Notes from a trip to the NBA Playoffs.
As Will Brinson already explained earlier this evening, the Pistons got a bit of a gift at the end of the third quarter last night as Chauncey Billups hit a three-pointer after the clocks should have expired to give the Pistons a two-point lead heading into the fourth.
During the post-game press conference, Billups explained what was going through his head. "Obviously when we took it out I knew it was five seconds, so I just tried to get it up, get it up," he said. "I saw a couple of guys converge on me [so] I threw it to [Rodney Stuckey]. I thought Stuck had to shoot it. When Stuck went up and looked and saw four seconds on the clock, that's why he didn't shoot it, he kicked it back. But I didn't see that, I was just like, I just got to hurry up and get it off. It's a tough play, man. It sucks to be on the other end of that play, you know what I'm saying? But I'll take it, man, I'll take it."
So how did the guys on the other end of that play take it? Officially, they said all of the right things.
"They didn't start the clock and he made the shot, but I didn't think that determined the game," said Rashard Lewis. "We were still in the game, we were down two points at the time. We still had another full quarter to go, we were still in the game, but I think we made a lot of little mistakes that made us lose that game."
Jameer Nelson was similarly disappointed, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not here to discuss any calls or anything that was made by the officials. Like I said, if we take care of the ball, we'll have a better opportunity to win the ball game." He added, "The call was made, and you have to play through it. You have to play through whatever call was made."
When there wasn't a microphone stuck under their chins, though, many of the Magic players grumbled amongst themselves that the play shouldn't have counted or at least should have been reviewed (using language I couldn't print even if they had gone on the record).
Like many of the players, I didn't know the refs weren't allowed to review the tape until overhearing one of the trainers explain to the players that officials can't review the tape for questions about time unless there are double zeros left on the clock. This was probably explained to the viewers at home by the TV announcers, but the whole situation was mightily confusing for those of us at the arena.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. I am responding to the individual who claimed that the refs game this game to the Pistons and mentioned something about the people in Las Vegas. My comment is here we go again; was it not in the 3rd quarter when this call was made?; did you not know that the referees cannot review tapes unless it's double zeros on the clock. Did Rashad Lewis not say that they had a whole quarter to win the game. You can't let a shot at the end of the third quarter dictate an entire last quarter of your game, come on. The people in Vegas are probably happy because they went with the Pistons. What everyone fails to realize is that Pistons rarely get a break, always getting foul calls, not to mention techs and the other team can get away with the very same call on the other end. This is the playoffs, the rules and the game change. If you want to win; you got to play hard and play as if it's your last game. So, with that being said nothing was fixed or bought here. Every team will get a call his way at some point and time in any given game. The Pistons won the game; stop hating and acting like that one call made a difference!
Posted at 2:18AM on May 6th 2008 by Dee
2. Final score Det 100 Orl 93. Play should not have counted? Det 97 Orl 93. Satisfied??
Posted at 6:34AM on May 6th 2008 by DM
3. Satisfied??
No. It changes momentum going into the 4th.
Posted at 8:12AM on May 6th 2008 by jkads
4. The refs not only gifted the Pistons three points, but their obviously unfair decision demoralized the Magic....and affected the outcome of the game. I hope the NBA investigates and fires the person managing the shot clock.
Posted at 8:46AM on May 6th 2008 by billybob
5. They were in the game, in the Palace, after being down 13-14 points. That's more than enough momentum, even if the shot didn't count. They missed shots and opportunities in the fourth, and thats why they lost.
Posted at 8:50AM on May 6th 2008 by Devin J
6. the rule is, the refs can only use the screens where 0.0 is shown on the clock.
however, lets say the exact issue they are investigating is WHETHER 0.0 SHOULD BE SHOWN ON THE CLOCK!??!
its dumb
Posted at 9:52AM on May 6th 2008 by cj
7. Doesn't change the fact that they had a full quarter left. Blaming the loss on that one play is for a lack of a better word, lame.
Posted at 10:27AM on May 6th 2008 by DM
8. A play like that changes a teams morale, It doesn't matter who you are. Say you take away those 3 points in starting the 4th then the Magic have a whole different mind set, they are not as desperate. Wind that down towards the end of the game and the Magic do not have to foul to stop the clock.... So in turn they rely on defense, which was pretty good, and all of a sudden the game ends 1 or 2 points either way.
Posted at 11:34AM on May 6th 2008 by ItsMeJS
9. Cry all you want, Pistons were gonna win this series no matter what.
Posted at 12:09PM on May 6th 2008 by DM
10. It changed the game and to say it didn't is making yourself a homer. Take those points away and the magic don't have to foul at the end of the game. It's retarded to say that missed shots in the fourth are why they lost. It is perfectly legit to say the refs had something to do with the win. No team is going to execute every play because they are human and when some bad officiating happens it can change the game. I bet if it was the other way around you would have a different tune.
Posted at 12:28PM on May 6th 2008 by angryguy77
11. Let's face it, whoever a call like this goes against is going to cry foul and claim that thier team could have won with out the error. Whoever benefits from the error is going to say that it is part of the game. Deal with it. There are so many bad calls and missed calls during the course of a game that one can rarely say, this call cost the game. Hopefully the officials will screw up in the magics favor later in the serious. Since I am not a Pistons fan, I hope they screw up a lot in the magics favor. Cavs fan.
Posted at 2:29PM on May 6th 2008 by cpa
12. everyone here are dicks. of course the shot gave the pistons a win in this tight series. the shot shouldnt have counted.
Posted at 5:33PM on May 6th 2008 by animal
13. The magic should have played better and got so far a head that this shot should not of mattered before the last 4.8 seconds of the 3rd. They had a fair chance for 48 min. . Sorry they can not hang with the PISTONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted at 10:49PM on May 6th 2008 by pistons fan
14. this is such a cry baby move. i have two points, one is that it was the end of the third quater the magic had a whole nother quarter, and if you watch the highlights on nba.com they show dwight howard dunking in the fourth quarter and if you look at the score the magic went up by four so IT WAS THERE OWN FAULT FOR LOSING THE GAME IN THE 4TH QUARTER, THE 3RD QUARTER HAD NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING, TO DO WITH IT!!!
Posted at 2:25PM on May 7th 2008 by holyman3104
15. Bottom line is the missed up. But understand what i'm saying the officals did? The league missed up. In baseball in the playoffs the umpire crew carrys 2 extra umpires. Weather it is a playoff game or not we have seen when in basball they will discuss a call even if it takes for ever, it gives them a better chance to get it right. Well in basketball the league needs to have 2 extra clock officals in cases like this, setting at table with stop watches or what ever system they need to make sure they get it right. Oh and by the way i was a piston fan for years. I moved to detroit from tampa before we had the Orlando Majic. But when i moved back to florida, I started pulling for the Majic like i should.The reason i mentioned it because it bothers me when people take sides because it's there team. The call made a big different in the outcome of a big, big, game. Lets fix it so it doesnt happen again. And lets get the guy handling the clock, and make sure he/she doesn't get near a clock again, so i don't have to go out and kill him!
Posted at 7:16PM on May 7th 2008 by evclosings
16. On a three man officiating crew there is strict responsibility for the official in the "center" position to take the clock at the end of each period/half/game. If you look at the replay, Steve Javie is the culprit here! He has to look at the clock at least 1 time during the 6 or 7 seconds that it took to get that shot up!!! This is inexcuseable at the NBA level and Stu Jackson and the head of officiating should be all over his A$$!
Then in the final seconds of the game with Detroit up by 2 points and running an inbounds play, Steve "I'm always right" Javie calls a LATE off the ball shooting foul when Rip trips over his own feet!!! Those two blown calls did cost the Magic this game!!!!!
Posted at 7:52PM on May 8th 2008 by Kent Booze