ESPN is ripping the Hawks over this.

[thefloydian]

PTI and Around the Horn. They all seem to think it was the scorer's table.

[TroyMcClure]

What's really funny, is that they're just talking about toronto and their playoff positioning. i think they don't realize that the Hawks are right there now. Not one mention of how we will make the playoffs because of these games.

[Guest]

Yea, I was trying to get the word out eariler today on NBA.COM But, that ain't nothing compared to what guys are saying in the Rators Forum.

[WraithSentinel]

They ignore the fact the Raptors did clinch a playoff berth last night. They ignore the fact it was an NBA Official. They ignore the fact Horford said he tip the pass.

[Johnnybravo4]

Notice how there isn't a word about this on NBA.com that is because there is no controversy.

[WraithSentinel]

A protest should have been filed by now from the Raptors. It look like this will be nothing more than an internet controversy created by fans. Everyone is watching vids and posting screen caps of so called evidence like they are Sherlock Holmes.

[DrReality]

They think they are bigger than the game. Bigger than all sports. Full of themselves.

[TheDude]

ESPN Exaggerate & Spin Poppycock News

yeah, that's right, i used the word poppycock, whats it to you.

[yardbird]

From TrueHoops by Henry Abbott on ESPN

Reason #1: The Al Horford Theory

Al Horford says he tipped the ball as it was inbounded (via the Hawks BasketBlog), which means it's possible the clock started just about when it should have. If that's what happened, then it's really too bad the referees on the scene didn't talk to the media to explain. Here's a photo of the moment (via Hawksquawk).

That moment isn't on the video I linked to earlier, and I'm not sure it is online. But I was able to watch it on Synergy, and my best guess is that Horford's hand did touch the ball, although it's very hard to tell. (I hear you Toronto fans: the last guy you want to trust in this situation is Al Horford, after this.)

Reason #2: The Fudge Factor

Even if you don't believe the "Horford on the grassy knoll" theory ... I have talked to two people who run the kind of timekeeping equipment that was used in that game. They both say that, as a rule of thumb, it is reasonable to expect about a 0.3 second lag between when you decide to push the button, and when you actually get the button pressed.

Think about that. We are arguing about a tenth of a second. And it takes three of those just to get the button pressed.

That's why it is common, in an NBA game, to see a ball go through the hoop, and then have a few tenths come off before the clock stops. Humans can't move much faster than that.

You might say then, well why not click the button a tad before the ball hits the rim then? Why not anticipate? Both scoreboard operators say that the first rule of the business is to not anticipate, because you don't know what will happen. But it's a constant battle, between wanting to have a hair trigger, and wanting to be as accurate as possible.

Sometimes, anticipation or an itchy trigger finger can get in the way. If you're talking about a big chunk of time, then it must be addressed. But when you're talking about a third of the time it takes to even press the button -- there's also a very real chance that it was just an accident. High-definition TVs and slow-motion replay have brought the game a level of precision that humans on the scene just can not match, and expecting them to will always lead to disappointment. (I suspect, in the long run, there will be a replay official courtside with Tivo, empowered to monkey with the clock as necessary in cases like this.)

When I see this play in still photographs and slow motion, it's easy to imagine someone intentionally adding or subtracting a tenth or two. Talking to scorekeepers, however, makes me think that the whole operation is not nearly that precise. That doesn't make it all OK, but somehow it does make it less sinister.

Reason #3: Life's Too Short

I wrestle with this all the time.

I want to be one of those people who does not sweep referee mistakes under the rug. I'm for honesty about these things -- it lets all of us learn, so that hopefully the same mistakes won't be made again and again.

However, at the same time, if you follow basketball for any period of time, you simply can not expect the officiating to be perfect. You can expect it to be damn good -- and I don't say this out of homerism, but after watching some Euroleague and some NCAA, I challenge anyone to find better basketball referees than the NBA has -- but not perfect.

When it comes to tenths of seconds and the like, well, every player who ever played the game has had to deal with some losses that they didn't find fair. It's the NBA's job to limit them, and it's everyone else's job to, at some point, either prove there's some big fat conspiracy, or accept the human error and move on. It's miserable that the Raptors have had two such snafus in Atlanta. And it's miserable that Atlanta was home to that replay. But at some point, wrong though it may feel, there's not much more to be done, other than for the league to come up with more and better ways to improve the accuracy of these kinds of tough calls.

[FrankWhite]

You mean ESPN actually employs one person who has some sense about this? I'm shocked.

[Duff_Man]

Quote:

---

You mean ESPN actually employs one person who has some sense about this? I'm shocked.

Seriously. This whole "play it over" camp is out of their minds. After seeing it in fast motion, there is not one person that could react at the same exact time the ball hit his hands at full speed. If it went the other way, would there be the same outrage? Let it go. As long as it is a person controlling the clock, there will be minor discrepancies.

This happened back in the 1990's in Utah where they hit a huge shot after getting about .4 extra on a possession. The national reaction was "Oh those home clock operators!" .1 or less happens in ATL and people want a forfiet. Asinine.

[Plainview1981]

I think Toronto fans are the biggest pile of crap on the internet. They have been terrible over at insidehoops aswell. Complete candy @ss morons for sure.

[Plainview1981]

Who cares what they think? Do people really still watch these shows?

[High5]

ATH and PTI are awesome shows.

[Plainview1981]

Maybe for you. Not for me.

[thefloydian]

Do you ever get tired of blowing hot air?

[Plainview1981]

I'll make it simple...

[Plainview1981]

[DJlaysitup]

I realize I'm getting to the party WAY late on this (been busy at work lately)...maybe this has been mentioned but I haven't seen it.

Were I a Raptors fan there would be one other thing I would have to admit. T.J. Ford held onto the ball too long due to the way he shot the layup.

Wha? you say...Well really...where T.J. caught the ball, he had one of three options. (1) An immediate dunk - or - if the angle/his elevation wasn't right for that - (2) he could have immediately put the ball off the glass. What he did was (3) take the ball up and manipulate it a bit to lay it in as a swish. By doing that he basically shot a mini-1 foot hook shot off his fingertips. Of the 3 options, 1 and 2 are the fastest and 3 is the slowest.

99.9% of the time it doesn't matter...but with only a half second to go his prime objective should have been to get the ball out of his hand ASAP! By chosing option 3 on the shot he probably used 1 or 2 tenths of a second more - and in this case - it cost them. Even if the refs did screw the Raps out of 1 tenth of a second on the play, since the play worked perfectly, T.J. should have been able to kiss it off the glass and have the ball out of his hand before the light went on. JMHO.