Shaq and Kobe are the two biggest stars out there,
and I do feel that they get calls that other players
don't get. But that includes "other black stars".
They're really in their own category right now. It goes
beyond race. Duncan and other black players get
whistled for clean blocks quite often. Recently I saw
Ginobili drive to the basket, elbow Tayshaun Prince
in the chest, and go to the line. And you agree that
the offensive player gets the calls (except for the
dreaded charge call, or "flop job"). That includes
guys like Dirk, Nash, Peja, etc. (or at least when they
drive to the basket, which is exactly what Kobe and
Shaq do.) If it's a conspiracy, it's a conspiracy to
increase scoring, since the shooting and passing
are so bad, as you said.
But Shaq is a freak. I agree with the talking heads
that he's difficult to officiate. Sure, he get away with
elbows, but he also fouls guys with his normal
movements. There are many instances where
you're allowed to make normal movements, and if
the defender is in the way, that's his problem. He
can knock a guy down without trying. If another
player hit someone with their own bodyweight and
power, it wouldn't have the same effect as when
Shaq does the same with his bodyweight and
power. Other 7-footers like Ostertag just don't have
his power, and are therefore much easier to officiate.
They can't push someone around like that without
obviously fouling him. Shaq can simply turn his body
and back up the defender. Sometimes there's an
elbow there, but sometimes there's not. It would be
unfair to punish him just because he's big and
strong.
I've seen plenty of bad calls go the other way for
Shaq. I remember a few years ago, in a postseason
series against the Kings, Shaq was called for a
"phantom trip" on Bibby late in the game. I believe
that was Shaq's sixth foul. It was a very big call. And
a horrible one, and it went against Shaq. It's a fast
game and bad calls happen.
Plus, Ostertag doesn't have a low post game. That's
another problem. There aren't that many white
players that have low post games. Ilgauskas and
Gasol are the only two that immediately come to
mind. Having a low post game results in trips to the
free throw line. When white players post up and
drive to the basket, they'll get calls. (Also, being a
bad free throw shooter gets you to the line as well, a
la "Hack a Shaq".)
Also, you have to be just flat-out good. The better you
are, the more calls you'll get because the less
effective defenders are against you. They'll have to
foul you. I love our white players, but there aren't any
white equivalents to Shaq or Kobe in the league right
now. There are a lot of excellent white players, but
none of them can physically overwhelm every single
defender they face with either brute size and strength
(like Shaq), or sheer athleticism (like Kobe). I don't
like to admit that, but it's true.
And as for aggressive play, I wouldn't blame that on
the officials either. Kirilenko has been aggressive
defensively this year. Dirk, Ginobili, and Nash have
been aggressive offensively this year. Bad officiating
hasn't hurt them. And they're certainly not going to let
a bad call here and there stop them from being
excellent players. Besides, wouldn't you say that
black people tend to be more aggressive in general?
A lot of people would say that. Whether it's hormonal
or cultural or whatever, there seems to be a
difference there. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago,
while several of Austin Croshere's black teammates
were duking it out with Pistons fans, he looked like
he was on Valium. Black aggression is a much
larger issue that goes waaaay beyond NBA
officiating. I think we'll all agree on that. Edited by: JD074
