Context: After game 1, I was caught off guard by Clippers fans crying about the refs. All that despite the easy win and Harden's phantom free throws. By "Clips fans", I don't even mean realgm (love you all), I mean a general audience on the interwebs - it was all over twitter, including their beat reporter who fuelled the crying.
So that context made me keep an eye on the refs going in to game 2.
Let me make a couple of notes:
1. As a Mavs fan, I am disappointed by the performance of our main guy. Has not been himself. The team also has underperformed massively. They had a good run and beat some good teams to close out the season... but so far haven't yet looked in sync.
2. Horrible turnovers, terrible wide open misses at the rim, missed free throws, bricked 3 pointers. You name it... an absurd volume of self inflicted wounds. Refs not to blame.
3. As you may suspect, this was being written during the game and I was expecting the L (given that the Mavs weren't sharp, the stuff I'll describe below and expecting the Clips to make a run). This was being written during live play. Submitting now after getting the videos.
4. This topic is not too serious and isn't personal about the Clips. Had the Mavs lost, despite the plays below, I still would feel worse about the team not playing at their best than whatever refs decisions. I am biased. I am not 100% sure it's the same ref at times. But in general, the Mavs absolutely were jobbed in game 2 and the refereeing was not balanced.
Random plays below throughout the game.
If you're bored and have no life like me, watch them and see if you feel the ref or refs were leaning towards one team.
Does anyone know why a foul was called here?
Can anyone also help me understand if Exum touched Harden at all here?
And if he did... why doesn't Kyrie get the foul here for a much more obvious contact?
Derrick Jone clearly fouled by Plumlee here. Again no call....
It appears Zubac doesn't have to respect «verticality laws», can move, contact sideways or maybe PJ Washington (like DJJr) is just a scrub who doesn't deserve respect.
But wait, these refs really are calling it tight. Harden cannot be touched...
They really called this a foul. Gotta keep the foul count ticking I guess.
I was quite puzzled though. Refs don't call fouls on guys like Washington and Jones in actual basketball plays/shot attempts, but then are calling stuff that we can't even comprehend or soft stuff?
You may notice that the same clown ref (#45) who gave away silly fouls to the Clips, doesn't behave the same way here when George makes a move with his elbow and DJJr's head bobs (100% certain that with roles reversed it'd have been a foul). [This was not a foul by the way. I am just tracing a pattern with the ref who made up calls for the Clips earlier]
In the following play, you can again see contact by Harden on Irving (Irving beats Harden who commits a foul before later striping him) and the same clown ref (#45) doesn't see it. Only sees the kick ball.
Ref allows contact. Or doesn't. Or maybe just one side. Who knows at this point.
Again, same clown ref, doesn't see Paul George pushing off Green.
Zubac just runs over Gafford here. Can anyone explain why this is a foul if above Kawhi didn't foul Gafford?
Please review this one... and tell if this ref clearly didn't have money in the game? Look at how eager he was to call an off the ball foul... to again give free points to his team. The hilarious bit is that Dallas just had a big plays before, so he had to kill the momentum.
Much beloved James Harden drawing 3 more free throws. And yes, #45.
In the following play, Luka cries about a foul (don't even care if it was or not, hint: it was)... I just want to highlight that again #45 is staring at it. Doesnt call it and give Luka a technical foul.
I guess Lively is the one called for a foul because his jersey is white here.
This sequence is amazing... Westbrook is an amazing defender and right after... the Mavs guys aren't. Again, #45. Check out the Mavs guys... they are desperate at this point. They simply suck and guys in black are brilliant defenders.
Luka asks for a technical foul here. Why does Westbrook get away with this?
You can say Luka is a whiny *make up your own word*, but he is 100% correct. That is a textbook tech not given.
They really were trying until the end.
P.S: if you were wondering, #45 is Brian Forte - bonus material below, not mine. Harden takes like 20 steps.