Who is the best closer in the NBA today?

[Lurker]

Some thoughts...based on watching most of the first half and part of the 3rd quarter.

Officiating/FTs - Denver was +10 in FTA at half and from what I saw was the more aggressive team to start the game.  So the second half was even in attempts which makes sense as LA came out of the lockerroom more aggressive in the 3rd.  There were calls that both teams could complain about so it must have been a well called game.   

LA's win - I would say that this game proved my point that the difference in this series has to do with poise down the stretch.  It is also why I predict the Lakers to win a game 7.  But I would not call it lucky...a couple different bounces here or there and the game goes the other way.  Just like any other 2 point NBA game.

Melo/Kobe - If Kobe has to guard Melo in the low post then it will be a long series.  I wonder if Kobe can continue to be a strong 4th quarter finisher if he forced to play at a high level consistantly on both ends of the court.  It is true no one for Denver can guard Kobe but it is difficult for a team to win a series if only one scorer steps up.

Rebounding - IMO this is what klilled the Nuggets (as well as critically timed turnovers).  LA's +9 on the glass with the entire difference being on the offensive glass is damaging.  Second chance points really kill a team's defensive mindset.

[Reality]

The officiating in that game was quite possibly the most lopsided I've seen since that game almost 10 years ago that JoMal still cries about daily.  Fortunately for the Lakers, Denver missed a bunch of throws in the first half, or Denver wins. 

this gave me almost as good a laugh as B-Rad asking if i wanted to be smacked around anymore by his easily disproven twists.

And there i go "insulting" again, not claiming a play was or wasn't a foul but having the audacity to ask if we could view pics and/or vids to verify.
How unreasonable.  

[rickortreat]

There is a difference between a call going your team's way and a correct call.  Denver was driving the lane more and being more aggressive on offense, so they naturally got more fouls called. The officials probably were doing the best job they could, and note I didn't say the officials gave them the game.  I will say LA got most of the calls at the end.

The two turnovers by the Nuggets were killers and entirely their fault.  With LA doing everything possible to win, Denver did not take care of the ball or play smart.

Your role players don't play like that all the time, or at least I haven't seen them play that way during the playoffs, or any of the few regulation games I saw. Hitting two timely shots when your team is behind and the clock is ticking is pretty clutch for players not named Kobe.  

As for being a closer, he certainly made his free throws.

Lurker, I think your post is dead-on.  LA's 2nd -chance points killed Denver, and I do think LA has a rebounding advantage with Gasol and Bynum.

What happened with Kleiza? I thought he was a good player for them, now he's just a bench guy.

[Laker Fan]

I will say LA got most of the calls at the end.

Your role players don't play like that all the time, or at least I haven't seen them play that way during the playoffs, or any of the few regulation games I saw. Hitting two timely shots when your team is behind and the clock is ticking is pretty clutch for players not named Kobe.  

Denver got 1 less call in the 4th quarter 1 more call than LA in the second half overall, so much for your first point.

Our role players have been playing pretty much like that the whole post season it has been the stars who have come up short in a couple games. LA has waaaay more overall talent than Denver, I just don't understand your unwillingness to see the obvious.

[Reality]

Going by strictly "number of calls" is a very flawed way to conclude which team was or was not screwed by the refs.

Lets say you get fouled 10 legit times.  5 are called, 5 are wrongly ignored.
You foul your opponent twice legitimately, yet three more bogus phantom calls are made on you.

"It's 5 to 5, the reffing has been evenly called".   Wrong.

[WayOutWest]

"This user is currently ignored."

Kooooooool! 

[Reality]

^^ "This user is currently in HypoSkirt"
    

[WayOutWest]

"This user is currently ignored."

 

[Lurker]

^^ "This user is currently in HypoSkirt"
    

You are sooooooo dense sometimes.  They have you marked as a poster to ignore.  Thus everything you post shows up as:

"This user is currently ignored."

So they don't see any of your replies either.  Whether they have legit points in them or not.

[Reality]

Trust me lurker, i know how to get rid of WoW types.
"You probably really shouldn't be surfing the Net at all while working, right?"

His being in HypoSkirt mode now doesn't mean he isn't viewing my posts. 

[WayOutWest]

^^ "This user is currently in HypoSkirt"
    

You are sooooooo dense sometimes.  They have you marked as a poster to ignore.  Thus everything you post shows up as:

"This user is currently ignored."

So they don't see any of your replies either.  Whether they have legit points in them or not.

But we can't help seeing his posts if you quote them.    I really like this ignore feature, it works so well on Reality that I might try it on westkoast. 

[msc]

Officiating/FTs - Denver was +10 in FTA at half and from what I saw was the more aggressive team to start the game.  So the second half was even in attempts which makes sense as LA came out of the lockerroom more aggressive in the 3rd.  There were calls that both teams could complain about so it must have been a well called game.   

I agree with you, Lurker.  Denver was clearly the more aggressive team coming out of the gate in the 1st quarter.  Anyone who actually watched the game would agree with that statement.  That said, Denver was allowed to hack away at will for much of the first half, while the Lakers were getting penalized for lessor contact fouls, IMO.  

I'm fine with it.  The aggressor typically gets the advantage and that was the case here.  I would not have ever said anything if the first thing I read on the board today wasn't the typical, jaded, un-objective BS we're so accustomed to seeing from the usual suspects.  For someone, anyone, to claim that the Lakers benefited from the officials in any way, shape, or form last night is a flipping moron.  Or they simply didn't watch the game.  Or likely in the case here, both.  

You're objective and fair in your assessment.  It's the knee jerk, "Kobe got all the calls" bs that is just not accurate if someone actually watched the entire game.  It was quite the opposite.  

Oh yeah, and Kobe is the best closer in the game.  WOW, I don't think you'll find anyone that will disagree with you on that one.  Even the most ardent Kobe haters who secretly dawn purple and gold undies  

[westkoast]

^^ "This user is currently in HypoSkirt"
    

You are sooooooo dense sometimes.  They have you marked as a poster to ignore.  Thus everything you post shows up as:

"This user is currently ignored."

So they don't see any of your replies either.  Whether they have legit points in them or not.

But we can't help seeing his posts if you quote them.    I really like this ignore feature, it works so well on Reality that I might try it on westkoast. 

I already used it on you but turned it off so I don't miss out on your supreme basketball IQ....this is what I get when I ignore you

"This user is Mexican, so this post is probably in Spanish"

[msc]

Going by strictly "number of calls" is a very flawed way to conclude which team was or was not screwed by the refs.

Lets say you get fouled 10 legit times.  5 are called, 5 are wrongly ignored.
You foul your opponent twice legitimately, yet three more bogus phantom calls are made on you.

"It's 5 to 5, the reffing has been evenly called".   Wrong.

This might be the most intelligent post you've made.  

I wasn't counting calls, I never do.  I just notice within the flow of each game if the calls are being called the same on both ends of the floor.  If a ref makes a call for a medium slap on arm on side A, are the going to call the same contact on side B.  I don't worry about exact numbers of calls, and I don't expect the refs to not make a bunch of mistakes.  It is a hard game to officiate, there are bad calls both ways in all games and more often then not, it evens out.  Last night wasn't called the same on side A as it was on side B for most of the night.  If the floor was stripped of it's paint I would have assumed the game was in Denver.

[Laker Fan]

Going by strictly "number of calls" is a very flawed way to conclude which team was or was not screwed by the refs.

Lets say you get fouled 10 legit times.  5 are called, 5 are wrongly ignored.
You foul your opponent twice legitimately, yet three more bogus phantom calls are made on you.

"It's 5 to 5, the reffing has been evenly called".   Wrong.

This might be the most intelligent post you've made.  

I wasn't counting calls, I never do.  I just notice within the flow of each game if the calls are being called the same on both ends of the floor.  If a ref makes a call for a medium slap on arm on side A, are the going to call the same contact on side B.  I don't worry about exact numbers of calls, and I don't expect the refs to not make a bunch of mistakes.  It is a hard game to officiate, there are bad calls both ways in all games and more often then not, it evens out.  Last night wasn't called the same on side A as it was on side B for most of the night.  If the floor was stripped of it's paint I would have assumed the game was in Denver.

I don't normally count the fouls either, however Rick made the point that LA got more calls down the stretch, I was refuting that point. I tend to believe that calls balance out while occasionally the refs go overboard as happened with the happy whistles in the the Houston series, and last night which I thought was unevenly called, at least through most of the game.