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By Jason Thompson<br>
HARDCORE SPORTS<br>
The Ticket 760AM<br>
Saturdays 10-Noon <br>
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I guess it is only fitting that the Mavericks, a team that has the look of a foreign soccer team, would win game one of the Western Conference Finals in what amounted to the NBA’s version of penalty kicks. <br>
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72 fouls were called. That’s right: SEVENTY-TWO. That’s amazing when you consider that the game was played in 48 minutes of regulation play. That is enough fouls to disqualify an entire 12-man NBA team. That is one foul called for every 1 1/2 minutes of play. The 98 free-throws taken was more than the number of free-throws taken in games 5 and 6 of the Spurs-Lakers series combined. <br>
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What we know is that, while the clock is running, the Spurs are clearly the better team in this series. The Spurs gathered 23 assists when the clock was running and shot 48.6% from the field. Tim Duncan was active and dominant with 40 points and 15 rebounds all despite gathering 5 fouls. The Mavericks were shut down from the field (40.3%) by the Spurs and were bailed out… 50 times. <br>
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I always thought “defense” and not “free-throws” wins championships. It all makes sense however when you realize that the NBA has no intention of discovering who the best team in the NBA is based on pure on the court performance. If you doubt me, then answer this question: Why was Bennett Salvatore refereeing this game? <br>
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You remember Bennett Salvatore. He was very active in Game 4 of the Spurs-Lakers series. Salvatore and his crew sent Shaq-Kobe to the line 40 times that night and the Lakers as a team took 45 (just five fewer than the Mavericks). In a game the Lakers won by four the free-throws were the difference. The same can be said for game 1 of the Mavericks series. After the Lakers officiating debacle I said that few knew how far the NBA would go to fix a game. I honestly doubted then that such “shading” of a game could be outdone. I was wrong. Holy-Bennett-Salvatore was I wrong. <br>
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This is not the first or second time Salvatore has fixed a game for his employer. Let me take you back to 2000 when the Knicks defeated the Heat. Latrell Sprewell for the Knicks stepped out of bounds. One ref called “Heat-ball” and pointed to the Heat’s basket on a critical late game possession. One problem: Bennett Salvatore “saw” the play differently. ESPN/AP reported it this way: <br>
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After discussing the play with his colleagues, Salvatore ruled the Knicks had called a timeout when Sprewell had the ball. "I had Sprewell calling time out, but I wasn't sure where his foot was," Salvatore said. "I didn't believe he was out of bounds, but I wanted to check with my partner to make sure he was not out of bounds when my whistle blew. He confirmed that there was no question that the timeout came before he went out of bounds." <br>
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Only one problem: Sprewell said he didn't call a timeout. <br>
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"I don't know who called time out," Sprewell said. "I thought they gave me the foul. (The Heat) were pushing me out of bounds." <br>
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Heat center Alonzo Mourning said Bennett initially signaled possession to Miami. <br>
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"Then he huddled up with his colleagues and changed his call," Mourning said. "(Sprewell) didn't call time out. He stepped out of bounds." <br>
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The Knicks took possession at midcourt and ran out the clock for the victory. <br>
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"They had three officials in their pocket," Mashburn said. "You can print that. I don't care if I get fined or not." <br>
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Clearly Salvatore made the correct call in the NBA’s eyes in that game. Correct then meant getting the Knicks past the Heat. Correct in Game 4 of the Spurs-Lakers series meant assisting a Lakers team that couldn’t buy an assist on the floor. His frequent repeated appearances are proof that the NBA is pleased with the outcome of the games he has refereed. These are games the games that are pre-ordained by the NBA where the team not chosen before hand must be significantly better than the chosen team to win. <br>
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Anyone could have told you that the Spurs would not win a free-throw shooting contest with Mavericks, or any of the other top free-throwing shooting teams in the league (New York, Atlanta, Washington, Golden State). Who would have thought that the Hawks were just one Bennett Salvatore away from a championship? Now we know why the NBA does not publicize the identity of the referees for each playoff game: Las Vegas. <br>
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Even despite the Salvatore’s of the NBA-world, it took 49 straight free-throws and a non-call on a Tim Duncan shot with seconds left for the Mavericks to win game one. That in itself is an amazing compliment to the Spurs. Fortunately, the Spurs ARE significantly better than any other team in the playoffs and will win this series in 6 games. <br>
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As for Bennett Salvatore, I understand that he co-owns a restaurant in Stamford Connecticut called Bennett’s Steak and Seafood. I have never been there, but my bet is the steaks and seafood are foul.
<p>-Brian</p><i></i>
