So much for the arguing. The NBA has admitted that Derek Fisher should have been whistled for a foul the other night when he bumped Brent Barry in the closing seconds of the Spurs-Lakers playoff game.
A lot of good it will do the Spurs. Having lost Game 4 when the whistled didn’t blow, their hopes of a fifth NBA championship are as good as gone.
But back to the arguing.
The scene has been lighting up talk-show phone lines for the past two days. Some say it was a good no-call. Others claim it was an obvious foul that should have been called.
So what’s the answer? Let me answer the question with another question: What if it had been Kobe Bryant, not a journeyman such as Barry, who was bumped in that situation?
We both know the answer. The whistles could have been heard from San Antone to Amarillo.
That’s what bothers me about the NBA. If it’s a foul, it should be a foul. Everything that transpires on the court is open to interpretation and the officials” judgment, but the circumstances shouldn’t matter.
There should be no such thing as a “non-call.” It implies the call should have been made, but wasn’t because the officials didn’t want the game decided on the free-throw line.
But then, non-calls are just one of many catch phrases associated with NBA officials. How about makeup calls? Or officials swallowing their whistles? Or officials you don’t want to see when you’re on the road?
Or how about the notion that the stars get all the calls, that a young player has to establish himself before getting the benefit of the doubt from the men making the calls?
When you hear those things, doesn’t it make you wonder about the integrity of the game? Doesn’t it make you think somebody has an agenda?
Whether they do or not, that’s the NBA’s image. And Game 4 of the Spurs-Lakers series only enhanced it.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s daily sports commentaries on The Jimmy Page midday during the week. And read his columns on Sundays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
