If I asked you to guess the one ref you wouldn't want on a game with a potential Game Seven looming on the horizon in the NBA....who would you say? I'm willing to bet the 70% of you would probably say Joey Crawford. Well guess who's the lead official for Game Six in Boston tonight! Ding Ding Ding!!!
1. Joey Crawford: Crawford comes in pretty high on the homer scale, but after the whole Tim Duncan scandal and the no call on Fisher against Barry earlier in the Playoffs, the guy is just unpredictable. 32-23-3 ATS (Against the Spread).
Good For: Lakers, You would think his "Homer Ranking" would help out the Celtics, but Boston is just 2-2 in the Playoffs with him as a ref. Want to know what the Lakers record is with him calling their Playoff Games? 6-0!
2. Eddie F. Rush: Comes in at number fourteen on the homerism charts with a record of 42-33-1 ATS for home teams.
Good For: The Celtics, Boston is 4-1 this Playoff season with Rush doing their games.
3. Bennett Salvatore: I don't know one person on the planet that would be happy if Salvatore was calling their game. He's one of the worst officials in any Sport, and is so inconsistent it's a joke. BS was also the official that called a charge on Paul Pierce pump fake three where he leaned into Rodney Stuckey during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Good For: Coin Flip, The Celtics are 2-2 during Playoff games he reffed this season, and he comes in about the top third of the Homer scale at 42-36-0 ATS. The word your looking for is "unpredictability".
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Last game the refs called a pretty good game, but the stats pointed to the Lakers winning Game Five and they did. You just know the NBA wants a Game Seven but there doesn't seem to be any signs pointing to a Lakers advantage in the ref assignment. The only overwhelming statistic is the Lakers record with Crawford calling their games. To go 6-0 with one ref during the Playoffs is virtually impossible. Again, this is not a science, but still interesting to look at.
NBA Referees “Homer” Sorted By ATS (Covers)
Referee assignments for Game 6 (Boston.com)
From the desk of David Stern: Please don't use the phrase "willing to bet" in the same paragraph as NBA refs.
ReplyDeleteSalvatore + Crawford = Game 7
ReplyDeleteJesus. It's like the Trinity Of Crap NBA Refs. Crawford takes his job way too personally, Rush calls the really dumb chippy stuff that shouldn't be, and Salvatore is just flat out wrong.
ReplyDeleteOuch! So much for Monday being an indicator for the week ahead...Tiger v Rocco was gold. Now this!
ReplyDeleteAren't the best supposed to call the most important???
Two of these guys should already have been offed, Casino-style, and buried in the desert by now.
cock. balls.
ReplyDelete"To go 6-0 with one ref during the Playoffs is virtually impossible."
ReplyDeleteThat's just not true...
The Lakers are 10-6 in the playoffs. Chances are, even if it's completely random, they've got a very good record with one particular ref.
I must say - I am shocked ! Stunned. What happened Kobe? I mean really? What is going on? I expect a major move again this offseaso for the Lakers. Danny Ainge is really good GM.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow I hope they did not get tired on the Airflight, that is a LONG trip and you need all the rest in the NBA FINALS.
I am a Big NBA Fan, but I wanted a closer match-up. Poor Lakers. I guess the Refs could not cheat to force a Seventh Game because of the David Stern-Tim Donaghy Scandal? Any ESPN Insights on that one?
I also think perhaps, so it seems, that the Lakers wore "Sede Vacante" Caps or maybe I should (with Richard Williamson) call them"Mente vacante" Baseball hats? I mean really:
http://www.zazzle.com/vatican_baseball_cap_hat-148990466825652270
All I know the "Big Three" (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) went to the Vatican in Rome, Italy before the season with Doc Rivers to find a Common Basketball Philosophy, I am not sure what happened there? Anyone know about the Vatican-Roma Camp the Celtics had? I know Kobe's dad owns a team, I think in Milano? Maybe there is some special Latin Tridentine Mass Papal Ritual they attended to bless their Record Season?
Where were all the Hollywood Stars cheering on LA? I mean everyone loves to "jump on" the Hollywood Bandwagon, right? Like for example, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Mike Huckabee, Chuck Norris, Timothy Henneberry, George Michael, Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Don Johnson, Clarence Kelly, Michael Bishop, Marc Anthony, J Lo, Irving "Magic" Johnson, Matthew "The Valid" Parker, Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George W. Bush, Vince Young, Michael Vick, T.O., Lefty Cekada, Kenyan West, Britney Spears, Monsignor Georg Gänswein, Sean O'Malley, Bernard Law, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, John McCain, Tony Blair, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Guy Richie, Mon. Bernard Fellay SSPX, Tom Delay, Howard Stern, Tony Armani, Ronald Bryant, Sting, Jose Canseco Bono, Ronnie Brown, Al Gore, Santana, Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Richard Jamison, John Henry, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Anthony Sanborn, Donald Rumsfeld, Solomon Rosenberg, Bob "The Center" Michael, Peter Marcel, Timmy Dimond, Al Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Karl "The Mailman" Malone, "The Worm" Dennis Rodman, James Lefebvre, Tony Romo, Jessica Simpson, Ric Flair, Bill Richardson, Vince McMahon, Joseph Ratzinger, Bob Kraft, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Eddie Murphy, Bobby Thuc, Tom Hanks, Shakira, Paula Abdul, Roberto Gonzalez, Colin Powell, Jerry Lawler, Howard Dean, Dick Cheney, Tony Garcia, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Barker, Jerry Lewis, Regis Philbin, etc.?
I mean really, this was suppose to be the BIG TIME Lakers vs Celtics Rivalry FINALS, and I did not see many Hollywood Stars and other Celebrities at the Boston Garden there,why? DIid David Stern and Senator Arlen Specter deny them invitations? Is Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens banned from NBA Games? And how about Sir Charles Barkley (Is he banned for Gambling on Games)? Or is it just traditional pro-forma to have to receive an "Universal Indult", you know, to get into the Front Row Seats?
The crowd booed David Stern, is that Anti-Semitic? I felt weird.
Anyhow, Congrats to Paul Pierce (a LA Boy) -- we all can cheer for him, he is a secret-Lakers fan, I heard from a certain unknown Rafa Erofadaps,
Shhh!
The NBA is Fantastic.
I can't wait for the Olympic Games in China, I hope Kobe Bryant and Yo Ming play.
- Jason "Sede Vacante" McMichaels