it was NOT the refs

[CoachCowens]

Please RMCC, show me a more blatant call going against the Pistons than House getting his balls kicked up into his intestines.  PLEASE!!!  Show me a more ridiculous call than Ray Allen being called for a foul vs. Rip when Rip lost the ball on his OWN in the air and Ray had his hands straight up in the air.  PLEASE!!!  I will gladly shut up IF you can do that for me:-))

those were both bad calls. no matter how bad they were, they were just 2 fouls.  the celtics got just as many breaks.  go visit a pistons blog and it's like they were watching a different game.

outside of die hard celtic message boards, the refs were a non-issue.

What about the grab against Wallace by posey at the end. The ESPN crew just got through saying they let a lot go in that situation. Everyone knows it. The players know it and play accordingly. The ball went off of the C's. That is a no call by a good ref.

Then pierce gets tripped down the other end and nothing is called.

[CoachCowens]

Please RMCC, show me a more blatant call going against the Pistons than House getting his balls kicked up into his intestines.  PLEASE!!!  Show me a more ridiculous call than Ray Allen being called for a foul vs. Rip when Rip lost the ball on his OWN in the air and Ray had his hands straight up in the air.  PLEASE!!!  I will gladly shut up IF you can do that for me:-))

those were both bad calls. no matter how bad they were, they were just 2 fouls.  the celtics got just as many breaks.  go visit a pistons blog and it's like they were watching a different game.

outside of die hard celtic message boards, the refs were a non-issue.

The Piston fans thought it was a well called game. When you have the refs in your back pocket you are more apt to think that.

I will say this wasn't the worst ref job the C's have got in the playoffs this year but it was definitely called in the Pistons favor overall. 

[BrickJames]

Celts in 5.  Kenny Mauer has our backs in DET.  Don't complain 'til it's over.

[kevingamble34]

The refs were atrocious tonight, but that is normal in a Pistons game.  The Pistons clutch and grab all game long until the refs are just worn down from their constant hacking.  When the opponent does the same thing once in a while, it's called a foul every time.  That is "Dee-troit Basketball" in a nutshell, and has been since the late '80s.  The Spurs are not far behind in this category.  They play the refs' game, and they get the refs' calls.  To say the refs were a non-factor in tonight's game is just blind.  Yeah, we could have played better, but we shouldn't have to outplay the other team by 20 points to win by 1, know what I mean?

[Bahku]

Celts in 5.  Kenny Mauer has our backs in DET.  Don't complain 'til it's over.

I hope this is meant as irony .... other than Violet Palmer, Kenny Mauer is easily the worst official in the NBA, and one of the biggest Celtic-haters ... this guy should never be allowed to have a whistle in his mouth!

[wdleehi]

The problem is that to many of the Celtics took to long to adjust to how the officials were calling the game. 

[Bahku]

The problem is that to many of the Celtics took to long to adjust to how the officials were calling the game. 

I agree, W (TP) ... and this team can not depend on the officials to make the difference for them. You can't be successful in this game if you go into it thinking you're going to get the benefit of the majority of the calls, or even a balance, for that matter. It would be nice, but if you assume that, especially in the playoffs, you're just setting yourself up for a fall.

The mindset should really be that you're going to get no calls in your favor, then whatever calls you do get, are just a bonus. Playing your best game is what ultimately succeeds, even over bad officiating, and while this was a poorly-called game, this one is on the bench ... just a lousy effort by the wood-warmers tonight, and we won't get it done without them.

[fairweatherfan]

Please RMCC, show me a more blatant call going against the Pistons than House getting his balls kicked up into his intestines.  PLEASE!!!  Show me a more ridiculous call than Ray Allen being called for a foul vs. Rip when Rip lost the ball on his OWN in the air and Ray had his hands straight up in the air.  PLEASE!!!  I will gladly shut up IF you can do that for me:-))

Nah, the Billups play House hit his forearm before getting kicked in the "Secret NoName Place".  The Rip call was a little ridiculous, though Ray did hit him with the arm, the contact was 100% initiated by Rip and should not have been called.

[Bahku]

The no-call on the charge Pierce took in the 4th quarter was absolutely horrible ... that one call could have made the difference in this one.

[guava_wrench]

We were called for ZERO fouls in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. ZERO!

Pierce also got away with holding Billups on an inbounds play in the last minute. It was far worse than Pierce's trip on the baseline at the end, yet Pierce got away with it and Det was forced to call a timeout.

The Celtics blew it by not getting the kind of ball movement that Det was getting to create open looks. Det broke our rotations and got good looks by doing so. We tried to jack up jumpers of the dribble with defenders in our faces.

[CelticBalla32]

I love Celtics nation, I really do. I talk with you guys daily, and I couldn't imagine it without you all. But I have to say... Celtics fans blame the refs for EVERYTHING that doesn't go our way. Everything. It's a cop-out, and I'm sick of it.

We get just as many whistles blown our way, or get just as many no-calls in our favor, as any other team in the NBA. When we lose, deal with it. Suck it up. Admit it.

Are there special exceptions where it's out of hand? Are there times where we've gotten shafted? Absolutely, and I'm not denying that. I've vented in those situations as well. But sometimes, it's to the point where every single loss is at the fault of the officiating crew in the eyes of Celtic Nation. That is absurd.

For example, listening to Celtics Pride tonight... a caller says "Man, Stern needs to look into this officiating. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. We were killed." I was thinking to myself... "are you kidding me?"

Stern is not out to "get us." The officials do not team up to say "hehe, let's screw Boston." We do not get shafted every single night.

Come on, C's fans.

[guava_wrench]

I love Celtics nation, I really do. I talk with you guys daily, and I couldn't imagine it without you all. But I have to say... Celtics fans blame the refs for EVERYTHING that doesn't go our way. Everything. It's a cop-out, and I'm sick of it.

We get just as many whistles blown our way, or get just as many no-calls in our favor, as any other team in the NBA. When we lose, deal with it. Suck it up. Admit it.

Are there special exceptions where it's out of hand? Are there times where we've gotten shafted? Absolutely, and I'm not denying that. I've vented in those situations as well. But sometimes, it's to the point where every single loss is at the fault of the officiating crew in the eyes of Celtic Nation. That is absurd.

For example, listening to Celtics Pride tonight... a caller says "Man, Stern needs to look into this officiating. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. We were killed." I was thinking to myself... "are you kidding me?"

Stern is not out to "get us." The officials do not team up to say "hehe, let's screw Boston." We do not get shafted every single night.

Come on, C's fans.

Amen. TP

[SamuelAdams]

Yeah, Hamilton driving the lane with his knee up and hits PP was NOT a foul....

[Steve Weinman]

Yeah, Hamilton driving the lane with his knee up and hits PP was NOT a foul....

CB's point isn't that the officials are perfect.  Of course they're inconsistent -- it's an incredibly difficult profession.  But for most of the calls that we look at say, "Well, that really should have gone our way," it's worth remembering that the fans on the other side have their own set of calls for which they are saying the same thing in reverse.  Rarely as fans do we think about that part of it, and I think that's the direction CB is heading in.  As he alludes to, yes, some nights we get the short end from the refs.  But for most nights, for most teams, officiating is officiating.  It's bad sometimes, and good other times, but usually it doesn't have a particular bias in one direction or other.  And I'll say amen to that being quite a fair assessment.

As Ryan was looking to point out when he started this thread, we blew this one ourselves.

-sw

[guava_wrench]

Yeah, Hamilton driving the lane with his knee up and hits PP was NOT a foul....

Holy missing the point...