Tom E. Curran • E-mail

Nothing irritates fans more than saying their team's win was undeserved. So it was hell unleashed on me by Lakers fans for the past 24 hours since my column mentioning the officiating weirdness at the end of Game 4.

I had my say in the column so I'll leave it at that. But (isn't there always a but?) it was stunning how many people used a missed call on Tim Duncan's travel earlier in the game as a comparable for the Derek Fisher non-call. And another thing, I didn't say the officials were fixing games, you purple and gold goofs. I said that there was much evidence to make a cynical NBA observer wonder.

As for Derek Fisher's jumper that grazed the rim, replays weren't conclusive and -- given that it's a reviewable play -- the Lakers didn't put up much stink, did they? In other words, there's a chance the refs got it wrong. But they weren't willfully wrong as they were on the Fisher non-call.

THE IRATE

Tom,
Are you serious? This column is so one-sided it’s ridiculous, and I suggest you correct your mistakes. All calls in favor of the Lakers?  You have to be kidding me. First, replays clearly showed that Fisher's 'airball' grazed the rim, and LA should have been awarded a new shot clock.  The Spurs then would have been forced to foul, instead of Kobe forcing a shot on the inbounds. Before that, when Odom chased down Parker from behind, yes there was contact. Conveniently, you left out the part about how it was a CLEAN BLOCK.  Do you know the rules of basketball?  Yes?  Well if you do, then you will know that this is not goaltending. Odom clearly hits the ball before it hits the glass. Finally, Brent Barry actually traveled before Fisher bumped him. Watch him establish his right foot as his pivot, but then pick it up before putting the ball down.  That may be a little too complicated for you unfortunately. You, my friend, are a joke.  I can't believe they let garbage like this onto the website.

Your friend,
Nitin Kawlra

Tom, Tom, Tom,
Seriously, are you actually going to tell me that during Tuesday's Lakers/Spurs game, that LA actually got the officiating edge? Yeah, the last call was legit, even though Brent Barry leaped into Fisher with the intention of getting fouled. I'll give you that, but you must have seen Tim Duncan, to quote the late Chick Hearn "Traveling without a suitcase", in the first half? The officials let the Spurs back into a game that they didn't seem to have figured out. Please, check your loyalties at the door if you're ever planning on being a great Journalist/Sports Writer.
Sincerely,
Bruce  Fernandez
Denver, Co

Tom!
Helllooooo?  Both Barry and Popovich stated after the game that they wouldn't have called a foul on Derek Fisher, either.  If the losing  coach and "victim" understand that the officials shouldn't decide a  game, why can't you? What about the missed call right before the Barry prayer where the officials didn't realize that Derek Fisher's jumper grazed the front of the rim, resetting the 24 second clock?  That benefitted the Spurs, but you conveniently neglected to mention that. If the Spurs were to get the call, they had a chance to steal a game in which they got soundly out-played, and didn't deserve to win. The best team won, and will be advancing to the Finals soon enough.
R. Scott Bell
Bakersfield, CA

Wow Tom,
You’re the only guy that gets the NBA! Donaghy admits the easiest way to fix a game is through free throws... you're alleging the game is fixed yet Kobe doesnt go to the line once in Game 4?  Six times in 4 games, I believe?? What about Fisher’s shot that changed trajectory in mid-air because it didn’t hit the rim that bounced off Horrys foot?  A lil tweak on Shaqs words after the 0.4 play a few years back- "one bad non-call deserves another. You dont get the NBA, I just put that subject line in there so you'd read this.   I’m hoping you just wrote that for reaction and didn’t really mean it, otherwise
youre a moron.
Dave

Tom,
I agree with your column that the NBA is fixing the playoffs. In addition to those incidents you mentioned, I thought it was very odd that the officials didn't reset the 24 second clock when the Spurs' Derek Fisher's shot grazed the rim and went out of bounds. That only gave them 2 seconds to get a shot off instead of a fresh 24. That was totally obvious. How about when Tim Duncan of the Lakers took 5 steps on a dunk earlier in the game AND THE REFS DIDN'T EVEN CALL A WALK?! Absurd. What was totally the most egregious error was the fact that Kobe Bryant, the most aggressive player in the NBA, league MVP, and Spurs best player didn't get a single free throw attempt out of 29 shots. How is that even possible? He has TWO FTA in three games! Isn't that incredible?! Talk about swallowing your whistles. I thought it was really ridiculous in the first half when the Lakers kept getting those offensive rebounds and second half points because Joe Crawford grabbed a couple of those balls out of the air and handed straight to the Laker players. What about he shoot those 3 pointers and counted it for Los Angeles?! Why is no one talking about the fact that the game last night was literally 5 on 8?! Yeah, I think you're on to something here. Biggest (flickin’) moron on the planet. Nice way to cherry pick your facts to make a point. Let me guess - you're a republican and think the war was justified.
Giovanni Capurro

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