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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12303381p-13167222c.html
Ailene Voisin: Put a cork in all that postgame whining
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, February 11, 2005
Please, not again. The whining. The crying. The persecution complex. There hasn't been this much ref-bashing since the Kings returned from that infamous Game 6 in Los Angeles in 2002. And while that long ago, far away fourth-quarter debacle featured some of the worst officiating in recent playoff history - the opinion of numerous NBA coaches as well as the consensus of the national media - the Kings have had plenty of time to figure it all out.
They can vent all they want and still gain nothing, except, perhaps, the furtherance of a less-than-flattering reputation.
This latest outpouring of angst and alienation, a reaction to the last-second sequence in Tuesday's excruciating loss to the Phoenix Suns, is like the recurrence of a pre-existing condition. Just when it appeared those Kings were history - chief culprit Vlade Divac having flown south - the pattern re-emerges.
The tendency is to blame the guys with the whistles for everything from missed free throws and botched layups to cold pizza and stale beer. Old players leave, new players arrive, yet the message remains on point: (1) the refs cost us a game and/or (2) the refs refuse to show any respect by failing to engage in a healthy discussion after the fact, thereby justifying the tossing of sweatbands, the berating of officials and finally, the lengthy postgame diatribe about the enduring evils of the animal (zebra) empire.
So what's the point? Who wins here? Certainly not the Kings.
Brad Miller, who has emerged as a Vlade Lite with his creative passing and Vlade Loud with his chronic complaining, is suspended for a game. Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Cuttino Mobley are fined. Geoff Petrie spends his afternoon in damage control. And the Kings again allow themselves to be distracted, this time during a pre-All-Star stretch they themselves suggested will reveal much about their character.
Guess they might want to hold off on that judgment for a while.
"We just have to really work to be better at controlling our emotions," Petrie said Thursday. "You have to exercise restraint. It doesn't help that Brad's not playing (against Seattle). You have to be willing to accept at times ... there is always human frailty."
Petrie, by the way, remains convinced that Miller was victimized twice, that the 7-foot center was fouled by Shawn Marion and his layup illegally obstructed by Amare Stoudemire. Yet unlike the barrage of questionable calls in that Game 6 at Staples Center, this was an isolated incident, a bang-bang sequence too close to contest even for most media members seated at the press table. The initial replays hinted at a clean block. And hinted equally at a goaltend. According to Petrie, a more precise review suggested otherwise; given his characteristic candor, his assessment could very well be correct.
In an ideal NBA world, the game would have been decided in overtime. In the alternative, the Kings should have been allowed to express a reasonable measure of healthy outrage. The refs can shoot airballs, too.
But there is a significant difference between a major league pout and a full-blown temper tantrum, and Tuesday night, the Kings should have hollered out and then dropped the issue. There was absolutely no official recourse available. The final play is reviewable only if a foul is called or the clock is at issue on a made field goal, according to NBA vice president Stu Jackson.
Jackson said the present referees' regime is also intent on improving communication with players and coaches - hence the decision last year to replace former supervisor Ed Rush with Ronnie Nunn.
"Contrary to what Cuttino says," added Jackson, "our officials are held accountable, and I feel very strongly that as long as a response is delivered efficiently and during an appropriate time, such as a dead-ball situation, we encourage our referees to engage the players and coaches. But this is not a license to speak to a referee continually during a game."
Additionally, referees are required to break down the film after each game, evaluating frame by frame, and immediately submit written and video reports to the league office. League-appointed observers also attend all games and file their own critique.
Yet rather than explanations, fines or suspensions, the Kings might benefit most from a little revisionist history: After they lost that Game 6, they obsessed over the officiating, their frustration still palpable 48 hours later. Instead of channeling their anger in a positive, aggressive manner, they were on the defensive for Game 7, their concentration faltering when needed most.
The four consecutive missed free throws in the first quarter. The momentum-altering defensive rebound in the second. The airballs at the end.
Please, not again.
Ailene Voisin: Put a cork in all that postgame whining
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, February 11, 2005
Please, not again. The whining. The crying. The persecution complex. There hasn't been this much ref-bashing since the Kings returned from that infamous Game 6 in Los Angeles in 2002. And while that long ago, far away fourth-quarter debacle featured some of the worst officiating in recent playoff history - the opinion of numerous NBA coaches as well as the consensus of the national media - the Kings have had plenty of time to figure it all out.
They can vent all they want and still gain nothing, except, perhaps, the furtherance of a less-than-flattering reputation.
This latest outpouring of angst and alienation, a reaction to the last-second sequence in Tuesday's excruciating loss to the Phoenix Suns, is like the recurrence of a pre-existing condition. Just when it appeared those Kings were history - chief culprit Vlade Divac having flown south - the pattern re-emerges.
The tendency is to blame the guys with the whistles for everything from missed free throws and botched layups to cold pizza and stale beer. Old players leave, new players arrive, yet the message remains on point: (1) the refs cost us a game and/or (2) the refs refuse to show any respect by failing to engage in a healthy discussion after the fact, thereby justifying the tossing of sweatbands, the berating of officials and finally, the lengthy postgame diatribe about the enduring evils of the animal (zebra) empire.
So what's the point? Who wins here? Certainly not the Kings.
Brad Miller, who has emerged as a Vlade Lite with his creative passing and Vlade Loud with his chronic complaining, is suspended for a game. Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Cuttino Mobley are fined. Geoff Petrie spends his afternoon in damage control. And the Kings again allow themselves to be distracted, this time during a pre-All-Star stretch they themselves suggested will reveal much about their character.
Guess they might want to hold off on that judgment for a while.
"We just have to really work to be better at controlling our emotions," Petrie said Thursday. "You have to exercise restraint. It doesn't help that Brad's not playing (against Seattle). You have to be willing to accept at times ... there is always human frailty."
Petrie, by the way, remains convinced that Miller was victimized twice, that the 7-foot center was fouled by Shawn Marion and his layup illegally obstructed by Amare Stoudemire. Yet unlike the barrage of questionable calls in that Game 6 at Staples Center, this was an isolated incident, a bang-bang sequence too close to contest even for most media members seated at the press table. The initial replays hinted at a clean block. And hinted equally at a goaltend. According to Petrie, a more precise review suggested otherwise; given his characteristic candor, his assessment could very well be correct.
In an ideal NBA world, the game would have been decided in overtime. In the alternative, the Kings should have been allowed to express a reasonable measure of healthy outrage. The refs can shoot airballs, too.
But there is a significant difference between a major league pout and a full-blown temper tantrum, and Tuesday night, the Kings should have hollered out and then dropped the issue. There was absolutely no official recourse available. The final play is reviewable only if a foul is called or the clock is at issue on a made field goal, according to NBA vice president Stu Jackson.
Jackson said the present referees' regime is also intent on improving communication with players and coaches - hence the decision last year to replace former supervisor Ed Rush with Ronnie Nunn.
"Contrary to what Cuttino says," added Jackson, "our officials are held accountable, and I feel very strongly that as long as a response is delivered efficiently and during an appropriate time, such as a dead-ball situation, we encourage our referees to engage the players and coaches. But this is not a license to speak to a referee continually during a game."
Additionally, referees are required to break down the film after each game, evaluating frame by frame, and immediately submit written and video reports to the league office. League-appointed observers also attend all games and file their own critique.
Yet rather than explanations, fines or suspensions, the Kings might benefit most from a little revisionist history: After they lost that Game 6, they obsessed over the officiating, their frustration still palpable 48 hours later. Instead of channeling their anger in a positive, aggressive manner, they were on the defensive for Game 7, their concentration faltering when needed most.
The four consecutive missed free throws in the first quarter. The momentum-altering defensive rebound in the second. The airballs at the end.
Please, not again.
About the writer:
- Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/voisin.
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