Fisher the Fraud
by Payam Jahromi
If you missed last night’s Warriors/Lakers game, it was an unfortunate ending to a great NBA game. With few seconds left in OT, the Warriors had the ball and Monta Ellis was called for a foul for “running over” Derek Fisher. Replays showed that Fisher clearly pulled him down, costing the Warriors a chance to tie or win the game.
No one is disputing that it was a blown call. Calls get missed all the time.
My biggest problem with it is that the refs are trained to learn the players and their reputations. Given that, and the fact that Fisher is the biggest flopper in the NBA, how does he get the benefit of the doubt on anything, let alone a game-deciding play?
Fisher is a great guy off the court, a class act. But on the court he’s a fraud. After that call he laid on the ground and "played hurt.” That’s because even he felt bad, saying after the game that it should have been a no-call.
Yeah right Fish, you were hoping for that exact call. That’s how you play the game. That’s how you’ve always played the game.
Remember in last year's playoffs when Fisher was with Utah and Baron gave him that little elbow to the head and Fish fell and played hurt for about three minutes? Well I'm beginning to think he was faking that too. (When Baron was asked what he told Fisher after that, he jokingly said "I told him stop flopping and making me look bad.”)
The NBA can put an end to this from floppers like Fisher.
They made an effort to rid the league of so many bad charging calls (a stat in which Fisher always led the league every year). The refs are calling blocking fouls when the play can go either way, and it has discouraged players from trying to take charges. Great move by the league.
If you want to discourage players like Fisher from doing what he did last night, you NEVER give him the benefit of the doubt on close calls until he stops flopping. Trust me, a few months of that and this nonsense will end.
Playoff Run
The playoffs have already begun for the Golden State Warriors – make no mistake about it.
With 12 games left, this team finds themselves in a familiar place. Last year at this time, they had to win nearly every game – nine of the final 10 to be exact – to make the playoffs. This season, they probably don’t need that same winning percentage, but the task will be equally difficult.
After the back-to-back games against the Lakers, the schedule doesn’t get easier. Of their 12 remaining games, four are against Dallas and Denver (two each), the teams they are fighting with for two of the final three playoff spots.
At the very least, they must split with each of those teams.
Warriors fans might be panicking after the team has dropped two of its last three. But they are playing at a very high level right now. If they continue to play this way, they won’t be the team on the outside looking in.
The Nuggets are also playing at a high level, while Dallas just lost Dirk Nowitzki. We’ll see how the Mavs respond to life without Dirk, but they could be the team in trouble. But they get the Clippers twice.
So who knows.
But I do know this. At the very least, these final 12 games will be very fun to watch, like the playoffs themselves. And this Warriors team has given us some epic games this season. I expect a few more.
Keep Believing.
If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at pjahromi@sbcglobal.net
If you missed last night’s Warriors/Lakers game, it was an unfortunate ending to a great NBA game. With few seconds left in OT, the Warriors had the ball and Monta Ellis was called for a foul for “running over” Derek Fisher. Replays showed that Fisher clearly pulled him down, costing the Warriors a chance to tie or win the game.
No one is disputing that it was a blown call. Calls get missed all the time.
My biggest problem with it is that the refs are trained to learn the players and their reputations. Given that, and the fact that Fisher is the biggest flopper in the NBA, how does he get the benefit of the doubt on anything, let alone a game-deciding play?
Fisher is a great guy off the court, a class act. But on the court he’s a fraud. After that call he laid on the ground and "played hurt.” That’s because even he felt bad, saying after the game that it should have been a no-call.
Yeah right Fish, you were hoping for that exact call. That’s how you play the game. That’s how you’ve always played the game.
Remember in last year's playoffs when Fisher was with Utah and Baron gave him that little elbow to the head and Fish fell and played hurt for about three minutes? Well I'm beginning to think he was faking that too. (When Baron was asked what he told Fisher after that, he jokingly said "I told him stop flopping and making me look bad.”)
The NBA can put an end to this from floppers like Fisher.
They made an effort to rid the league of so many bad charging calls (a stat in which Fisher always led the league every year). The refs are calling blocking fouls when the play can go either way, and it has discouraged players from trying to take charges. Great move by the league.
If you want to discourage players like Fisher from doing what he did last night, you NEVER give him the benefit of the doubt on close calls until he stops flopping. Trust me, a few months of that and this nonsense will end.
Playoff Run
The playoffs have already begun for the Golden State Warriors – make no mistake about it.
With 12 games left, this team finds themselves in a familiar place. Last year at this time, they had to win nearly every game – nine of the final 10 to be exact – to make the playoffs. This season, they probably don’t need that same winning percentage, but the task will be equally difficult.
After the back-to-back games against the Lakers, the schedule doesn’t get easier. Of their 12 remaining games, four are against Dallas and Denver (two each), the teams they are fighting with for two of the final three playoff spots.
At the very least, they must split with each of those teams.
Warriors fans might be panicking after the team has dropped two of its last three. But they are playing at a very high level right now. If they continue to play this way, they won’t be the team on the outside looking in.
The Nuggets are also playing at a high level, while Dallas just lost Dirk Nowitzki. We’ll see how the Mavs respond to life without Dirk, but they could be the team in trouble. But they get the Clippers twice.
So who knows.
But I do know this. At the very least, these final 12 games will be very fun to watch, like the playoffs themselves. And this Warriors team has given us some epic games this season. I expect a few more.
Keep Believing.
If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at pjahromi@sbcglobal.net
posted by Reza Kazempour at
1:36 PM
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