According to foxsports.com, number of free throw attempts in this series for games played in LA... Lakers-133 Jazz-66

Hmm...that's an awfully big disparity between free throws. Now I don't believe a game should be analyzed by how many free throws one team shoots because every play is a unique, separate moment. But this is a HUGE disparity. And when you watch the Lakers bumping and shoving all over the floor, then see all the free throws they are shooting, it can't help but get you a little warm and angry inside.

And I just have to pose the question...we all know "stars" get the benefit of the doubt in the NBA but why? Why should it matter if two people make the same amount of contact on a foul and only one of them is called for fouling? I know that's the way it is, but it is so ridiculously illogical that it frustrates me to no end.

This is written by one of the biggest Laker homer reporters out there! JA Adande!

"The benefits of home were more apparent on the stat sheet: The Lakers enjoyed a 42-28 advantage in free-throw attempts (and that includes the four free throws Bryant shot in the final 10.7 seconds, when the Jazz fouled to stop the clock).

When the Jazz got close to the basket, there was more contact than in a rush-hour crowd shoving into the subway, but rarely a blown whistle. Meanwhile, at the other end, Lamar Odom breezed past Carlos Boozer for a layup and got a gift and-one. And Utah players and coaches are still wondering how Mehmet Okur could wind up sprawling toward the baseline, leaving Pau Gasol alone under the basket for an easy offensive rebound and dunk to put the Lakers ahead by five points with 20.5 seconds remaining.

The question now is if the Lakers can expect to win Game 6 in Utah, where the calls didn't always go their way in Games 3 and 4, and where the support players practically no-showed, and if they can do it when the usual antidote to road challenges -- Bryant -- must experience life as a mere mortal."

The ref's man crush on Kobe make it impossible for the Jazz to win!

oompabluepaw05 wrote:

The ref's man crush on Kobe make it impossible for the Jazz to win!

Oh, I feel so bad for the Jazz.... wah, wah, wah.....

Humans make mistakes. I am a huge Jazz fan since the Adrian Dantley and Ricky Green days.

The game last night had some bad officiating on both sides. The Jazz lost because Carlos Boozer is a wimp. He has played 1 game like a man and the rest of the time has been playing pre-season WNBA basketball. He has been great on rebounding but Sloan needs to go away from the pick and roll to Boozer at the end of the game.

If you want to complain about the officials give me the call and I will counter it with a bad call against the Lakers.

Brewer did not travel. I watched the replay 10 times in super slow motion on my 120" HD Sony Projector. Brewer caught the ball in the air landed on both feet and pump faked moving his right foot. The left foot was still clearly planted as a pivot foot and did not slide or leave the floor. The ref blew the call, but humans make mistakes.

The push on Okur was not a foul. Again, I watched the replay several times and Gasol did the same thing that Carlos Boozer does on every single rebound. Okur simply tried to make it look worse than it was. If Okur stays in the lane and fights Gasol for the rebound like a man, than the worst that can happen is Gasol goes to the free throw line. The best thing that can happen is the Jazz get the rebound. Falling out of bounds and complaining about the foul lead to the refrigerator door being closed on the Jazz.

Stop whinning like Pau Gasol and Phil Jackson and man up!

YBNORMAL wrote:

This is why Jazz fans make my stomach turn..... It's been this way for 30 years with Jazz fans, complain, whine, blame someone else.... yada, yada, yada

You talk as if Jazz fans are the only whiners in the NBA. I was reading the Laker board after games 3 and 4 and their comments were almost exactly like the ones I see coming from Jazz fans. Whining is not a phenomenon isolated to Utah.

That being said...no matter how bad the officiating was, they did not cost the Jazz this game. I put most of the blame on Boozer. What has happened to this guy in the playoffs? He usually makes up for his poor defense with scoring points and grabbing rebounds, but he's far below his averages. Now to go along with his horrendous defense, he's missing easy lay-ups, and his fade away jump shot that was money all season isn't dropping. I don't think that Jazz can win this series unless Boozer steps it up big in the next two (I hope 2 anyway) games.

We had plenty of opportunities to win this game, bad officiating or not, and just didn't make plays down the stretch.

YBNORMAL wrote:

Hengst wrote:

YBNORMAL wrote:

Hengst wrote:

I wouldn't worry about it too much, statistically speaking home teams lose in game 7's more often than they win them (at least according to my sports psychology professor from a couple years ago), I think the Jazz have a good chance of doing to LA what they did to Houston last year.

Oops, what happened to game 6, is it just a foregone conclusion that the Jazz will win?? Better ask the refs ;)

True, I think the Jazz will win at home though. I think the Utah crowd really gets into the Lakers heads. We'll see though. I'm not a jazz fan, just a laker hater :-).

Love Laker Haters, gotta hate whatcha can't be. My favorite chant is "BEAT LA, BEAT LA, BEAT LA" Ever been to an arena where the crowd chants, "BEAT THE JAZZ, BEAT THE JAZZ" ??? Nope, cuz NO ONE CARES.... Again, I've tried to like the Jazz this year and just can't do it.... none of them are true JAZZ Fans, they just hate the Lakers.... you proved a point I've always tried to make....

I'm a sonics fan (well I was until they were stolen from seattle recently, now I don't really have a team). I just don't like kobe bryant, the kid is a petulant punk (as David Lock likes to call him).

Oh, and for the record, in other arena's people just chant "utah sucks" and throw out lots of derogatory remarks about mormons (even though the jazz have nothing to do with the LDS church).

Also, I don't like the lakers because of their snooty fans, a point which you have so kindly proven.