I was just checking the stats of the first two playoff games for the Jazz against the Lakers. I knew the free throw differential was in the Lakers advantage, but check this out! The Jazz shot 30 free throws in the first game (I'm fine with that), but the Lakers show 46, 23 to Kobe! On the second night it was even worse. Utah shot just 16 foul shots and yet the Lakers manage to get 43!!! I know the Jazz fouled the most in the regular season, but aren't they also one of the most fouled teams in the NBA as well?! I mean, we are down 43 free throws in this series! Kobe is only 10-13 free throws away from shooting as many as the whole Utah Jazz team has! I don't like to complain and blame the officiating and the Jazz definitely need to start playing the first halves like they've been playing the second, but come on, a 43 free throw differential?! What are everyone else's thoughts on this?
The Lakers are a dynamic ball moving offensive team, the Jazz are slow to defend that kind of movement, so they resort to fouling...and, when they get down by double digits towards the end of games, then they foul some more...refs call fouls when fouls are committed...free throws are the usual result...What is it you don't understand about this???
I know the Jazz are gonna foul, maybe even more than the Lakers, but a 43 differential between the two teams? It really doesn't make sense and should not happen either way.
OK I know you might be a dillusional Lakers fan who believes that because you have Jack sitting on your sideline that the sun rises and sets on your basketball arses. But, believe it or not the officiating seemed (I'm trying not to be too forward) very biased. I mean it wasn't too long ago that if the offensive player initiated the contact he would be the one being called for the foul. That's Kobe's whole game; then the defense gives him room so they don't foul out. He's OVER-RATED. Let's make this easy to understand; take away Derek Fisher, then who's going to lead your offensive machine; take away the post play of Pau Gasol, who's going to suck the defenders in. The fact is that Kobe the rapist Bryant got the MVP as a gift because "he hasn't gotten one and he's been in the league 12 years".
Yes the officiating is horendous. I know the Jazz are fouling; they tend to do that because they play tough defense. But you cannot tell me that as many times as Deron Williams hit the floor, as many times as Carlos Boozer had his hands slapped for a "steal", as many times as Jazz bigs took a charge for a blocking foul... ...you can't tell me that this is an evenly called game. I thought that the Rockets series was pretty biased (especially toward the end of each game), but dang this is ridiculous.
Yesterday was finally better. The Jazz were still outshot on the foul line and I sort've expect that, but it was not an insurmountable differential. Kobe still gets away with his hook around offensive foul move and Utah is still getting hit inside and not getting the calls, but at least last night the refs let the teams play! I would rather that than have every foul get called every two seconds. The Jazz got a much needed win and hopefully they can tie up the series 2-2 tomorrow and head back to LA.
While there's no doubt that the triangle offense is based on lots of movement, which leads to penetration and free throws, the pick and roll style that the Jazz use is at least as reliant on getting in to the paint and getting to the basket. The Jazz always have constant cuts and back screens which lead to fouling as well, and the Lakers simply aren't a good enough team defensively to account for how little the Jazz have gotten to the free throw line, particularly in game three. Still, though th Lakers have gotten a few more calls, I don't think it has been a deciding factor, because we had are chance in both game one and two, and missed crucial shots during our late runs. We need to focus more on getting to the basket, keeping Kobe outside the lanes (even if it means giving him the jumper), and fouling less.
