Blazers vs Hawks game

[whatchaknow]

Hey Blazer fan here and also becoming a big Hawk fan as well (minus effin Zaza lol) now that JSmoove is going 100% every game. I was very impressed with the toughness and the heart that the Hawks displayed in that game.

Now to get to my question... Ive been wondering, as have a lot of Blazer fans, if the fouls on Oden are legit or ticky tac? Obviously he gets his fair share of fouls that ARE fouls but it just seems like he is such a target for the referees. Now i hate blaming refs because it makes me feel like a cry baby , but it is so hard to watch when Oden has so much potential and he cant control wheter he can fulfill it.

So i just wanted a non-biased opinion. Thanks its much appreciated.

PS: The one play where JJ drives at the end of the game and Oden just wacks him across the face, how does that not get called but some of these (http://www.youtube.com/user/FreeOden52) get called?

[azuresou1]

Oden has to build up a rapport with refs before calls will start falling his way. He also doesn't have the veteran moves yet to do the small things and get away with them.

Also, he and Nate McMillian both seem soft, so refs can whistle them with impunity. Yao had the same issue, where because he was such a nice guy he'd get raped by calls. On the flip side, Sheed used to heckle refs and pick up techs, but he rarely got called for fouls in game, because refs didn't want to deal with Sheed. Well, maybe Tim Donaghy.

[JoshB914]

They look like fouls to me. I watch Portland a lot as they are my adopted WC team. Dude is just unbelievably clumsy and it gets him in trouble. It's not like he's looking to hack guys, but until he learn to play a little more under control he's going to continue to get the whistle blown on him.

[tontoz]

There are too many touch fouls in general. If the offensive playing leans into a defender and then shoots a fadeaway it will be a foul on the defender every time even if his hands are straight up and moving backwards. Smith gets a lot of those BS calls because he actually tries to contest shots. The ref bias for the offense makes it very hard to play legit D without getting in foul trouble.

Oden does seem to drag his pivot foot a lot.

[whatchaknow]

There are too many touch fouls in general. If the offensive playing leans into a defender and then shoots a fadeaway it will be a foul on the defender every time even if his hands are straight up and moving backwards. Smith gets a lot of those BS calls because he actually tries to contest shots. The ref bias for the offense makes it very hard to play legit D without getting in foul trouble.

Oden does seem to drag his pivot foot a lot.

Thanks for the response guys. I think having to gain the respect of the officials is BS because the game should be called the same for every player in the league, but like we all know its not. I agree with the touch fouls as well its pretty ridiculous. The one thing i did notice is that Horford was playing extremely physical whenever Oden touched the ball (which he should) and there was nothing called, now if Oden was to play that physical then he gets whistled every time. It doesnt help that the referees anticipate calls or that the Blazer coaching tells Oden to not be so aggressive, which sounds so stupid but thats what they have had to resort to.

I agree that Smith gets a lot of those calls as well, and Dwight has been having some trouble with officiating this year as well (im sure you guys dont mind that one). It just doesnt make a lot of sense to me because the blocked shot is one of the most exciting things in the league but if you're consistently taking that away from people we dont get to see them a whole lot. It also hurts the Blazers defense dramatically when Oden is out of the game, Przybilla is a great defensive C but its not the same as having Greg in there, much like you guys w/out Smith in there.

PS: The clumsy part of Oden's game right now is at the offensive end and that is starting to come around. It will never become any better if he scores 7 points in the first 4 minutes and the team goes away from him for the rest of the game.

[evildallas]

Oden has the added disadvantage of being the biggest guy in most exchanges. It makes his contact look worse and him getting hit look less severe. That affects the ref's whistle as well.