Phil Jackson: Calling Out Refs, One Way or Another
After Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson complained about non-calls in game four of the Western Conference Finals (namely, Dahntay Jonesโ trip of Kobe Bryant), the league fined him to the tune of $25,000.
He was talking about another non-call in his press conference Wednesday, only this time the non-call was on his team.
With 0:00.06 left on the clock, with the game tied at 88 apiece, the Orlando Magicโs star forward Hedo Turkoglu lobbed an inbounds pass toward the basket, where rookie guard Courtney Lee caught the ball and attempted a layup that bounced off the rim and then the backboard on its way harmlessly to the floor.
It appeared as though Lakers center Pau Gasol grazed the net and the backboard as the shot was in the air. Jacksonโs claim was that the defense Gasol played constituted โbasket interferenceโ.
โIt doesnโt get called in this day and age much, but when we were in high schoolโthat was something a high school ref might call, basket interference.โ
Chances are he wonโt get fined this time.
Of course, it doesnโt hurt to call out what should have been a foul when your team won the ballgame anyway.
Still, isnโt it ironic? Here we have evidence that there are rules in the NBAโs rulebook that are simply ignored.
Recently, Phil Jackson has become notorious for getting on the referees for bad calls. It never occurred before because, the majority of the time, he didnโt have to, especially when Dick Bavetta was around in the 2002 Western Conference Finals
Perhaps Philโs just trying to make up for lost time?
Sources
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