Crying Foul

Posted by Brendan Jackson on Nov 22, 2010 1095723 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F11%2F22%2Fcrying-foul%2FCrying+Foul2010-11-22+20%3A07%3A46Brendan+Jacksonhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D10957

Yesterday’s debacle north of the border will soon be eschewed in the hearts and minds of Celtics’ fans.  It’s one game out of 82, the Celtics are no stranger to losing to bad teams, and frankly they have bigger and better things to worry about than a team who will inevitably be the worst team in the division.

That said, it’s time to set you cry-baby Celtics fans straight because all you do is sit there and cry about the refs every time the Celtics lose.*

For those of you that missed it, the so-called “blown-call” by the officials happened with just under 20 seconds to go in yesterday’s game.  After Sonny Weems swooped in for a quick lay-up to cut the Celtics lead to one, the ball was quickly inbounded to Ray Allen who began haphazardly dribbling the ball up the court.  Leandro Barbosa, employing his blazing speed and intuitive hands, valiantly let Ray Allen dribble by him only to reach around Allen and poke the ball away.

Here’s the real time replay:

Barbosa had to know the officials would swallow their whistles given how few touch fouls were called in this game. Adding to that, the Raptors were only down one with 20 seconds left. It’s not like they needed to foul. In the end, Barbosa’s gamble paid off and he was able to poke the ball away from Ray Allen without committing a foul.

Here’s the play in slow-mo:

I cannot believe the audacity of Celtics fans. They seriously cry foul every time they lose. Barbosa clearly got ALL BALL on that play. If you still don’t believe me, here’s the play in super slow-mo:

I know what everyone’s going to say, “but Brendan, Barbosa clearly smacked Ray Allen on the elbow.” Oh you poor poor basketball Philistines. Article 7, Section 3 of the Naismith Guide to Poles and Peach Baskets (available here at Amazon.com) clearly states the following, “a player may make contact with an opponent if there is clear intent to make contact with the ball and/or the ball had just left the vicinity of the contact.”

See, even if Barbosa did damn-near break Ray Allen’s elbow on his steal attempt, the move was well within the rules.

If complaining about the Leandro Barbosa “foul” was bad enough, Celtics’ fans haven’t stopped there. Many people believe the ensuing putback attempt by Amir Johnson was blocked cleanly by Paul Pierce. Here’s the video, you decide:

Not only did Paul Pierce completely mug Johnson, but I got a tip from a baseline cameraman with superior auditory sensory ability who heard Pierce say after hitting Johnson, “your contract situation is cancerous to your team and to the league.”

It’s hard to believe Pierce went there but my source is fairly reliable based upon the pictures I have seen him take.

Hopefully, after seeing these videos, Celtics fans can finally stop complaining about officials. Officials never affect the outcome of any game so everyone needs to stop complaining about them.

*I’m putting the satire away for a while after this post. It’s weird living in an alternate universe.