, you know. I just put my hands up."

And let the record show that he cackled at the end of that answer, too.

The non-call was so egregious, I'd expect Jimmy Clark, Bernie Fryer and Mark Wunderlich to be told by the league office that they can watch the rest of the playoffs from Joey Crawford's man cave, since they don't deserve to be working at this stage of the postseason if they're too scared to call a foul on the biggest play of the game. But I'm not sure whether those three referees will be taking calls from the league office on Friday, since all three must be scheduled for surgery to have the whistles they swallowed removed from their stomachs.

You know, Brown could have come up with a line or two like that that would have cost him a fine but at least would have earned him the gratitude of the Cavs' fans, who will wake Friday morning feeling -- and feeling it rightfully, I might add -- that they were screwed.

If that had happened to someone on the Lakers, you can bet your bottom dollar Phil Jackson would have spoken frankly about it, then taken his $50,000 fine like a man.

Same would have happened with Pat Riley if that had happened to the Heat, and don't even get me started on what Mark Cuban would have done if the Dallas Mavericks had been on the receiving end of that non-call. His fine might have made it into seven figures.

But this is all Brown had to say:

"The officials get paid a lot of money, and that's their job. If they don't see anything, they don't see anything. We're a no-excuse team. We've got to get ready for Game 3."

I pressed Brown on the matter by telling him I wasn't looking for an excuse, just a description of how that final James possession looked from where he was standing.

"LeBron drove the ball. He shot it, he missed it. Larry [Hughes] got the rebound, he shot it, he missed it. Andy [Anderson Varejao] tipped it, they came up with the rebound and we fouled them," Brown said.

So why did you get so upset?

"Just emotions. Tough game."
Maybe Brown expressed everything he wanted when he drew a technical foul with one second left, walking on the court to complain. That move is going to merit an explanation Friday, because think about it, when's the last time you saw a coach take a tech in a one-point conference finals game with one second left?

I also asked James about the play in question and what he was shouting at the referees when play stopped.

"That's over and done with. Me and the ref had a good conversation, and I've moved on as a player."

Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but where the heck is the indignation? By my count Hamilton slapped James on the arms three or four times when he was making his drive to the hoop, and that's not even counting the contact he took on the shot. If you wanted to be totally technical, there were probably five different instances of contact on which fouls could have been called.

Compared to Dirk Nowitzki's touch foul against Dwyane Wade in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year, this was an absolute mugging.

I can understand the Cavs not wanting to be seen as a team that complains about the referees publicly, but there's a way to get your point across without crossing the line.

What if Brown had said this: "I thought Hamilton fouled him three or four times, and I can't understand why the referees didn't call it, because I could see it plain as day from 50 feet away, and I only have two eyes. They have six. But what's done is done, and we're not going to blame the referees for this loss. We blame ourselves."

At least he would have been stating the obvious instead of acting like someone who feared the wrath of David Stern so much he was afraid to speak out.

And besides, complaining about a bad call or a non-call is not tantamount to making an excuse. They're two totally different things.

The Cavs had a right to be angry, and I felt Brown had an obligation to at least show a little emotion. If he wanted to go ballistic and spend $50,000 getting it off his chest, that would have been acceptable, too.

I just didn't like the whole specter of the Cavs slinking off into the night looking like they were almost afraid to stand up for themselves.

They got robbed, and either their coach or their superstar should have found a way to say so. Instead, they came off as being meek. And at this stage of the season, it is not time to be a pushover. It's time to stand up for yourself and state the truth, and if it costs you $50,000, so be it. At least the refs will hear your message, and the next time it happens you'll probably get the call.

It's called working the refs, and the best coaches do it when circumstances call for it. And on this night, Brown should have piped up more than he did.

Brown served on Pop's staff for a few years prior to Cleveland...ands Pop taught him well.  You never see the Spurs...brass or players...blame the refs.  No matter how horrible the calls.  For reference see last year's Mavs series.  For the record you never see Avery blame the refs either.

[rickortreat]

If Cleveland wants to win the series, they can't let the game get down to the point where they're depending on a ref to bail them out in an away game.

Cleveland was the better team last night, but couldn't score enough in the second half to stay ahead of the Pistons. They were in control until they stopped executing on offense.  The entire Cavaliers team wilted under the pressure.

As it was Brown got a technical, I think that was enough of a reaction.

[Reality]

Cavs possession before this was more costly IMO.
up 76-75, about 32 seconds.  'Bron drives kicks out to Pavolavski.
Pav jump shoots, changes mind in mid air and tries to pass out.
Ref rings him up for travelling.  TNT lamely did not replay, i wondered if Pavlov did get the pass off before hitting ground.  He argued he did.  Either way huge turnover IMO.

As to Sheed subsequent push off on Vallejo, his flopping record cost him.

Also Sheeds push off to attempt to get the offensive rebound on Brons final drive.  That was a Sheed foul, end of game "let em play" mentality or not.

[Lurker]

IMO the entire 3rd quarter was more damning to Cleveland than any call/no-call at the end of the game.  Taking care of business earlier would remove the drama of the last minute.

My point is that while fans & even sportswriters will cry; the Cavs position is one of personal responsibility.  Compare that to the Suns behavior in the post season.

[Reality]

Apparantly the Suns and Spurs were at the same afterparty.  Nash is complaining about Bowen at that party also.

[westkoast]

Props to Bron for keeping his lips tight but he got fouled THREE seperate times on that one play.  There was no excuse for a no call there.  I don't care if it is the end of the game or not.  Maybe let the first one slide but the 2nd and 3rd which clearly effected his shot?  Is that the new way to play defense at the end of a game?  Just foul the crap out of a player because you know refs "don't make calls in that situation"?  Horrible job by the refs.