Who is the best closer in the NBA today?

[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.

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.

I know, Laker Fan.  My comment wasn't directed toward you, just in general. 

I'm going to stop even talking about the refs because it's a pet peeve of mine anyway.  I wasn't crying that the Lakers weren't getting fairly treated so much as I was crying about the crybabies crying that the big, bad Wakers get all the calls.  Did that make sense? ;-) 

Of course, while I think we all agree more free throws doesn't necessarily accurately depict the officiating bias of a particular game.  Often times it is a good indication. 

[WayOutWest]

LeBron should ask for a refund on his MVP award, it was missing the "closer" accessories (heart, desire, skill, mental toughness, game winning shot).

[Reality]

LeBron should ask for a refund on his MVP award, it was missing the "closer" accessories (heart, desire, skill, mental toughness, game winning shot).

^^ "This user should be ignored." 

Can you come out of HyperSkirt mode and tell us what Kobe did with the ball, 22 secs left and down 103-101?

[rickortreat]

On a poll at the ESPN web site Daily Dime, they asked who was the best clutch shooter left in the playoffs.  The choices were: Billups, Anthony, Hedo, Kobe and LeBron not sure why Rashard Lewis wasn't in that mix. Out of 12,512 votes, the overwhelming favorite with 46% of the vote is Kobe.

Personally I think Hedo is more of a pure shooter than any of them, and because of his range and his height is the better choice out of all of them.  The fans gave him the 2nd fewest votes of all; 8% with Carmello at 7%.

[Reality]

An ESPN-Lakers poll that has Kobe on top? 

Here is a site zig and i refer to at times.
Some stats on game winning shots:
http://www.82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm

[Reality]

rt that site backs up your thoughts on Turkeyglue.
.500 on game winners and he has taken a good amount too.

Would have added yet another in Gm 2 had Lebron not hit his own trey.

[WayOutWest]

On a poll at the ESPN web site Daily Dime, they asked who was the best clutch shooter left in the playoffs.  The choices were: Billups, Anthony, Hedo, Kobe and LeBron not sure why Rashard Lewis wasn't in that mix. Out of 12,512 votes, the overwhelming favorite with 46% of the vote is Kobe.

Personally I think Hedo is more of a pure shooter than any of them, and because of his range and his height is the better choice out of all of them.  The fans gave him the 2nd fewest votes of all; 8% with Carmello at 7%.

I don't know where I read/heard it but Melo has the highest FG% in "crunch time".  The best clutch shooter is Melo regardless of what people think/feel.

[WayOutWest]

Kobe does it again.  MONSTER shots and clutch FT's.  Lakers should have won this one by double digits but their horrid FT's really hurt them and nearly cost them the game.  David Stern has yet to show up for the Lakers, the Lakers are winning these games despite having the refs in favor of the Nuggets in all three games.

[Joe Vancil]

Several late game screw-ups by Kenyon Martin:  over Odom's back on an offensive rebound attempt in a very exposed way, tries to flip the ball at the rim instead of taking it up strong when a statement was needed after the Billups pass, traps Kobe in the corner and fouls him instead of making him make the play, and throws the ball away by throwing over the player coming to the ball.  Was Martin *TRYING* to lose this game?

Even Tim Donaghy was more subtle at throwing games than that!

(I think that's going to be my new trademark.  Forget the Polar Bear stuff...I'm going to try to find a way to mention Tim Donaghy in every message.)

Laker fans - please remember that I called it when I said you'd *LOVE* Trevor Ariza's defense when you got this guy last year.  Ariza has been a fixture in the Laker line-up at end-games, and he's even hitting some big shots.  You've got to love this guy.

Also, through one segment of the fourth quarter, the offense was running strictly through Gasol.  I thought that worked out very well, as the Lakers took the easy shots and the Nuggets had to try to make tough ones (and weren't).  Another 20/10 night for Gasol, he leads the team in minutes played, and has the best +/- rating for the Lakers.  Someone's probably going to call him a softy again.

[ziggy]

Like I said before the series I think people underestimated how much Artest/Battier really made the Lakers lives difficult by making Kobe work hard.

So wk are you finally coming around to the notion that Shane Battier is actually a pretty good basketball player?

[westkoast]

Like I said before the series I think people underestimated how much Artest/Battier really made the Lakers lives difficult by making Kobe work hard.

So wk are you finally coming around to the notion that Shane Battier is actually a pretty good basketball player?

Jog my memory, where did I say he was bad?

[Reality]

Several late game screw-ups by Kenyon Martin:  over Odom's back on an offensive rebound attempt in a very exposed way, tries to flip the ball at the rim instead of taking it up strong when a statement was needed after the Billups pass, traps Kobe in the corner and fouls him instead of making him make the play, and throws the ball away by throwing over the player coming to the ball.  Was Martin *TRYING* to lose this game?

Even Tim Donaghy was more subtle at throwing games than that!

(I think that's going to be my new trademark.  Forget the Polar Bear stuff...I'm going to try to find a way to mention Tim Donaghy in every message.)

Laker fans - please remember that I called it when I said you'd *LOVE* Trevor Ariza's defense when you got this guy last year.  Ariza has been a fixture in the Laker line-up at end-games, and he's even hitting some big shots.  You've got to love this guy.

Also, through one segment of the fourth quarter, the offense was running strictly through Gasol.  I thought that worked out very well, as the Lakers took the easy shots and the Nuggets had to try to make tough ones (and weren't).  Another 20/10 night for Gasol, he leads the team in minutes played, and has the best +/- rating for the Lakers.  Someone's probably going to call him a softy again.

concur.  Earlier you had posted that George Karl was going to have to outcoach Phil and it wasn't going to happen.  Well I don't know if it happened or not, but it sure looks like it did not.  Exactly what did tell Karl tell his team after they went up 79-72 when JR Smith hit his trey then got a T for responding to Sashas sliding under his feet.  Because ever since then the Nuggets went into "playing not to lose" mode while the Flamers played to win.
  Has Karl practiced out of bounds plays or are his players just so stubborn/dumb that it wouldn't matter.  I don't have mad props for Azira on either  steal.  Why not just gift wrap it for him.
  Gasol indeed.  Sure Kobme hit the big trey (what was JR Smith thinking, going for the swat that he had no chance for?), but Gasol is who hit the real clutch shots to bring LA back.

I doubt Denver recovers from this giveaway.

[ziggy]

Like I said before the series I think people underestimated how much Artest/Battier really made the Lakers lives difficult by making Kobe work hard.

So wk are you finally coming around to the notion that Shane Battier is actually a pretty good basketball player?

Jog my memory, where did I say he was bad?

Houston gives up Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift to get Shane Battier?
Lot would think Swift-Battier alone would be a wash.
What is Houston thinking?

Personally I rather have Swift than Battier.  I agree, why wasn't it a wash?

You never said specifically that he was bad, but comparing him to Stromile Swift straight up is pretty much the same thing.

[WayOutWest]

Time for King James to show his ability to not be closed on!

[msc]

Time for King James to show his ability to not be closed on!

King James has done all he can ... he's going to need someone else to chip in. 

I think Cleveland wins tonight, this series isn't over yet.  Props to Orlando, but these games have all come down to the wire with the exception of 1.  Cleveland could easily be up 3-1 right now.