No one is asking you to feel sorry for the Jazz. I am just posting what I found! Isnt that the idea with an internet forum? I am more about posting thoughts and ideas and learning new information, then being a troll! You must be one of Malone's illegitimate children or something to be such a tool about it! Either that or you too get all hot and bothered watching Kobe play.

oompabluepaw05 wrote:

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!

That Adande quote is a money quote. Cha-ching.

I have no problem with equally bad reffing. The problem is unequally bad reffing. And you can't rationally question that this isn't happening in this series.

I just have to repeat the quote.

JA Adande

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 home team is always going to get a few more calls. That is just the way it is. The Jazz get just as many calls at home and the Laker fans will complain about that.

Lets please not bring up the free throw disparity again to try to prove how uneven officiating is. These two teams are totally different. The Lakers are a finesse team and the Jazz are known as the most physical team in the league. The Jazz lead the league in fouls this year and it wasn't because they always get screwed, it is because they are very physical.

That is like being a Broncos fan and complaining about the number of holding calls. Sure they get called a lot but they probably get away with twice as many because their style of play. If you foul more you will get called for more fouls. The home team will always come away with a few bogus calls but don't worry Jazz fans, you get them at home too.

Mars wrote:

FACT: The home team gets the calls.

FACT: Physical games have more fouls called.

FACT: Jerry Sloan preaches one of the most physical styles in the NBA.

FACT: Sloan is great at home, terrible on the road (.420 career, much worse in the post-season).


CONCLUSION: Jerry Sloan's coaching has always prompted the Jazz to play more physical than most teams, which results in more fouls per game than with most teams. When playing in Utah, the Jazz get most of those calls to go their way, which is why they usually have one of the best home records in the league. When playing on the road, most of those unusually large number of fouls go to the other team, which is why even Stockton and Malone had generally poor road records.

SUMMARY: It's not a conspiracy when the Jazz don't get the calls on the road and thus lose yet another road game- It's simply a reflection of Utah head coach Jerry Sloan's teaching, methods, style, and game approach coming back to bite him. It's also why the Salt Lake City Jazz can't win a title.

I hope Colin Cowherd doesn't see your post and sue you for plagiarizing his take. Man, your posts are usually ok, but when it comes to the Jazz you kind of go "airwolf" on us and turn into a button pushing troll....I guess it worked though because I responded.

Mars wrote:

FACT: The home team gets the calls.

FACT: Physical games have more fouls called.

FACT: Jerry Sloan preaches one of the most physical styles in the NBA.

FACT: Sloan is great at home, terrible on the road (.420 career, much worse in the post-season).


CONCLUSION: Jerry Sloan's coaching has always prompted the Jazz to play more physical than most teams, which results in more fouls per game than with most teams. When playing in Utah, the Jazz get most of those calls to go their way, which is why they usually have one of the best home records in the league. When playing on the road, most of those unusually large number of fouls go to the other team, which is why even Stockton and Malone had generally poor road records.

SUMMARY: It's not a conspiracy when the Jazz don't get the calls on the road and thus lose yet another road game- It's simply a reflection of Utah head coach Jerry Sloan's teaching, methods, style, and game approach coming back to bite him. It's also why the Salt Lake City Jazz can't win a title.

I read the board usually every day and rarely post but I couldn't leave this one alone. Everybody wants to talk about how many fouls the Jazz commit every game and how physical/dirty they are. Fine, I'll admit that they foul a bunch. Sure, Boozer gets away with a forearm in the back on rebounds every now and again and their lack of quickness gets them in trouble so they foul. Sure! However, everyone has seemed to have forgotten, or never knew for that matter, that the Jazz during the regular season were second only to, of all teams, the Thuggets in free-throw ATTEMPTS per game (28.0/game for the Jazz, 30.7/game for Denver). The Jazz foul a lot, I'll admit that as a Jazz fan, but they sure go to the line a ton too. That's been a problem I have seen the whole series, not the fouls themselves but the large disparity.
YET... I cannot blame the game on the refs. I am about as big of a Jazz homer as a I am a cougar homer but the Jazz had it right in front of them the entire game and just couldn't grab onto it and take it. You can't blame the ref for not capitalizing on 7 possessions after they got defensive stops where they could take the lead. The Jazz are the most underrated good team (a close second: Detroit) in the NBA and deserve a lot of credit for this year, overcoming the horrific December but that isn't enough for the Jazz this year, in my mind.
I think they win game 6 pretty handily and then game 7 is tight, who knows who comes out of it. I think the Jazz have as good a chance as any team to go in and steal one on the road, I am just not sure if game 7 vs. a cornered Lakers team is the best opportunity to do it.
GO JAZZ!!