Game Thread: Western Conference Finals: OKC Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs

[trojanfan12]

Most NBA teams have 1 or 2 players that are much more talented then the other players on the roster.
It's not near as easy as you want to make it seem for some other player to just step in and pick up the slack.

People here are debating how much of a difference Ibaka would have made.
Why couldn't the Thunder who had time to prepare for the game without him come up with a solution?



As far as the Clippers, as discussed earlier, you can't call a foul from viewing a replay, and the refs explanation AT THE TIME was wrong. Their explanation when it happened ( couldn't tell who touched it last) had nothing to do with what as said by the league after the fact.

The poor play leading up to the bad call made it much more critical, but so what?

Many times teams blow late leads but still find a way to win the game.

And it also happens quite often that star players play fewer minutes because of early fouls and their teammates step up and at least keep their team in the game until the star player returns. Bottom line, it's up to the team to adjust when that happens, whether it was the result of a bad call or not.

As for Ibaka, I don't know how much difference he would make over the course of the series, but I don't think he'd have made much of a difference tonight.

I didn't say they could call the foul after viewing the replay. Had they called a foul initially it would have been correct. Whether the explanation at the time was correct or not, the fact is that they made the right call. There is no disputing that however they managed to do it, they got the call correct, which is the point of having replay.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

If the NBA is so crooked, why watch? There is no conspiracy and the refs don't rig games. And players from the losing team crying about the refs doesn't help your case.

Dude how can you sit here and say refs don't rig games when one of the refs was fricking arrested for gambling and fixing games... facts don't seem to matter to you... And I watch the NBA because I love basketball and not every game is rigged... But some have been and I just pointed out a pretty dam good example ... Your simply false saying refs have never rigged games... And that's a fact... Good news is the NBA can fix the problem and someday hopefully that happens... And like I said I don't think every game is that way and they have let series play out legit many many times... BUT you have to watch them carefully....

 

[trojanfan12]

Dude how can you sit here and say refs don't rig games when one of the refs was fricking arrested for gambling and fixing games... facts don't seem to matter to you... And I watch the NBA because I love basketball and not every game is rigged... But some have been and I just pointed out a pretty dam good example ... Your simply false saying refs have never rigged games... And that's a fact... Good news is the NBA can fix the problem and someday hopefully that happens... And like I said I don't think every game is that way and they have let series play out legit many many times... BUT you have to watch them carefully....

Oh, I see. The games are rigged if you watch carefully.

In every game, there are at least 5 reasons besides the refs that teams lose. There is no question that refs can influence a game. It's impossible not to. But rig games? Sorry, not buying it.

One rogue ref who has been discredited with his accusations against other refs does not mean that there is some vast conspiracy by the league to rig games.

To pull off what you are suggesting would mean there would have to be a lot of people involved among the refs and the league office. Do you honestly think that over all of these years that no one would have come forward about it? No disgruntled former NBA employees or former refs looking to make a quick buck? Seriously?!? The league can't keep anything secret and you're suggesting they can keep the kind of conspiracy that you are suggesting has been going on since at least the 90's a secret?

With the amount of media attention and reporters digging for a story and none of them have reported anything like you suggest. Talk about facts not mattering. How about if you present something more solid than 1 team getting more free throws than another?

You probably think baseball is rigged too. After all, in 1919 the "Black Sox" threw the World Series.

 

[Kold]

As for Ibaka, it made a HUGE difference. I mean, I had SA anyways...but SA had 60 something points in the paint. That's not happening if Ibaka plays

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

As for Ibaka, it made a HUGE difference. I mean, I had SA anyways...but SA had 60 something points in the paint. That's not happening if Ibaka plays

Anytime, any team doesn't have their best players available it makes them a lessor team.
Injuries happen. That's nobody fault.
However, if those best players are not on the court because the refs bad calls took them out of the game, then the refs easily could cost any team that game.

Maybe give each team a couple challenges like in the NFL.
I read where the league was already changing to have an independent review replay official next year.
It only takes a short time to look at the film.
The most important thing should always be that at the end of the process, the right call was made.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Oh, I see. The games are rigged if you watch carefully.

In every game, there are at least 5 reasons besides the refs that teams lose. There is no question that refs can influence a game. It's impossible not to. But rig games? Sorry, not buying it.

One rogue ref who has been discredited with his accusations against other refs does not mean that there is some vast conspiracy by the league to rig games.

To pull off what you are suggesting would mean there would have to be a lot of people involved among the refs and the league office. Do you honestly think that over all of these years that no one would have come forward about it? No disgruntled former NBA employees or former refs looking to make a quick buck? Seriously?!? The league can't keep anything secret and you're suggesting they can keep the kind of conspiracy that you are suggesting has been going on since at least the 90's a secret?

With the amount of media attention and reporters digging for a story and none of them have reported anything like you suggest. Talk about facts not mattering. How about if you present something more solid than 1 team getting more free throws than another?

You probably think baseball is rigged too. After all, in 1919 the "Black Sox" threw the World Series.

Speaking of rigged, THOSE people will be out in full force tonight for the draft lotto.
The process used there is about as fool proof as can be as far as integrity to prove it is done fairly.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

I have never seen so many Miami Heat fans so worked up about the Spurs winning - they must be really scared of the Spurs bad enough to pee in their pants - but if they are that upset - Walmart as adult diapers they can buy and wear - lmao

Pretty funny hearing series comments coming from the person who admitted he didn't even know who had HC advantage in the series, which is even more laughable because game 1 was already over when you said it, and the team with HC ALWAYS hosts game 1.


Anyway, here are the scenarios that Heat fans are looking at as the results of the last 4 seasons.


1. 3 championships. 1 loss in the Finals.
2. 2 championships and 2 losses in the Finals.
3. 2 championships, 1 loss in the Finals, and 1 loss in the ECF.

As fans, we can all be greedy, but if somebody would have asked me 4 years ago if I'd be more than satisfied with that list as options I would have said without a doubt, yes.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Dude how can you sit here and say refs don't rig games when one of the refs was fricking arrested for gambling and fixing games... facts don't seem to matter to you... And I watch the NBA because I love basketball and not every game is rigged... But some have been and I just pointed out a pretty dam good example ... Your simply false saying refs have never rigged games... And that's a fact... Good news is the NBA can fix the problem and someday hopefully that happens... And like I said I don't think every game is that way and they have let series play out legit many many times... BUT you have to watch them carefully....

One rogue ref tried to fix games...very true, but it takes players as well and that's where I fall short of saying NBA games are truly fixed and I'm basically a playoff fan. Ewing to NY, etc...I'm leery of but when CP3 to LAL was blocked I said maybe there's no real conspiracy.

 

[trojanfan12]

Speaking of rigged, THOSE people will be out in full force tonight for the draft lotto.
The process used there is about as fool proof as can be as far as integrity to prove it is done fairly.

Yep and can you imagine what it's going to be like if the Lakers get the #1 pick in the draft? I almost want it to happen more to see the reaction than because I'm a Lakers fan.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Ibaka doesn't make a 20 pt difference or whatever the margin was...OKC got smoked last night...period, you cannot give up 30 pts or more in 3 Qtrs and win on the road in the playoffs.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Yep and can you imagine what it's going to be like if the Lakers get the #1 pick in the draft? I almost want it to happen more to see the reaction than because I'm a Lakers fan.

Sounds good to me.
I hope the top however many picks possible end up in the West.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

One rogue ref tried to fix games...very true, but it takes players as well and that's where I fall short of saying NBA games are truly fixed and I'm basically a playoff fan. Ewing to NY, etc...I'm leery of but when CP3 to LAL was blocked I said maybe there's no real conspiracy.

The rouge ref more or less compromised point spreads vs W/L results, I think.

I believe there is just a lot of human error, way more than any attempt to ever fix game results.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Ibaka doesn't make a 20 pt difference or whatever the margin was...OKC got smoked last night...period, you cannot give up 30 pts or more in 3 Qtrs and win on the road in the playoffs.

For sure they still get smoked with Ibaka, but the point was that the Thunder had nobody to replace his role. Its not that easy to just yank players off the bench.
He was injured. It is what it is.

However, if refs make bad calls which force key players out the game, they are sometimes costing teams games.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The rouge ref more or less compromised point spreads vs W/L results, I think.

I believe there is just a lot of human error, way more than any attempt to ever fix game results.

Just made it easy to hate on the NBA imo.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I was on the fence before Ibaka went out, more or less wanting to see KD in the finals I guess, more wishful thinking.

This will be a closer series than what game one showed us, but the Spurs are going to be a tough out every game with the depth they have and the lack of it now on OKC.

 

[trojanfan12]

Pretty funny hearing series comments coming from the person who admitted he didn't even know who had HC advantage in the series, which is even more laughable because game 1 was already over when you said it, and the team with HC ALWAYS hosts game 1.


Anyway, here are the scenarios that Heat fans are looking at as the results of the last 4 seasons.


1. 3 championships. 1 loss in the Finals.
2. 2 championships and 2 losses in the Finals.
3. 2 championships, 1 loss in the Finals, and 1 loss in the ECF.

As fans, we can all be greedy, but if somebody would have asked me 4 years ago if I'd be more than satisfied with that list as options I would have said without a doubt, yes.

Yep, I don't think there's a fanbase in the league, including the Lakers and Celtics that wouldn't sign up for that in a heartbeat. However it eventually ends, the Heat have had a great run thus far.

 

[trojanfan12]

The rouge ref more or less compromised point spreads vs W/L results, I think.

I believe there is just a lot of human error, way more than any attempt to ever fix game results.

I agree. With the size, speed, skill and athleticism of today's players, the NBA is the most difficult of all of the professional sports leagues to officiate.

 

[Wishbone]

This score was the same exact score the Thunder lost to the Clippers in game 1 of that series.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Oh, I see. The games are rigged if you watch carefully.

In every game, there are at least 5 reasons besides the refs that teams lose. There is no question that refs can influence a game. It's impossible not to. But rig games? Sorry, not buying it.

One rogue ref who has been discredited with his accusations against other refs does not mean that there is some vast conspiracy by the league to rig games.

To pull off what you are suggesting would mean there would have to be a lot of people involved among the refs and the league office. Do you honestly think that over all of these years that no one would have come forward about it? No disgruntled former NBA employees or former refs looking to make a quick buck? Seriously?!? The league can't keep anything secret and you're suggesting they can keep the kind of conspiracy that you are suggesting has been going on since at least the 90's a secret?

With the amount of media attention and reporters digging for a story and none of them have reported anything like you suggest. Talk about facts not mattering. How about if you present something more solid than 1 team getting more free throws than another?

You probably think baseball is rigged too. After all, in 1919 the "Black Sox" threw the World Series.

It's ok to be wrong and you are... If 64 free throw attempts in a game 7 doesn't open your eyes then keep your eyes wide shut....

 

[trojanfan12]

It's ok to be wrong and you are... If 64 free throw attempts in a game 7 doesn't open your eyes then keep your eyes wide shut....

Typical response of the conspiracy theorist when their theory is rejected by pure logic. That's okay though tinfoil. Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

Btw, if you put tinfoil on your ceiling and windows, you won't have to wear that hat inside your own house anymore.