I'll start, I've been playing for about 40 years, have coached for about 25 years for hundreds of games, been asked to scout teams, assisted at basketball camps, have been to a number of referee clinics, assisited with training at referee clinics and refereed litereally hundreds of games. I was also the President of a basketball league.
I'm going to go out on a limb and claim I think I'm qualified to make an honest assessment of a referee's preformance during a game.
Its pretty common knowledge amongst those who understand the game that teams who play aggressively on offense...i.e. that take the ball to hole instead of taking jump shots or fade away shots will get fouled more often and will shoot more free throws. During the game in question, the Lakers were clearly more aggressive in taking the ball to the hole and in getting the ball into Shaq in the paint. Anyone with any knowledge of the game would understand that the Lakers would get fouled more than the Kings and shoot more free throws.
John, referenced a play where Bibby got elbowed in the mouth. If he is describing the play where the Lakers were inbounding the basketball under their own basket. The facts are Bibby did NOT have position as Kobe was attempting to break around him. Clearly you can see where Bibby is sliding his right foot and then leaning his body to the right to try and block Kobe from breaking. This was a very easy call for the Refs to make and the correct call. I'm confident 90% of the NBA refes would agree.
Maybe ESPN will replay the game and review some of the questionable calls with retired Refs and explain to the fans why the call was correct or not. If so you will see by and large the game was called fairly and the Lakers beat the Kings as they were the more aggressive team.
This is a common trait amongst champions
Those of you who want to believe a convicted criminal who was betting on games over facts, I can't probably help you.
BTW, I HATE the Lakers and am a Kings fan.
No offense, RG, but Michael Wilbon - a sports columnist for the Washington Post - disagrees with you.
http://www.washingto...ST2008061100191