Knicks + Refs Will Beat Celtics In NY

by DRJ1 on Apr 20, 2011 9:52 AM EDT

This story is probably going to get worse before it gets better. It was bad enough watching Salvatore mangle the officiating in Game 2. I'm expecting a Referee Rout on Friday.

I do not believe the NBA is going to let it's biggest-market, newest Big-3 team go down 0-3 in the first round. They'll find the right goon for the job (Bill Kennedy will happily do it for nothing), Paul will be out in Q1 after 3 minutes, etc., etc. We know the drill, we've seen it before. (Finals Game 3, anyone?)

Cs could still win, but only with a monumental effort and a lot of luck.

And to anyone who doesn't believe the refs affect game results.... well.... there's a small bridge in NYC I'd like to sell ya.

And please.... don't tell me 'good teams play through it.' I'm so sick of that. It's almost impossible to beat 8 guys with 5, and you should know that by now.

UPDATE: I couldn't be happier to say -- I was dead wrong. Great.

Be respectful and keep it clean. Thanks.

Tweet Comment 23 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Read More: New York Knicks, Boston Celtics

Comments

well wait and see

by ZM15 on Apr 20, 2011 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

If ray allen has a hot hand ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE like KG would say

by Little ticket on Apr 20, 2011 10:53 AM EDT reply actions

I couldn't agree more

I too have seen this movie before. You forgot to mention the hard foul-leading-to-suspension-for-game-4 part though. Im thinkin JO will be the culprit. Yet amazingly, whatever knick was involved gets off with maybe 1 tech during the game, but they still get shots cause JO will be ejected.
Are other sports scripts more fun to watch, cause this is as awful as watching WWE instead of WWF. When are we gonna Hulk out? After they use the concealed weapon in their tights, and get us in the headlock.
Same thing here.

by MattyFree on Apr 20, 2011 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

In fairness

You can’t watch a game with the predetermined mindset of “The refs are going to screw the Celtics”. I’ve actually liked the officiating so far in the playoffs, the refs seem to be letting the guys play.

by Zak B on Apr 20, 2011 3:30 PM EDT reply actions

Wow...celtics complaining about the refs.....go watch game 1 and see yourself, so called savvy vetrans...

by wee-un on Apr 20, 2011 4:37 PM EDT reply actions

Complaining?

Where? “Prediction” is the right word, I think. Complaining about the refs is like complaining that the Earth is not flat.

Nevertheless, after the game, there will be complaints about the refs. (You may mark that as ANOTHER bold… very bold…. prediction. Oh yeah.)

by DRJ1 on Apr 20, 2011 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I just love how everyone thinks refs favor the Celtics, it is in excusable to blow a 12 point lead and not even try forcing an overtime instead they chuck up a three. Perhaps the Celtics may have had an advantage from the refs burely for once and everyone goes on and on about it, but yet nobody ever makes it public that sterns zebras love Miami, LA, and now Chicago. Why doesn’t anyone talk about Derrick Rose shooting 21 free throws and the refs beating the Pacers? Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about Dwyane Wade kicking someone in crunch time? The celtics always get hated on by refs.

Its all about 18

by celticsox937 on Apr 20, 2011 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

Yesterday in game 2 there was a backcourt violation by Knicks at closing moments of the game. No referee saw that. Does it still imply refs favor Celtics?

by TSV on Apr 20, 2011 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think the refs favor or dislike the Celtics overall

because ‘overall’ the total PF and FT numbers are fairly average for the Celtics vs other teams.

I DO believe that specific refs and ref crews are guilty of some bizarre, skewed behavior that is at best simply horribly incompetent and at worse outright criminal. I am very suspicious that some are influenced by gambling factors. Too many games have had some truly bizarre officiating in them.

But I don’t think it is targeted specifically at the Celtics or any other particular team. I just think in any given game, you have just cross your fingers and hope your team is not on the bad end of any influencing that might happen.

The only really puzzling thing I just can’t figure out is why the Celtics can be one of the top teams for attacking the rim (as in, the Celts score a larger share of their points in dunks, layups & tip ins) yet be one lowest in terms of getting to shoot free throws. This is a weird and very real disparity. Our FT/FGA ratio sucks.

"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.

by mmmmm on Apr 20, 2011 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions

+1

The issue is league-wide. Tho I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the top teams get it worse than the rest…. that would make some (twisted) sense.

by DRJ1 on Apr 20, 2011 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

They dislike them all right!

Boston Celtics Future 2011 Finals Winners
(Boston Celtics) BOS 1-1 LAF (Los Angeles Fakers)

by OttawaCeltic on Apr 21, 2011 7:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Again

The refs did not blow a 12 point lead nor did they tell Melo to shoot a 3 when Douglas was open. You guys could have won, but you didn’t. Suck it up and realize your team choked. The foul wouldn’t have mattered if they kept the lead. Blame the Knicks for blowing a lead, blame Carmelo for chucking up 11 shots and only making 1, blame Carmelo for shooting a 3 that he shouldn’t have done instead of giving it to Amare or Douglas, and blame your coach for not coming up with a play to win the game like Doc did.

by JoT on Apr 20, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes,

blame the refs for flopping like “queen Elizabeth”, blame the refs when that “savvy veteran” played dirty by extending that right elbow out…..we can go on and on but its not fair to say “ooh they will win by the help of the refs”, people don’t want to watch basketball games with this kind of stuff in mind.

by wee-un on Apr 20, 2011 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions

sadly, after watching for years,

it is difficult to NOT have the possible influence of the refs in mind.

There are refs that have have extremely predictable tendencies and biases that people literally track in order to make gambling decisions.

Here are just a couple of sites that track and profile refs:

http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nba/referees/referees.html
http://www.nbastuffer.com/referee_stats

When you see one ref with a record like: “home team is 38-23-0 against the spread” while another is 25-40-0, it makes you seriously question what is going on.

Even if those refs are just unconsciously favoring the home or road team and those results are all innocent, the games can still be manipulated by simply making sure who is manning the crews of each game, knowing their tendencies.

"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.

by mmmmm on Apr 20, 2011 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions

The Celtics are winning game 3

Stern teams (the Bricks and the refs) did their best on game 2, and they didn’t succeed, even with the Celtics uncapable of catching a rebound.

Jeff Green is on the verge of having a breakout game, I thought it was game 2, but the refs and Doc didn’t allow that. Rondo + Green will be great, and BBD will surprise all of us and play within his role, something like 20 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 charges.

Go Celtics!!!!

Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

by aporel#18 on Apr 20, 2011 8:53 PM EDT reply actions

Obviously hope you're right

But the ‘prediction’ stands. I’m gonna be pretty surprised if the refs call a good game (well, that’s so rare, that’s not saying much) and if the Cs actually win. The script calls for a game 3 loss. Can’t have the nation’s biggest-market team, with its two bona fide superstars, be (nearly) swept. Bad for business.

Anyway, gonna be fun to see what happens. (I’ll be looking to see when Paul picks up his 2nd foul, in part.) I’m curious if the NBA is going to be totally predictable, or maybe (hopefully) not.

by DRJ1 on Apr 20, 2011 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I hope

they let “Queen Elizabeth” play as well. I want to see a good game but hard to beat Knicks at home and specially in playoffs…..on the other hand we have “savvy veterans” and they know how to play because of their playoffs experience

by wee-un on Apr 20, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I have hope!

… but not soo strong since of Shaq, Doc’s Bench rotation and the Refs…..

Boston Celtics Future 2011 Finals Winners
(Boston Celtics) BOS 1-1 LAF (Los Angeles Fakers)

by OttawaCeltic on Apr 21, 2011 7:17 AM EDT up reply actions

You obviously expect the Knicks

to get the iffy 50/50 calls but saying that the Celtics will lose cause of the refs has got to be the weakest crap. That predetermined mindset makes me want to puke in my mouth.

We won twice in Orlando last year and the refs did a great job. In this series so far, I think the refs have done a fine job (if anything, we got the iffy calls esp in the 4th quarter of both games).

That being said, we can win tomorrow night. If we don’t, it won’t be cause of the refs. I assume their bench having a big impact in this ball game. Tony Douglas will be making 3s like nobodys business and I expect Amare and Melo to do their thing.

"I’m going to probably fade to black,’’ he said. "To be honest, I’m not a showman guy. I’m going to fade to black. I don’t know what I will do. I’m an idealist. I have a high drive and I’m very determined. Fade to black, man, like evaporate.’’

by TheBigFive on Apr 20, 2011 11:36 PM EDT reply actions

I.e., you disagree with the prediction

Ok. Hopefully, the boys will play a great game so we get a chance to see. (If they play like crap, the refs won’t have to bother.)

by DRJ1 on Apr 21, 2011 1:40 AM EDT up reply actions

The great thing is

Perception is reality so if one person thinks the refs are trying to help our opponets they are right. If the next person sees the exact opposite they are right. If someone thinks the refs can determine a game they are right if the next person thinks thats impossible they are right. What we see is what we believe cant knock someone for the way they see things.

by CoachBullins on Apr 21, 2011 12:47 PM EDT reply actions