Is Officiating Badly Skewed For LeBron?
When LeBron took that momentum-changing charge against Joe Johnson last night, he clearly had his feet set, and they were positioned outside of the restricted area. The refs whistled JJ for the charge, correctly. But watching that highlight earlier today, some people in the Dime office suggested that it wouldn’t have mattered if it was actually a block on LBJ because the refs would still have given King James the call.
Over at True Hoop, there’s some statistical evidence behind the refs’ love affair with James.
Did you know LeBron James has not committed a foul yet in the Hawks/Cavs series? This is dumbfounding to me, and truly an expression of the disparity in officiating in the NBA.
He has played 196 Minutes and committed five fouls. Come on.
We’ve all seen LeBron’s game. While he is a virtuoso on offense, he hacks more than an asthmatic in the veterinarian’s office on defense.
I don’t mind hard fouls and like to see great ball like in Boston vs. Chicago or Portland vs. Houston. But when the referee disparity grows that great, it hurts the overall game and commitment of opponents.
What are your thoughts on this atrocity? Even D. Wade didn’t get this much help versus Dallas back in the day.
That rant comes from the Celtics blog, PerkIsABeast. And the author, Carl Spackler isn’t entirely wrong. Like Kobe, Wade, CP3 and even Dwight Howard, LeBron gets superstar calls when he’s going to the basket. It’s a fact of the game.
But when it comes to his supposedly heinous crimes on the other end of the floor going un-whistled, I don’t know that Spackler is right. The Cavs don’t play a tight-pressuring man-to-man defense, which would make them vulnerable to fouling. Their shape-shifting zone, which is a brainchild of Mike Brown, effectively protects individuals from foul trouble while also causing issues for the opposition’s offensive flow. Brown’s Coach of the Year honor is predicated on that team defensive philosophy, which resulted in the League’s best D in points allowed, second in field goal percentage allowed, and first in three-point percentage allowed.
Brown’s scheme also protects individuals from foul trouble. Cleveland’s most foul-prone player, Anderson Varejao, ranks 47th in the League in fouls per game at 3.0. There are only five other teams left without representation by the time Varejao’s name pops up on that list. It’s not just LeBron who avoids foul trouble – the whole team does.
Do you think that refs not only give LeBron calls on offense, but also avoid whistling him for a foul on D?
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May 6th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Big Sia says:
Good defensive players don’t foul
I’m pretty sure he’s top 3 in the world in that department.
On the other hand…. OBVIOUSLY its skewed… the whole playoffs are rigged.
1
May 6th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Big Island says:
I hate when people bring up this BS. Obviously if you are playing off of your man and playing the lanes as much as LeBron (or Chris Paul, AI etc…) you aren’t putting yourself in a position to pick up as many fouls on D. LeBron doesn’t body his guy up like Kobe because he is longer and can jump. Why crown your man?
On offense, NOBODY gets what Wade does. If, if, if… If Josh Smith would’ve jumped higher he wouldn’t have been yammed on. If Paul Pierce had muscles he wouldn’t have to puff out his chest all of the time. If I were a good looking guy with a 12″ pecker I wouldn’t be getting pissed off at dumb posts. Dammit.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Big Island says:
I meant “crowd your man”. Crown your man? The “n” isn’t even close to the “d” on the keyboard. Apparently the ugly/small pecker thing is getting to me.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Flash says:
Incredibad…that assessment by Spackles is seen through a lens made from a Haterade bottle. I gotta go with Katz on this one. Lebron’s D is efficient and you can lay all the blame on the Hawks for not going right at him instead of allowing him to play off his man. Then again, I don’t blame those guys for being afraid either.
And to boot, James gets some superstar love on the offensive side, but WAYYY less than his other superstar brethren. I think the reason is because he is so strong, that it may be hard to tell if he was hit. But all it takes is a Bryant flail or Wade landing-backflip to get them the whistle…you’re wasting your time over at perkisabeast…keep sipping the haterade though…
May 6th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
me says:
He lost me at the “more calls than dwade vs Dallas thing. No one has ever got more calls than he did that series. He had more free throws than the whole Dallas team. That’s the only series that I can say that Dallas did not lose and Miami did not win- that was all refs. Seriously some refs should have lost their jobs over that bull.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
hiimeric says:
yessssss thank you for finally writing this article. He is placated to in every aspect of every game and he doesn’t need it, it cheapens how good he is on the court. Not to mention that when he DOES get called for a foul he cries in disbelief. Or if he doesn’t get a foul and thinks he deserves one he reacts like a baby. Basically, he can’t do anything wrong in a game, it’s not allowed… by d. stern. I have felt this season, that the L is actually trying(not just hoping or pulling for him) to get lebron wins and achievements. They want some one to not only be the next jordan but to surpass him. not for the love of the game or the advancement of basketball but for marketing reasons. no impact player can avoid at least 2 or 3 fouls(offensive or defensive) per every couple of games combined. unreal.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
ticktock6 says:
In one word…. yes.
May 6th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
The Saint says:
not r3lly……look at all the contact he gets in mid air going 2 the rack…..rarely gets the call anymore
May 6th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
The Saint says:
wat flash said
May 6th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Promoman says:
My questions are as follows:
1) Why is this news?
2) Why is this even being brought up?
Superstar calls have been going on forever. It’s basically justified cheating, but because of the parties involved, nothing will be done about it. In today’s NBA, Dwyane Wade probably gets away with the most shit offensively, even LeBron (the face of the NBA) got called for the “crab dribble”.
May 6th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
fallinup says:
The game is tailored to give guys like Wade and Bron the call on offense…which is why your seeing alot of “smart” defensive plays being players taking friggin charges. It’s the only feasable option to playing defense…because anything else you try…a block, body him up, anything physical…is considered a foul now.
Lebron is the perfect specimen to exploit the rule changes that just happened to change right before he came into the league. Coincidence??? Who knows.
-see Dwade v. Dallas (which happened a year??? into the rule changes.)
May 6th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Tribe says:
LeBron is overrated and arrogant. The refs are lame and biased to LeBron too.
I hope LeBron gets dunked on and does not play the rest of the series
May 6th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Mr. A says:
@Tribe
You’re a fool.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
that's whats up says:
Lebron could pull out his nut sack, rub it all over the ball, toss it back to the ref and there would be no whistle
May 6th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
res. says:
All of you geniuses who say that the league is “helping” LeBron..did you even read what the post said or not? Or did you just read the headline, just like 99% of the people do? If you actually read the entire post you would notice that the reason he avoids getting whistled on the defensive end is because of the type of defense the Cavs play.
And saying that LeBron is overrated and arrogant is one of the most idiotic things in the world. It’s amazing how little knowledge of the game many fans have. Why don’t you watch the games before making such idiotic comments?
May 6th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
res. says:
The thing that makes me mad is that all of you hating on LeBron probably didn’t watch one single Cavs game this year and you are basing your opinion just on what the boxscore says..and remember, the boxscore doesn’t tell the whole story.
How sad to see so many people having so little knowledge about the game.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
ticktock6 says:
@15 Overrated is one thing. But saying someone is an idiot for thinking he’s arrogant? Well… He is pretty arrogant.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Rockco says:
its so true!! the nba a.k.a wwe
May 6th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
stilllow says:
Come on stop hating he is a King so he deserves royal treatment plus he is the face of the NBA right now so of course they are going to give him his just not to mention I see him get hit a lot on dunks and they do not call it like the first dunk on Atlanta was a foul but no whistle.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
foolio_iglesias says:
Lebron’s nose was forged in the motherland,as was KRS 1′s.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
res. says:
Seriously, all of you saying “i agree” or “it’s so true” blah blah. Be honest with yourself: how many Cavs games did you watch this year (highlights don’t count)? I doubt you watched many games. You are just basing your opinion on what the boxscore says and that’s not the way to analyze games.
And once again, congrats. Looks like you didn’t even read the part where Katz says the Cavs play a type of defense that allow players not to get in foul trouble. Obviously you missed the part where it says LeBron is not the only Cav player who doesn’t get in foul trouble.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Flash says:
Don’t mean to let you fight all the haters yourself res.. I am waiting for one intelligent reply on this thread, but aside from res. and the occasional pithy statement from the rest, I’ve been disappointed.
To what res. said, AMEN
And to the rest…no comment needed. Just keep sipping the haterade with Spackles…
May 6th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
King says:
If you watched that whole game it was clear that atl wasn’t getting any calls bibby and joe were getting hacked in every drive
And Perk IS a beast
May 6th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Jer Boi says:
its a simple answer…yes
May 7th, 2009 at 12:30 am
netstarrza says:
i definitely saw a few times during the game where LBJ changes his pivot foot. on any other player, it would be an instant travel, but the refs seem to overlook that for someone like lebron. so in one word, YES
May 7th, 2009 at 12:39 am
LakeShow84 says:
In related news..
This Lakers/Rockets game has got to be the worst officiated game of the playoffs.. its actually kind of funny.. 2 games in a row now we have been hated on by the refs..
May 7th, 2009 at 12:44 am
LakeShow84 says:
gotta love Derek Fisher..
May 7th, 2009 at 1:07 am
LakeShow84 says:
Ok now this is just awkward..
May 7th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Chips Ahoy! says:
People who call lebron “the king” are the purest definition of nut huggers and dick riders.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:08 am
bakedbeing says:
Cheap, sad flamebaiting here Dime.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:12 am
bakedbeing says:
Res: That’s because this article wasn’t set up for the readers, Katz has supplied that headline for exactly these results. It’s for vitriol, and it’s to pad the site’s community-involvement numbers.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:35 am
meathead says:
I would say Ron Artest thinks the officiating is biased. Dwight gets tossed for an Elbow and Kobe doesn’t even get a call Artest does. Can you say reputation call! Then Joey Crawford is to Arrogant to review the play. THis cost the Rockets the game.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:47 am
UncheckedAggression says:
“he hacks more than an asthmatic in the veterinarian’s office on defense”
–This statement is ridiculously hilarious. Where is the evidence? Show us some clips, man! I’ve watched many Cavs games this season and have never once thought that any player other than Varejao and Gibson were prone to fouling. In fact, almost every block Lebron gets is about 2 feet away from the shooter’s hand! Have any of you people played against a real hacker? Because you should watch some Bowen clips if you want to see what it is like… or Derek Fisher.
And it’s annoying that this guy uses the name of a comedic icon. Carl Spackler would never bother to comment on such unimportant events (a fucking Hawks series?).
May 7th, 2009 at 2:50 am
res. says:
so I was wondering. Lakers fans are complaining about the refs screwing them. Rockets fans are doing the same.
So, which is which? Who’s right? Lakers fans or Rockets fans? Answers, answers!!
May 7th, 2009 at 9:49 am
QQ says:
@ 12:
Because EVERYONE can average 31, 6 and 6. NOT.
May 7th, 2009 at 9:58 am
nic says:
DIME THIS GUY BEAT YOU TO THE ARGUMENT, IT’S A GREAT ARTICLE http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith2_090406.html
REFEREES ARE RUINING THE GAME OF BASKETBALL, AND OTHER SPORTS. THEY HAVE BECOME WAY TO INVOLVED IN THE GAME. LET THE PLAYERS DECIDE THE GAME NOT THE GUYS WITH THE WHISTLES.
May 7th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
liukz says:
its like the nba select a player they protect every year.
i remember when shaq did all he wanted while in the lake show
i remember the way the nba gave the title to miami because Wade became nbas darling in that final,and stole a game from dallas
now i see how the are protecting lebron so he can do whatever he wants, he still great,but the help hima lot
this years block on j-rich was a CLEAR foul
this years i also see,not the refs but the league protecting rajon rondo ,cause everybody talks about what he did to brad miller but nobody talks about what he did to Hinrich the next game
May 7th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
doc says:
show me the clips of bron hacking and it not getting called because i aint see none yet.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
doc says:
highlight block on richardson..seriously bron fans get off his nuts.. he fouled the shit outta him- no call. that alone gets him on this list
May 8th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Tribe says:
LEBRON IS ARROGANT (EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION ON BENCH AFTER EVERY BASKET) AND HE IS OVERRATED. NO WHERE CLOSE TO AS TALENTED BASKETBALL-WISE AS D.WADE
BTW, NUGGS BEAT THE CAVS IN FINALS. THAT MEANS D.WADE, MELO, AND DARKO WILL HAVE RINGS. BOSH IS NEXT.
FUCK LEBRON
May 8th, 2009 at 9:25 am
QQ says:
@40:
Sir, you have excellent points and I definitely would like to lis…
Just kidding.
You’re a crazy piece of shit.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hates fanboys says:
Darko will have rings… That actually made me laugh reading that.
Just a couple of real quick questions.
How many games of Lebron do you have to watch to comment “credibly” on his superstar calls?
And then…
How many games do you have to watch of Lebron before that makes you a fan? (And in doing so making your opinion not credible)
Let’s face it, the bigger star is going to get the call. This was largely apparent on the foul that took Dwight Howard out of game 1.