mvplayur wrote:You should have more of a problem with the refs than with Warriors player. Except perhaps Draymond, since that elbow was unwarranted.
Yes, Bogut grabbed Griffin's jersey and created a scuffle out of nothing. It happens. Basketball's a contact sport. It's not like he personally ejected Griffin. The refs overreacted.
Believe you me, I most definitely have a problem with the officiating, especially in light of the fact that they used replay to come to their egregious conclusions (second time in two nights this has happened BTW). The league shares in the blame, which started in its idolatry of Michael Jordan...but that is for another discussion.
Yes, basketball is a contact sport, but that is exactly the point. The Warriors apparently didn't think they could physically or athletically compete with Blake Griffin, which prompted them to employ less-than-respectable tactics. There's a difference between taking a hard foul and intentionally trying to take out a player with cheapshots. How could that be defined as sportsman-like or even professional?
You're right. Bogut was not so much to blame than either the refs or Mark Jackson, but he was still a tool in the shenanigans. Draymond Green, on the other hand, totally crossed the line.
I understand Blake's reputation for flopping and whining makes him a target, but you know what? He hasn't been doing much of that at all this season. Rivers has told the players to focus on the game and let him do the politicking and complaining to the refs and the players have been pretty much adhering to that, aside from the Chris Paul complaint on the clean block by Thompson at the end of the game. He also hasn't been flopping this year or at least as much as he used to by quite a significant amount. I actually thought Bogut did more flopping than Griffin tonight.
I've called out my own players for employing the European soccer theatrics since I think it cheapens the sport and Blake has been on his best behavior compared to last season. I also don't mind the hack-a-DJ tactic since that is part of the game and a professional basketball player should be able to competently hit a free throw, but what Mark Jackson and the Warriors did tonight was an embarrassment to both themselves and the league. The fact that they were enabled by the referees doesn't absolve them of their culpability.
