The best two minutes in sports...
by Andrew Feinstein on May 10, 2009 6:15 AM MDT
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Nuggets/Mavericks Game 3 Recap...I'm working on a hangover and have to catch a flight, so this will be the briefest game recap in Denver Stiffs history. First, I was able to sneak away from the reception last night to watch the last two minutes of Game 3 from the bar alongside several other Denverites that were here with me. I think the entire wedding reception paused when they heard us screaming from the bar after Carmelo Anthony hit the greatest last second shot in Nuggets history!
While the Kentucky Derby may be "the fastest two minutes in sports", those final two minutes might have been "the best two minutes in sports" for Denver fans since John Elway marched the Broncos down the field in Cleveland over 20 years.
Second, the Dallas Mavericks players and their owner are classless, sore losers. For the second straight time in their gym after a loss to our Nuggets, they've blamed the refs for their woes and have refused to walk off the court in a professional, orderly manner. They deserve to be swept. Furthermore, Antoine Wright needs to learn what a foul in the last seconds of a playoff game looks like. You can't bump a guy and put up your hands like you did nothing and then expect the call after your opponent drills a three-pointer to (virtually) end your team's season. Wright is a bona fide loser.
Third, overall the Nuggets didn't seem to play particularly well and yet won anyway (after the reception, I was able to watch most of the first half on the ESPN replay in the middle of the night before totally passing out). When you can have an off night on an opposing team's floor in the playoffs and still win, you're a special team. And this Nuggets team continues to show us why they are indeed a special team.
More to come later. But for now, I'll be passed out on an airplane with a smile from ear to ear thanks to one of the greatest victories in Nuggets franchise history.
Nuggets/Mavericks Game 3 Preview...
You know things are going well for the Nuggets when the only thing I've been taking heat for leading up to Game 3 was mis-categorizing Dirk Nowitzki's (alleged) fiancee as a "cougar." Those who took issue with my categorization point out that cougars, by definition, are hot. Not so according to the Urban Dictionary, which defines a cougar as...1.Cougar
An older woman who frequents clubs in order to score with a much younger man. The cougar can be anyone from an overly surgically altered wind tunnel victim, to an absolute sad and bloated old horn-meister, to a real hottie or milf.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.As noted by one of this blog's readers, Denver sports teams have been the beneficiaries of "off the court/field distractions" in the past. Most notable was when the Atlanta Falcons' (and the NFL's "Man of the Year") Eugene Robinson got busted for soliciting an undercover police officer for oral sex on the eve of the 1998 Super Bowl against our Denver Broncos. Knowing Robinson had had a long, arduous night, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan called for John Elway to throw right at Rod Smith - the receiver Robinson was assigned to cover. In the second quarter, Elway did just that when he hit Smith for an 80-yard touchdown bomb.
Basketball is quite a bit different from football, and it's doubtful that Nowitzki, having had almost four days off, will be as exhausted and confused against the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon as Robinson was on that Sunday in Miami 11 years ago. In fact, I fear that Nowitzki is going to pull a Kobe Bryant circa 2003-04 and be even more focused than usual on the court while his off-the-court life spirals into distraction. Throw in that when Denver Stiffs predicted a 4-1 Nuggets series victory, it was with the assumption that the Mavericks would pull off this Game 3 thanks to the long rest. And we're all too familiar with the Nuggets penchant for rusty play out of the gate after several days off. Simply put, you have one very nervous Nuggets fan here.
These Mavericks (in theory) are a proud team and aren't (again, in theory) going down without a fight. But just like the Hornets in Round 1, the Mavericks are an inferior team to Denver and would need to play their best basketball of the series combined with Denver's worst to pull off a victory today. But for some odd reason, that's what seems to happen in these Game 3s in the NBA when the team with home court advantage is up 2-0 (unless one team is far and away more dominant than the other, as we just saw in the Cleveland/Detroit series and might be seeing in the Cleveland/Atlanta series next).
Until proven otherwise, I'm sticking with my prediction of a Dallas split, not a sweep. Now if Nowitzki's cougar would walk on the floor and cause a ruckus a la Shooter from "Hoosiers", that might break the Game 3 curse for the favored team. One can hope.
GO NUGGETS!!
On a side note, the reports of the Lakers demise have been greatly exaggerated. After getting punched in the mouth by the Rockets at Staples Center in Game 1, pundits nationwide (and the TNT guys) were quick to jump on the Rockets bandwagon. Moreover, I received a ton of emails asking me what a Nuggets/Rockets Western Conference Finals would look like. Not only do the Nuggets have a lot of work to do before they/we should even think WCF, but the Rockets were essentially beneficiaries of really off nights by both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in that Game 1, which I don't see happening again.
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Distraction? It has already been a distraction. There is not a human being out there who had his girlfriend (or whatever) arrested in their house who could remain unfazed by the event. I mean, what did Dirk do, go to practice and wipe clean from his psyche what happened? I mean, whose mind wouldn't occasionally drift to the weirdness of the situation? You don't have reporters shouting questions like, "Why won't you bail her out of jail, Dirk," (that reporter was a dirty bastard - by the way) and not get caught up from the weirdness of it all.
Everyone is jumping to the side of "it won't faze Dirk," and the likes of "on the basketball court personal problems go away for 2 1/2 hours..."
So, if tomorrow you wake up with a woman who has a felony warrant and hand bag of aliases, just shake it off. Go to work, sit down at your cubie, turn the PC on and put in a full day without having your mind drift to the bomb that just went off.
Dirk might have known everything. Dirk might have known absolutely nothing. Either way, for Dirk, and for the Mav's, this IS a distraction, and it could effect the team and it could effect Dirk.
Either way, their team would have been better off with out Ms. Taylor and her troubles.
Everyone is jumping to the side of "it won't faze Dirk," and the likes of "on the basketball court personal problems go away for 2 1/2 hours..."
So, if tomorrow you wake up with a woman who has a felony warrant and hand bag of aliases, just shake it off. Go to work, sit down at your cubie, turn the PC on and put in a full day without having your mind drift to the bomb that just went off.
Dirk might have known everything. Dirk might have known absolutely nothing. Either way, for Dirk, and for the Mav's, this IS a distraction, and it could effect the team and it could effect Dirk.
Either way, their team would have been better off with out Ms. Taylor and her troubles.
by SpokenWar on May 9, 2009 8:31 AM MDT reply actions
The question is who will be more distracted.. Dirk playing ball today? Or Andrew trying to perform a wedding ceremony, while our Nuggets look for a W on the road? Good luck to both of you! You'll need alot of it to come away successful today. GO NUGGETS!!
by coballer on May 9, 2009 12:53 PM MDT reply actions
as a life long nuggets fqan, im still waiting for us to f this up, but im loving every minute of it. We're gonna beat LA. Cleveland might be tougher.
by john on May 10, 2009 12:47 AM MDT reply actions
Ironically, in the most 1 sided offiated game i've ever seen (outside of every game in utah), the controversy comes down to a non-call.
We shoulda won by 20.
We shoulda won by 20.
by john on May 10, 2009 1:01 AM MDT reply actions
Thank you for that clarification on what defines a cougar Andrew, I will keep that in mind. And Yao is done for the series so count the Lakers vs Nuggets WCFs as a lock.
As for the game, lol, I am sorry you had to miss that one Andrew. The first thing I thought of when Melo hit that shot was "Oh shit, Andrew is gonna be pissed he missed this one." I hope you poured out some liquor for us like Flavor Flav does when one of his walking STDs gets banished from the fun house.
Anyways, the game was crazy. I never thought the entire game that we were going to win, it just didn't feel winnable. It looked FAR to similar to the Hornets game 3 of the last series only that the finish was different. Still, the Mavs missed crucial free throws down the stretch just like the Hornets, Melo fumbled the ball in the final seconds of the game just like he did in the previuos game 3, but the only difference... HE HIT THE GAME WINNER!!!
As for the "foul" in the final seconds of the game, I refer to the most wise creature in the history of the galaxy, Yoda. "Do or do not, there is no try." If you're gonna foul, THEN FOUL!!! And the last thing you should do is actually make an attempt at the ball, to confuse the refs as if you are trying to go for a steal or something. I mean, come on. I just can't believe anyone is complaining about what happened because you know if Melo misses that they are happy with the no-call, but only because Melo drained a freakin dagger are they throwing a fit. But by far the dumbest move of the whole ordeal is the apology the NBA issued about the call. When you already have no credibility at all, way to go and make sure you never ever will in the future as well.
Overall this was the best game I have ever seen the Nuggets play in the playoffs in my life. Not so much how they played but the significance of it all. They were shooting horribly, got bad calls which mounted up foul trouble, one player fouls out, yet they continued to fight. THEY NEVER GAVE UP, which they did regularly in the postseason prior to this year. And with the game winner of a player who has grow up so much this year, it just topped it off perfectly.
The one thing that should be noted out of the entire game is the defense K-Mart played on Dirk in the final few possessions of the game. Twice Dirk had the ball in his hands and had the opportunity to extend the lead and twice K-Mart shut him down. Those last few possessions where K-Mart shut down Dirk won us the game, not the shot by Melo.
As for the game, lol, I am sorry you had to miss that one Andrew. The first thing I thought of when Melo hit that shot was "Oh shit, Andrew is gonna be pissed he missed this one." I hope you poured out some liquor for us like Flavor Flav does when one of his walking STDs gets banished from the fun house.
Anyways, the game was crazy. I never thought the entire game that we were going to win, it just didn't feel winnable. It looked FAR to similar to the Hornets game 3 of the last series only that the finish was different. Still, the Mavs missed crucial free throws down the stretch just like the Hornets, Melo fumbled the ball in the final seconds of the game just like he did in the previuos game 3, but the only difference... HE HIT THE GAME WINNER!!!
As for the "foul" in the final seconds of the game, I refer to the most wise creature in the history of the galaxy, Yoda. "Do or do not, there is no try." If you're gonna foul, THEN FOUL!!! And the last thing you should do is actually make an attempt at the ball, to confuse the refs as if you are trying to go for a steal or something. I mean, come on. I just can't believe anyone is complaining about what happened because you know if Melo misses that they are happy with the no-call, but only because Melo drained a freakin dagger are they throwing a fit. But by far the dumbest move of the whole ordeal is the apology the NBA issued about the call. When you already have no credibility at all, way to go and make sure you never ever will in the future as well.
Overall this was the best game I have ever seen the Nuggets play in the playoffs in my life. Not so much how they played but the significance of it all. They were shooting horribly, got bad calls which mounted up foul trouble, one player fouls out, yet they continued to fight. THEY NEVER GAVE UP, which they did regularly in the postseason prior to this year. And with the game winner of a player who has grow up so much this year, it just topped it off perfectly.
The one thing that should be noted out of the entire game is the defense K-Mart played on Dirk in the final few possessions of the game. Twice Dirk had the ball in his hands and had the opportunity to extend the lead and twice K-Mart shut him down. Those last few possessions where K-Mart shut down Dirk won us the game, not the shot by Melo.
by Goldennugget on May 10, 2009 1:14 AM MDT reply actions
On the highlights, that doesn't look like a foul. Especially considering it was very late in a playoff game.
by Julian from Australia on May 10, 2009 1:26 AM MDT reply actions
The call works both ways.
If Wright doesn't get the call and Melo hits the jumper - we win.
If Wright doesn't get the call and Melo misses the jumper - we lose. And if Melo misses the jumper, do you think Karl would have flown off the bench demanding that the foul be called? No.
I have watched all 89 of the Nuggets games this year. I have listened to Scott Hastings do color for 99% of them. The one thing he always harps on is, if you are going to foul a player going to the basket, "wrap him up" so he can't get the +1.
Maybe, just maybe, Wright should have watched a little more Hastings this year.
O - one last thing... someone needs to do SOMETHING about Mark Cuban. The man is out of control and he needs to have some restraint put on him. Could you imagine Stan Kroenke out in the court going off on a Mav's team mate's mother; pushing cameraman; shouting obscenities (yeah Mark, I can read your lips)? Of course you can’t. But since Cuban has behaved this way so long and for so often, we seem to tolerate it. Why the NBA tolerates his behavior is beyond me. For some reason this man can behave any way he wishes and get away with it.
If Wright doesn't get the call and Melo hits the jumper - we win.
If Wright doesn't get the call and Melo misses the jumper - we lose. And if Melo misses the jumper, do you think Karl would have flown off the bench demanding that the foul be called? No.
I have watched all 89 of the Nuggets games this year. I have listened to Scott Hastings do color for 99% of them. The one thing he always harps on is, if you are going to foul a player going to the basket, "wrap him up" so he can't get the +1.
Maybe, just maybe, Wright should have watched a little more Hastings this year.
O - one last thing... someone needs to do SOMETHING about Mark Cuban. The man is out of control and he needs to have some restraint put on him. Could you imagine Stan Kroenke out in the court going off on a Mav's team mate's mother; pushing cameraman; shouting obscenities (yeah Mark, I can read your lips)? Of course you can’t. But since Cuban has behaved this way so long and for so often, we seem to tolerate it. Why the NBA tolerates his behavior is beyond me. For some reason this man can behave any way he wishes and get away with it.
by SpokenWar on May 10, 2009 8:25 AM MDT reply actions
Great Post GN. Even with the Yoda reference!
As poorly as we played, we kept grinding. Didn't give up and didn't give in. We did start to fall back on the "jump shots are easier" crutch at one point, but pulled out of that with a few great takes to the rack.
And we did shoot 80% from the line. If we had shot 85%, there would have been no controversy (just sayin').
Dirk had the chance to ice it with a 12-13 footer and he missed it. So shut the f*ck up Dallas fans.
My family heard all of my screaming when Melo hit that shot and came running to see what happened. We watched that shot about 12 times.
I think Dallas will come out angry and aggressive on Monday night. But if can weather that storm the way we did the first quarter last night ....
Oh, one more thing; Dahntay Freaking Jones!!!!
As poorly as we played, we kept grinding. Didn't give up and didn't give in. We did start to fall back on the "jump shots are easier" crutch at one point, but pulled out of that with a few great takes to the rack.
And we did shoot 80% from the line. If we had shot 85%, there would have been no controversy (just sayin').
Dirk had the chance to ice it with a 12-13 footer and he missed it. So shut the f*ck up Dallas fans.
My family heard all of my screaming when Melo hit that shot and came running to see what happened. We watched that shot about 12 times.
I think Dallas will come out angry and aggressive on Monday night. But if can weather that storm the way we did the first quarter last night ....
Oh, one more thing; Dahntay Freaking Jones!!!!
by My3Cents on May 10, 2009 8:47 AM MDT reply actions
Here's the Q4 Play-by-Play thread to enjoy:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=290509006&period=4
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=290509006&period=4
by My3Cents on May 10, 2009 9:12 AM MDT reply actions
One of the first things I thought when I saw the play was that a guy who is trying to get a foul shouldn't throw up his hands as if to say "I didn't touch him!". Scott Hastings brought that up on the Altitude post game show.
It sort of came to me this morning. Wright threw up his hands because he didn't want to get the call because he was afraid that due to the NBA continuation rules Melo would be considered to be in the act of shooting and he didn't want to put Melo on the line shooting three free throws. Of course Melo wasn't in the act of shooting so he made a huge mistake. The officials didn't want to have to make the decision as to if Melo was in the act of shooting and let the contact go as incidental, even though that decision shouldn't have been that difficult. Just think of the uproar if the MAvs had lost at the end by Melo making three free throws.
As a Nuggets fan I'm sure I've been in the same situation as Mavs fans find themselves in. I've always said "If they deserved to win they wouldn't have gotten themselves into that situation in the first place." To their credit Nowitski and Kidd have said roughly the same thing without using those words. The rest of the Mavs (including Carlisle) are just a bunch of whiners. I don't know what the NBAs excuse for issuing a statement that there was a foul was. That doesn't serve anybody. The last time they did that wasn't it a Spurs foul that should have been called and the no-call sealed a win for them?
Would the NBA have issued a statement that no foul should have been called if Melo had wound up on the free throw line shooting with three shots? Would they have issued a statement that Melo wasn't in the act of shooting and shouldn't have gotten the three free throws?
Thursty
It sort of came to me this morning. Wright threw up his hands because he didn't want to get the call because he was afraid that due to the NBA continuation rules Melo would be considered to be in the act of shooting and he didn't want to put Melo on the line shooting three free throws. Of course Melo wasn't in the act of shooting so he made a huge mistake. The officials didn't want to have to make the decision as to if Melo was in the act of shooting and let the contact go as incidental, even though that decision shouldn't have been that difficult. Just think of the uproar if the MAvs had lost at the end by Melo making three free throws.
As a Nuggets fan I'm sure I've been in the same situation as Mavs fans find themselves in. I've always said "If they deserved to win they wouldn't have gotten themselves into that situation in the first place." To their credit Nowitski and Kidd have said roughly the same thing without using those words. The rest of the Mavs (including Carlisle) are just a bunch of whiners. I don't know what the NBAs excuse for issuing a statement that there was a foul was. That doesn't serve anybody. The last time they did that wasn't it a Spurs foul that should have been called and the no-call sealed a win for them?
Would the NBA have issued a statement that no foul should have been called if Melo had wound up on the free throw line shooting with three shots? Would they have issued a statement that Melo wasn't in the act of shooting and shouldn't have gotten the three free throws?
Thursty
by Anonymous on May 10, 2009 11:02 AM MDT reply actions
I agree Wright screwed up in his weak foul attempt. The Mavs need to be directing their anger inward.
RE: Cuban. He has lost it. If the guy were a player, he'd have banned from the NBA after the outburst at the end of this game.
Frankly, I wish we could forfeit game 4 and close the series out at home, for I fear game 4 could get ugly. Since we clearly aren't going to forfeit, let's just hope the Nuggs blow'em out of the AA Center early so nobody has anything to go postal over.
RE: Cuban. He has lost it. If the guy were a player, he'd have banned from the NBA after the outburst at the end of this game.
Frankly, I wish we could forfeit game 4 and close the series out at home, for I fear game 4 could get ugly. Since we clearly aren't going to forfeit, let's just hope the Nuggs blow'em out of the AA Center early so nobody has anything to go postal over.
by JTR on May 10, 2009 11:15 AM MDT reply actions
I agree with Thursty ... the more I look at it, the more I reckon Wright forgot that his coach told him to foul (Assuming that part of the story is right).
If you look at it, at the point of contact he pulled his hands backwards, making contact with his chest. Now, if you really want to foul the guy, why don't you just give him a nice bear-hug? Why pull your hands away? They would have called the foul for sure; there's no way Melo could've got a shot off to get the 3 ft shooting foul and there's no way you can call a flagrant foul on a bear-hug.
So: either Wright forgot he was supposed to foul or he just made a bad call at the time, thinking he was gonna get called for a shooting foul. Either way - HE made the mistake as well as the refs - the Mavs need to start blaming their players for the bad decision making, rather than only the refs.
These were the same refs that gave them 49 (!!!!!) free throw attempts during the game, after all.
Here's to hoping game 4 will be less of a farce (and that the Nuggets sweep these f**kers 4-0 of course :-P). Cheers.
If you look at it, at the point of contact he pulled his hands backwards, making contact with his chest. Now, if you really want to foul the guy, why don't you just give him a nice bear-hug? Why pull your hands away? They would have called the foul for sure; there's no way Melo could've got a shot off to get the 3 ft shooting foul and there's no way you can call a flagrant foul on a bear-hug.
So: either Wright forgot he was supposed to foul or he just made a bad call at the time, thinking he was gonna get called for a shooting foul. Either way - HE made the mistake as well as the refs - the Mavs need to start blaming their players for the bad decision making, rather than only the refs.
These were the same refs that gave them 49 (!!!!!) free throw attempts during the game, after all.
Here's to hoping game 4 will be less of a farce (and that the Nuggets sweep these f**kers 4-0 of course :-P). Cheers.
by zaf on May 10, 2009 12:21 PM MDT reply actions
NBA admitted a foul should be called. Calling the Mavs sore losers is just ridiculous. Melo made the shot, it hurt. But he wasn't being guarded, every other player on the floor had stopped. The Mavs were right to be upset. Enjoy this hollow victory. All of you would be crying over the foul not being called if Melo had missed the shot. Usually I enjoy the analysis of this site, but this is some homerism right here. At least you should be calling for the game to have gone to overtime to show your superiority. You should feel bad that the refs have to hand you one of your four victories. I look forward to all the complaining about the refs once you face the Lakers, the NBA's true darlings to appear in the Finals.
by Charlie on May 10, 2009 1:15 PM MDT reply actions
It is clear there should have been a foul called, particularly in the context of the game which had been called very tight (which, IMHO, had favored the Mavs)
Some blame can be placed on Wright, as mentioned here and elsewhere, he could have fouled harder (wrapped up) or waited for the whistle to stop playing.
That being said, even if there were a foul called, the Nugs still had a decent chance of going to OT or outright winning it. Melo still hit a clutch 3 to win it as the way it happened.
If that shot had rimmed out, you can bet that no one in Dallas would be complaining about the foul not being called. Although, had that happened, I'm pretty sure Martin would be in jail somewhere on murder charges (probably Cuban).
Some blame can be placed on Wright, as mentioned here and elsewhere, he could have fouled harder (wrapped up) or waited for the whistle to stop playing.
That being said, even if there were a foul called, the Nugs still had a decent chance of going to OT or outright winning it. Melo still hit a clutch 3 to win it as the way it happened.
If that shot had rimmed out, you can bet that no one in Dallas would be complaining about the foul not being called. Although, had that happened, I'm pretty sure Martin would be in jail somewhere on murder charges (probably Cuban).
by Denverson on May 10, 2009 1:31 PM MDT reply actions
Ummm- SORRY, CHARLIE.... but you're off base here. No one is saying a foul "couldn't" have been called, but to base the entire game's outcome on a last-second call/non-call, is simply being ridiculous. Get a clue. The Nuggs fought and earned that victory, because the Mavs couldn't or wouldn't close the deal. JKidd & Dirk, veterans of many a playoff series, said it best: "You make the plays & you win the game. We didn't make the plays we needed to make. It wasn't all about the last 6 seconds"! I'll take their analysis over that of some moronic HATER looking to rain on the NUGGS parade. We won, cause we deserved it. As for the Lakers in the next round, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Why must you come here & act like a wet blanket? Calling this GREAT win a "hollow victory", smacks of you being a moron at best, or an ASSHOLE at worst! So which is it?
by KaiserSoze on May 10, 2009 1:45 PM MDT reply actions
... and why had every Mavs player stopped? I don't get it. One of the oldest cliches in sport, is that you always play to the whistle. It is taught to children worldwide and it applies to pretty much every sport. The fact that they stopped playing makes them stupid.
And, how can you say that the refs handed this one to the Nuggets ... when they blew phantom fouls in favor of the Mavs all night long.
You can't just blame them for the few mistakes against your team, when they made many mistakes in your favor. It's called hypocrisy.
Here's the bottom line: Refs make mistakes! they've always had and always will, until they get replaced by computers in 100 years time.
Until then ... there's no reason to bitc* and moan about it ... the result will not change. Just accept it as part of the game ... just like we were about ready to do, during that ridiculous 3rd quarter.
Please don't call it a hollow victory either ... Melo did nothing wrong - in fact he nailed a clutch 24 footer with 1 second on the clock, while off-balance. What gives you the right to tell us that we can't celebrate such a great sporting gesture?
And, how can you say that the refs handed this one to the Nuggets ... when they blew phantom fouls in favor of the Mavs all night long.
You can't just blame them for the few mistakes against your team, when they made many mistakes in your favor. It's called hypocrisy.
Here's the bottom line: Refs make mistakes! they've always had and always will, until they get replaced by computers in 100 years time.
Until then ... there's no reason to bitc* and moan about it ... the result will not change. Just accept it as part of the game ... just like we were about ready to do, during that ridiculous 3rd quarter.
Please don't call it a hollow victory either ... Melo did nothing wrong - in fact he nailed a clutch 24 footer with 1 second on the clock, while off-balance. What gives you the right to tell us that we can't celebrate such a great sporting gesture?
by zaf on May 10, 2009 1:50 PM MDT reply actions
Zaf: I'm not saying that Wright forgot to foul, I'm saying he made a mistake, in fact several mistakes. The first one actually applies to all the Mavs on the floor. They had a foul to give so they wanted a foul to be called to burn off some time. They didn't have to foul the guy with the ball. All five players on the floor should have been fouling (while trying to make it look like legit defense). Wright should have thrown homself between Melo and the ball when the ball came loose and got the foul then. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO FOUL THE GUY WITH THE BALL. It's just that that is the most likely place to get the foul called. Once Wright let Melo recover the loose ball, he made his second mistake in making contact in a situation that WRIGHT judged could possibly be considered Melo in the act of shooting. Wright was mistaken in thinking that the contact came at a point that could be considered in the act of shooting, but that is why he backed off the foul. Wright was mistaken in backing off the foul. Now you get into a philosophical question "Which is more likely: Melo makes a three or Melo makes three free throws?" Wright must have felt that he would take his chances with Melo shooting the three pointer instead of the free throws in order to act the way he did. I think that most players feel they should never foul the three point shooter in a last second situation, particularly if the shooter only needs two to send it to overtime.
As to every Mavs player stopped? That's another huge mistake. They stopped because they knew they had a foul to give, they were expecting a foul to be committed and when they saw the contact assumed that the foul would be called. That's a huge mental error. As noted before, kids are taught to play through to the whistle. If an NBA player is smart, he keeps going past the whistle because of the continuation rule (which no one but the NBA has). I think Hastings made the argument that shots blocked after a whistle should count in the stats because the continuation rule would have allowed the basket if it had gone in. I think the continuation rule is pretty stupid, but it is what it is and NBA players have to exploit it both offensively and defensively.
Thursty
As to every Mavs player stopped? That's another huge mistake. They stopped because they knew they had a foul to give, they were expecting a foul to be committed and when they saw the contact assumed that the foul would be called. That's a huge mental error. As noted before, kids are taught to play through to the whistle. If an NBA player is smart, he keeps going past the whistle because of the continuation rule (which no one but the NBA has). I think Hastings made the argument that shots blocked after a whistle should count in the stats because the continuation rule would have allowed the basket if it had gone in. I think the continuation rule is pretty stupid, but it is what it is and NBA players have to exploit it both offensively and defensively.
Thursty
by Anonymous on May 10, 2009 2:26 PM MDT reply actions
KaiserSoze, F U C K that Charlie and the horse he came here on. It gets me that Flaker fans come here to post their BS. No Nugget fan wants to hear BS after being screwed over by the Storm Troopers and their Honcho all game long. I'm betting that the Storm Trooper didn't think that Melo was going to make that shot and Dallas would win. It had to be like that. Sixty one fouls were called and most of them on the Nuggets. And to top things off, Lakers might not make the WCF Houston ain't backing down even without Yao. The last I saw it Houston had a twenty seven point lead.
by SamIam on May 10, 2009 3:02 PM MDT reply actions
I've got to say that the whining done all series by the Mavs fans has reached some sort of new low. I understand being upset, but I just went to Mavs Moneyball and they are calling Denver fans "classless". WHY? Because we don't apologize for a hard fought win?
What I don't understand is this assumption that the Nuggets wouldnt sink a shot with 3 seconds to play if the foul is called. Didn't Melo sink a 3 with less time than that in OKC earlier this year?
Unbelievable. Oh...and Cuban? What to make of someone who curses out the opposing team, and Kenyon Martin's mom AND shoves a camera man?? The guy is a rube.
What I don't understand is this assumption that the Nuggets wouldnt sink a shot with 3 seconds to play if the foul is called. Didn't Melo sink a 3 with less time than that in OKC earlier this year?
Unbelievable. Oh...and Cuban? What to make of someone who curses out the opposing team, and Kenyon Martin's mom AND shoves a camera man?? The guy is a rube.
by Jeff on May 10, 2009 4:19 PM MDT reply actions
You all have to admit, once you saw the slicked back black hair of Ken Mauer and then spiky white hair of Bennett Salvitore you knew the game was going to be poorly officiated. I saw this and said to myself maybe Dick Bavetta is the other ref, but groaned when it was Mark Wunderlich. It could have been worse Violet Palmer could have been there but she probably was the alternate.
by Anonymous on May 10, 2009 7:53 PM MDT reply actions
The Nuggets are great, and that game yesterday afternoon was indicative of how Chauncey has settle this team and picked them up and COACHED them to the place where they are now. That being said I would say also that GK and AC are the two luckiest SOB on this planet. They should play the Powerball. Anthony Carter the veteran defense specialist in the crucial moments of the game leaves Terry to double Dirk. Everyone and HE knows you don't leave the sixth man award winner. As we know Terry hits the shot and Dallas goes up by four. WTF is that? Unfairly derided you say. You also ask what the hell is he doing in there? That's the question I want to know why is this little piss ant in the game screwing it up, when he can't play defense and he can't shoot. He has a good assist ratio because he knows he can't shoot. Melo bailed out this piece of crap by hitting the game winner.
GK should have been fired this year but here comes Chauncey and rescues the team, thus saving GK's no time out calling, none tech getting, cough drop sucking, no play calling, screwed up rotation and Gatorade drinking job. The irony of doing well. There is a God in heaven, if there wasn't Chancey wouldn't be here and the Nuggets would be gone fishing
GK should have been fired this year but here comes Chauncey and rescues the team, thus saving GK's no time out calling, none tech getting, cough drop sucking, no play calling, screwed up rotation and Gatorade drinking job. The irony of doing well. There is a God in heaven, if there wasn't Chancey wouldn't be here and the Nuggets would be gone fishing
by SamIam on May 10, 2009 8:32 PM MDT reply actions
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