Rockets vs Thunder: Game 3 Officiating "Highlights"

'Home cooking'.

 

First half was so bad. I’ve seen refs spot a team 20 over the course of the game . They spotted OKC 20 in one half

 

Thanks for doing the work on this. While some of the Rockets fouls on OKC were questionable as close (and some were just not), OKC was getting the benefit of the doubt and boom, whistle.

Houston on the other hand was NOT getting that the ENTIRE game, most of it happening in the first half where we were the aggressors and driving more. That inbounds (well 2 of them) were already driving us crazy for other reasons (PJ'S pass, the phantom touch many of us thought Adams had etc), but what bothered me was Ego. The defender was so close right when Ego started moving, their feet close, that it looked like Eric lost his footing and was tripped before the big movement began, and so while there's not a ton of body or arm push/pull, he had already lost his balance. Most of the replays didn't show that part because the focus was on the pass and loose ball, but easily could've been a call in our favor before the inbound ball. Sigh. It is what it is, but it seems like OKC was about +20 on officiating tonight, either between what they were given and what we weren't given.

Its not all about the refs, but tonight... it felt like 4 out of 5 playoffs losing to the Warriors. It felt like G7 2018, or G1 2019. I was so angry, and you could see it draining the life from our players as well.

 

That foul at 4:35 on Harden
was the same non call when Dort does the same thing

Rocket River

 

I hope you can find the first quarter

 

bull & ackerman were going off themselves about the disparity in officiating at both ends during the first Q

 

Continue Harden 1-on-1 vs Dort...spreading the floor.

Thunder said Harden would not get 37 pts again like game 1 now that Dort was guarding him. Then 38 pts (gm 3)

Chances are Steven Adams is leaving his man on the perimeter....perhaps as Harden is deep in his drive.
Tucker and Jeff Green are our safety valves. As a result Jeff Green had a great game. Continue, with more Green. Green drive and facilitate off the Harden/Gordon drives....forces defensive rotations (open 3’s).

Harden is great at figuring that one tough defender. He has that “body up on drives against defender....stop on
a dime....step back 6-7 footer.” Layup!! As long as Harden doesn’t extend the elbow. We good.

 

The free throw disparity is something but we’ve been on the good side of those many a times. Harden was jacking alotta threes, could have drove more and probably got more calls.
Refs always suck but again I don’t want to use this game as one of those.
Not casual to bring up that we still had this game, but keep in mind they also gave us the call when Harden and CP3 collided, and I’m sorry but that was not an obvious call. We were very lucky to get that call actually considering Harden had the reputation of being called for those.

They also gave us the call for the out of bounds on Steven Adams before it was overturned.

 

Harden had 3 blatant noncalls on drives to the rim right of the top of my head.

Likely more.

 

Official NBA 2 minute report rules dennis should have been whistled for a foul on the inbounds play, of course.

Im tired of having to beat other teams AND the refs.

 

Bunch of f$&@“ whiners. We got so many calls it was ridiculous. Every time Steven Adams touched somebody it was a foul. We lost because OKC didn’t choke like House, Harden, and others in the final two minutes of regulation. Learn how to f$&@“ throw an inbounds pass. Coach - bring in Covington and/or Chandler to protect the lead. Don’t shoot a 45 foot three with 20 seconds on the shot clock with a five point lead and the ball with 1:00 minute to go. Have a 81% free throw shooter show some cahunas after telling everyone he choked last year in the playoffs, by actually making a free throw to win a playoff game. Sooner or later the refs hate us excuse grows old and we need to simply step up and win a close playoff game. Until that time comes, we’ll be on the outside looking in. Trust me that nobody in the NBA gametrust is fixing games to help OKC move on. Golden State, potentially yes for ratings and financial purposes, but OKC no way.

 

I'd be more likely to believe you if David Stern hadn't greased the wheels to make it as easy as possible for a bunch of OKC guys to buy a team in Seattle, yank it out of that city, and move it back to theirs.

Some owners and presidents are in really tight with the league office; others, not so much. I'm guessing Tilman is a bit of an outsider at this point.

 

Not matter anyone says .. . . this was the reason for the loss
People can try to find ways to blame the rockets
but
this cost us the game

Rocket River

 

I get that it was the right call. But the call was made without review and it was a very difficult call and had they not called a foul they probably could have shown the same vid and justified it. Just shows sometimes they get it sometimes they don’t.

EG got the short end of the stick on a lot of plays but I mean what’s new, superstars get the calls, not EG. Harden got 15 free throws despite launching 13 threes and not being more aggressive. I’m someone who truly believes the Rockets we’re screwed out of Game 1 against the Warriors. I just personally wouldn’t pick this one as my battle.

 

Looks like they preferred to extend the series.

To be honest on an unavoidable bias note, think of these refs ages and how much more likely they are to personally dislike our style of play. Even with the best intentions, that bias will seep into the refereeing.

What makes it obvious they’re being influenced is the NBA acts dumb when it comes to better technology or strategies to reduce errors. Silver knows refereeing can be improved permanently this week by letting challenges happen in the background and more frequently but he doesn’t want to make it too transparent, needs wiggle room.