Answer to "It shouldn't come down to a call"

[Alacron]

We all get upset when there are bad calls that go against our boys. But everyone assigns different levels of blame. Some say, "We shouldn't have let it be that close. If we put ourselves in the position, through subpar play, of depending on a call to go our way at the end, we probably don't deserve to win."

Here's why that doesn't hold water.

BOTH teams play their hearts out, both teams commit stupid turnovers, miss easy shots, make incredible defensive plays, hit timely threes, misjudge rebounds, etc. That's what the game is about. Those are the reasons we watch. The idea is, at the end, the sum of those 48 minutes of effort will favor one team or another. It usually isn't a blowout, and especially when you have two excellent teams it is likely to be close and up for grabs right down to the final couple of minutes.

Down the stretch, again, BOTH teams will make crucial plays and crucial mistakes. One play can be the difference between defeat and victory.

Now, when the refs blow a blatant call like they did tonight, here's what happens: Our team DID make that one crucial play down the stretch. According to the rules of the contest, the sum of our 48 minutes of effort just edged out our opponents'. But for whatever reason, it was not counted as such, so we find our team in the position of having to go above and beyond simple victory to actually claim a win. That is much easier said than done when you're talking about two groups of elite athletes who have practiced for years to hone their skills to the highest level.

Sure, we get frustrated when our guys miss clutch free throws or give up a late rebound. But guess what, the other team is making mistakes, too. Why do you feel we should pay for our mistakes with a loss while the opponent is rewarded for their mistakes with a victory?

So please, let's have no more of this "It shouldn't have come down to the end" nonsense. We'll never see a perfect game, we should stop expecting it.

I swear, I'd sticky this if I could. Maybe I'll just link to it in my sig.
~~

 

[iheartBrad]

We all get upset when there are bad calls that go against our boys. But everyone assigns different levels of blame. Some say, "We shouldn't have let it be that close. If we put ourselves in the position, through subpar play, of depending on a call to go our way at the end, we probably don't deserve to win."

Here's why that doesn't hold water.

BOTH teams play their hearts out, both teams commit stupid turnovers, miss easy shots, make incredible defensive plays, hit timely threes, misjudge rebounds, etc. That's what the game is about. Those are the reasons we watch. The idea is, at the end, the sum of those 48 minutes of effort will favor one team or another. It usually isn't a blowout, and especially when you have two excellent teams it is likely to be close and up for grabs right down to the final couple of minutes.

Down the stretch, again, BOTH teams will make crucial plays and crucial mistakes. One play can be the difference between defeat and victory.

Now, when the refs blow a blatant call like they did tonight, here's what happens: Our team DID make that one crucial play down the stretch. According to the rules of the contest, the sum of our 48 minutes of effort just edged out our opponents'. But for whatever reason, it was not counted as such, so we find our team in the position of having to go above and beyond simple victory to actually claim a win. That is much easier said than done when you're talking about two groups of elite athletes who have practiced for years to hone their skills to the highest level.

Sure, we get frustrated when our guys miss clutch free throws or give up a late rebound. But guess what, the other team is making mistakes, too. Why do you feel we should pay for our mistakes with a loss while the opponent is rewarded for their mistakes with a victory?

So please, let's have no more of this "It shouldn't have come down to the end" nonsense. We'll never see a perfect game, we should stop expecting it.

I swear, I'd sticky this if I could. Maybe I'll just link to it in my sig.
~~

i love this post...i agree 164%...this is also what ive been trying to say here and there

woohoo go Alacron!!!

 

[gman23]

Absolutely correct,,,If you rely on ref's to win games you are in big trouble

 

[CruzDude]

8 missed FT's (4 in the 4th) and 5 TO's in the 4th is why the Kings lost. Not the refs. And the Kings have become the biggest WHINERS in the league.... every game. You think the refs don't get tired of that? Play better ball in the 4th, play some defense for a change and "quitcha bitchen".

 

[crypticone]

8 missed FT's (4 in the 4th) and 5 TO's in the 4th is why the Kings lost. Not the refs. And the Kings have become the biggest WHINERS in the league.... every game. You think the refs don't get tired of that? Play better ball in the 4th, play some defense for a change and "quitcha bitchen".

This is exactly why NBA official suck. I am sure they get tired of the whining, but to retaliate for that is just wrong.

 

[Amory]

Amen. I was just about to do a post about this.

 

[Folsom Al]

It's Sounding Like a Broken Record ...

For those of you OLD ENOUGH to know what that really means (heh-heh) !!!

Reality Bites ..... it's disheartening the way these past 4 games have gone. Especially the ones vs the Sun's and Mav's ....(blankety-blank ref's)

What is it with THE CRUNCH TIME BLUES ....

What happened to "keep doing what we've been doing to get here" ???

Is it nerves ???
Is it complacency ???
Is it lack of focus ???
Is it lack of leadership ???
Is it "playing to not lose" vs "playing to win" ???

I can't figure it out and I'm sure Adelman & Staff have gone to the BLACKBOARD over-n-over on this.

Com'n King's .... get this "whatever it is" out of your system, QUIT MESSIN' AROUND and ...

FINISH YOUR GAMES

 

[SIR HENRY 8]

We all get upset when there are bad calls that go against our boys. But everyone assigns different levels of blame. Some say, "We shouldn't have let it be that close. If we put ourselves in the position, through subpar play, of depending on a call to go our way at the end, we probably don't deserve to win."

Here's why that doesn't hold water.

BOTH teams play their hearts out, both teams commit stupid turnovers, miss easy shots, make incredible defensive plays, hit timely threes, misjudge rebounds, etc. That's what the game is about. Those are the reasons we watch. The idea is, at the end, the sum of those 48 minutes of effort will favor one team or another. It usually isn't a blowout, and especially when you have two excellent teams it is likely to be close and up for grabs right down to the final couple of minutes.

Down the stretch, again, BOTH teams will make crucial plays and crucial mistakes. One play can be the difference between defeat and victory.

Now, when the refs blow a blatant call like they did tonight, here's what happens: Our team DID make that one crucial play down the stretch. According to the rules of the contest, the sum of our 48 minutes of effort just edged out our opponents'. But for whatever reason, it was not counted as such, so we find our team in the position of having to go above and beyond simple victory to actually claim a win. That is much easier said than done when you're talking about two groups of elite athletes who have practiced for years to hone their skills to the highest level.

Sure, we get frustrated when our guys miss clutch free throws or give up a late rebound. But guess what, the other team is making mistakes, too. Why do you feel we should pay for our mistakes with a loss while the opponent is rewarded for their mistakes with a victory?

So please, let's have no more of this "It shouldn't have come down to the end" nonsense. We'll never see a perfect game, we should stop expecting it.

I swear, I'd sticky this if I could. Maybe I'll just link to it in my sig.
~~

this post is a work of art,exactly how it is..WELLSAID!!..this week refs 2- KINGS 0.

 

[Rowdyone]

To say that the Kings are their own worst enemies because of the mistakes they make misses one element of the game....time. A turnover or missed FT early in the game statistically costs them, yes, but it's not critical because there is still time to make it up. What were talking about is the number of opportunities left to make amends, therefore a turnover, missed shot, blown call or even miricle basket made as time winds down is much more important even though statistically it counts the same with regard to the sum of our efforts. If the latest of this week's blown calls is made in the first quarter everyone will most likely have forgotten about it by the fourth. But give the lack of opportunities to counter it late in the game makes it that much more crucial. It's kind of like critcism of certain players...yeah, they score 20 per night but not when the game is on the line. So these profound statements of "well, the Kings had plenty of opportunity to counter this bad call earlier in the game" just don't factor in the time of the game factor and are really baseless.

 

[Kingsgurl]

8 missed FT's (4 in the 4th) and 5 TO's in the 4th is why the Kings lost. Not the refs. And the Kings have become the biggest WHINERS in the league.... every game. You think the refs don't get tired of that? Play better ball in the 4th, play some defense for a change and "quitcha bitchen".

I don't know, watching that game last night, it sure seems the mavs have us beat hands down in the whining department.
The Kings should fall in line and goosestep with the rest of league
Refs motto- "you will not question my authoritay!"

 

[Rowdyone]

Cruzedude says the Kings are all whiners and have that reputation around the league. Well, I don't pretend to be one of the NBA "IN" people so I guess I wouldn't know about that but I do watch a significant number of other games around the league and, believe me, I see the same "lobbying" go on at all games and much of the same behavior, some worse, than I see from the Kings.

 

[TheSerbianQueen]

It's true that it should not have come to that one call. Kings didn't bring the "A" game last night, but then again, it is unrealistic to expect a team to play flawless game any given night. If they had played the way they know how to play, that call that never happen would've even mattered. However, I am finding it hard to call them whiners because of complaining they did last night, because they had every right to complain. It was very obvious that those guys weren't even properly recovered from the Phoenix game and then last night happened.
I don't like whining for no reason, trust me.......... annoys the hell out of me..... but how do you suck it up and play when bad calls like this are happening over and over again....

 

[Bricklayer]

All of this "we should have won it anyway" stuff gets silly after a while.

Yes, we could still have won it with better play. But then again, we should never have HAD to. I'm sure we could have still won if we had just spotted the Mavs 2 pts before the game and walked out onto the floor down 2-0. But that's hardly equitable either. You strip two points off of every game for ANY team and you're talking a swing of 5-10 games a season.

 

[Kingaholic]

It is funny. If the Kings had gotten that call and won, the same people who are saying that the kings did a horrible job down the strech would be saying that the Kings finally did well down the strech. THe difference between a win and a loss makes all of the difference. And here the difference was ONE non call.

 

[Lirica]

Absolutely correct,,,If you rely on ref's to win games you are in big trouble

..yes, indeedy, gman...however...

..the game is supposed to be played 5 on 5...not 5 on 8...

..it should not come down to a call, but, how many games are won or lost by a single basket?..both teams play hard all game..whoever scores last wins..not whoever gets the bad call..

..btw, I have lurked about here for a while now..this is my first post..been fan of the Kings since the early nineties..so glad I found this board..makes me want to move to Sacramento..Kings fans are the best!!..and I know..my other favourite team is the Rockets...and I have been a Cubs fan for years...

..speaking of being a Rockets fan...I know about whining...they all do it...whining over the little things is one thing...being totally ticked off about calls like that is another....that is wanting fair play..

(sorry to go on so long on my first post..)

 

[HndsmCelt]

I was one of the first fans/critics to point out that there were nurerous areas of the Kings game that could have been improved to give them the win despite the bad no call, and I stand by them. However, in the reality of the NBA every team makes mistakes and often the out come of a game is not who plays flawless but who made FEWER mistakes or what team capitalized on their opponets mistakes best. NBA games frewqueetly come down to key plays in the fianl 2 min... in fact taht is what we wtach for, that is what we call a "great game", if we can't trust the officials to at least make calls on the obvious late shot, goal tend or clear foul it poisions the game regardless of the missed free throws, poor rebounding, or turn overs.

 

[Folsom Al]

What a Thoughtless Assumption ....

It is funny. If the Kings had gotten that call and won, the same people who are saying that the kings did a horrible job down the strech would be saying that the Kings finally did well down the strech. THe difference between a win and a loss makes all of the difference. And here the difference was ONE non call.

Think back, my friend ... we don't all think like you do ... that's a scary thought.

Sometimes things fall your way, sometimes they don't. For instance, that game vs the Knicks --down the stretch-- went the King's way.

You see, I'm one of those that think the King's hurt themselves --down-the-stretch-- ... and had the King's won .... I'd be saying "Thank You Basketball Gawds, our guys got themsleves in a pickle, AGAIN !!!".

 

[vj9999]

I read most of the threads, but I don't think anybody pointed this out and it is very obvious. Finley was responsible for that missed call last night. Come to think of it... I blame Finley for the Phoenix loss too.

Go Kings.

 

[6th]

I was one of the first fans/critics to point out that there were nurerous areas of the Kings game that could have been improved to give them the win despite the bad no call, and I stand by them. However, in the reality of the NBA every team makes mistakes and often the out come of a game is not who plays flawless but who made FEWER mistakes or what team capitalized on their opponets mistakes best. NBA games frewqueetly come down to key plays in the fianl 2 min... in fact taht is what we wtach for, that is what we call a "great game", if we can't trust the officials to at least make calls on the obvious late shot, goal tend or clear foul it poisions the game regardless of the missed free throws, poor rebounding, or turn overs.

Very nice, Celt. This says very well what I have been thinking this past week.

 

[VF21]

We all get upset when there are bad calls that go against our boys. But everyone assigns different levels of blame. Some say, "We shouldn't have let it be that close. If we put ourselves in the position, through subpar play, of depending on a call to go our way at the end, we probably don't deserve to win."

Here's why that doesn't hold water.

BOTH teams play their hearts out, both teams commit stupid turnovers, miss easy shots, make incredible defensive plays, hit timely threes, misjudge rebounds, etc. That's what the game is about. Those are the reasons we watch. The idea is, at the end, the sum of those 48 minutes of effort will favor one team or another. It usually isn't a blowout, and especially when you have two excellent teams it is likely to be close and up for grabs right down to the final couple of minutes.

Down the stretch, again, BOTH teams will make crucial plays and crucial mistakes. One play can be the difference between defeat and victory.

Now, when the refs blow a blatant call like they did tonight, here's what happens: Our team DID make that one crucial play down the stretch. According to the rules of the contest, the sum of our 48 minutes of effort just edged out our opponents'. But for whatever reason, it was not counted as such, so we find our team in the position of having to go above and beyond simple victory to actually claim a win. That is much easier said than done when you're talking about two groups of elite athletes who have practiced for years to hone their skills to the highest level.

Sure, we get frustrated when our guys miss clutch free throws or give up a late rebound. But guess what, the other team is making mistakes, too. Why do you feel we should pay for our mistakes with a loss while the opponent is rewarded for their mistakes with a victory?

So please, let's have no more of this "It shouldn't have come down to the end" nonsense. We'll never see a perfect game, we should stop expecting it.

I swear, I'd sticky this if I could. Maybe I'll just link to it in my sig.
~~

Bravo.

 

[swisshh]

Alacron is right. It's basically another dumb sports cliche people are using and it doesn't make sense at all really.

And you can't stop talking about the officials, thats just part of the mantra to let it continue. You NEED to draw attention to it. You also need someone in the national media with a pair of balls to talk about it. This isn't just about the Kings, it's about the game of basketball being legit in the NBA. Is it professional basketball or the WWE? The Pacers have fallen victim to the way things have been run, they even had a little protest group. A couple years ago the TWolves were getting jobbed against LA. The Jordan era Bulls got away with everything to a sickening level.

The mentality of bowing down to a status quo afraid to challenge it is exactly what players mean when they talk about it being a dictatorship.

 

[LPKingsFan]

If the Kings come back from being 5 down in the last minute and win the game with, let's say, a Bibby 3 pointer, did they win because of the three pointer? Or did they win because of the numerous shots, free throws, missed calls, missed free throws that went their way in the last few minutes?

 

[4cwebb]

I was one of the first fans/critics to point out that there were nurerous areas of the Kings game that could have been improved to give them the win despite the bad no call, and I stand by them. However, in the reality of the NBA every team makes mistakes and often the out come of a game is not who plays flawless but who made FEWER mistakes or what team capitalized on their opponets mistakes best. NBA games frewqueetly come down to key plays in the fianl 2 min... in fact taht is what we wtach for, that is what we call a "great game", if we can't trust the officials to at least make calls on the obvious late shot, goal tend or clear foul it poisions the game regardless of the missed free throws, poor rebounding, or turn overs.

Agreed. Something else I remember from the radio broadcast yesterday was Kozimer questioning whether there was a foul on CWebb before he got his two free throws in the last two minutes...that was a call that went the Kings' way that they didn't take advantage of.

The obvious mistake on the goaltending call is frustrating for certain, and more frustrating than a missed/made foul call because there is no subjective element once the ball hits the backboard above the ring. But in all honesty, I do not have the confidence to say that even if that call is made that the Kings win the game. They have just been having trouble putting teams away in the 4th quarter in these last three games. Hopefully the road trip to the Eastern Conference will help them get over this recent problem.

 

[BigWaxer]

The stats don't lie

Well on certain points I agree but last nights game and the Sonics game I truely disagree.

As you say MISSING clutch free throws doesn't include going 18-26
Or tossing up 20 3 point shots.

some stats:

Mav's game:
18-26 from the line (mavs 28-31)
9-19 from 3 points land (mavs 3-6)


All other stat catagories were basically even. Now granted that last call/no-call sucked but if you gave me those stat lines and I didn't see the game I would of said we lost the game.

It is inexcusable that we shoot 69% from the line and then take 19 3-point shots while making only 9 of them.

Sorry the stats don't lie. Yes the refs robbed us but we were lucky to be in it with those stats in the first place.


THE REFS SUCK... THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY against the Kings. Many think there is and thats the true BS.