5/1/11
Heat 99 Celtics 90
Mia leads 1-0
Since some people like to throw out stats, here are a few telling stats from sunday’s game.
3Pt: Bos 12/24 Mia 9/19
Reb: Bos 39 Mia 39
Ast: Bos 18 Mia 17
FT: Bos 14/18 Mia 26/32
In what may have been the worst officiated game in NBA History, the Miami Heat were handed game 1 of their Semifinals series with the Boston Celtics. Dwayne Wade led the Heat with 38 points and James Jones added 25 huge points off the bench. Ray Allen led Boston with 25 points and Paul Pierce had 17 points before he was wrongfully ejected in the fourth quarter. In a game that stat wise was pretty evenly played, it was decided by the officials. Let’s not discredit the defense Miami played, which allowed them to take an early lead.
What was most disturbing about this game was that every time the Celtics made a run to get back into the game the officials conveniently made a call that went against the Celts. In the third quarter the Celtics had cut the lead down to 7, then Jermaine O’Neal fouls James Jones who was cutting through the lane. What should have just been a personal foul, was deemed a flagrant foul. The call was so terrible that even announcer Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy said that it shouldn’t have been called a flagrant and they hardly agree on anything. After Jones made both free throws, Mike Bibby made a three. So, on a possession that should have been a side out, turns into a 5- point possession. Later on in the fourth quarter, James Jones commits what was clearly a flagrant foul as he attacked the head of Pierce. Of course the officials did not see it that way, and simply called it a personal foul. Pierce would get in Jones’ face and deservedly receive a technical foul. A few possessions later, Dwayne Wade lower a shoulder on Paul Pierce attempting to fight through a screen. Again another clear flagrant foul on a Heat player that wasn’t called. What was even worse was that when Pierce barely said something to Wade after the play he was assessed his second technical foul and thrown out the game. Oh yea, Van Gundy and Jackson thought that was a bad call as well.
It is official that the Celtics are playing 5 on 9. They don’t have to just beat the Miami Heat to win this series, they have to beat the officials, and more importantly David Stern.
KicksandThings 
The Celts cant win against the heat and the zebras!
I know James Jones’ absurd number of open looks contributed to the Heat win, but is there any doubt about who is Miami’s most important player? When Wade plays well and is the focal point of the offense, the Heat are probably unbeatable.
http://theresastatforthat.blogspot.com/2011/03/miami-heat-who-is-most-important-player.html
Personally, I don’t think the Heat match up well with the Celtics, and this series shouldn’t go to 7 games. However, the league and the zebras also know this. The Heat HAD to win this game. Otherwise, the league and the TV stations don’t get the ratings of the game 7. The C’s will get the awful calls going their way if they fall behind in the series. Sadly, this is the way of the NBA and it is a joke.
On any level, today’s game was the worst officiated I have ever seen. Bar none. And that is saying something because the refs upset me in almost any series in the NBA playoffs. The NBA is a joke, and Stern is a criminal who should be investigated.