Former Blazer Antonio Harvey Defends Obvious Fix-Job By NBA Refs
JS Gilbert
March 24, 2009
Disgustingly, former Blazer Antonio Harvey has come out on the "Fifth Quarter" radio program on Portland“s 95.5 FM and publicly defended an obvious fix-job by NBA refs. The simple fact that Harvey would defend such detestable officiating shows that he not only does not deserve to represent the Blazers or their fans on the air, but also, he does not deserve to call himself a Blazer, or even to represent the fans of sports in general. Anyone who justifies thrown games and cheating officials cannot truly be considered a fan of sports.
It“s important to understand that bad officiating ruined Monday“s game in the Rose Garden. Regardless of whether the Blazers benefitted or were harmed by the bad calls, it is totally unacceptable for officials to throw games, and that“s exactly what they did tonight. The refs threw the game.
Yet Harvey“s argument on the air is that tonight“s bad officiating is excusable because Portland shot only 10 of 34 from three-point land—that Portalnd would have won the game had they played better, and that you cannot blame the refs when the team itself is equally responsible. However, this argument is fallacious, because following Harvey“s logic, refs can only be blamed for the outcomes of games in which the losing team has played flawlessly—but if a team has played flawlessly, they would not be losing.
More likely, the real reason why Harvey does not take issue with the no-calls at the end of the game is probably the fact that he only shot 51% from the line through his NBA career. Only hitting one of two every time has probably made him appreciate no-calls by the officials. Who would want to get sent to the line, only to miss their shots and get yelled at later by the coaching staff? Nobody.
What should matter to Harvey, as an announcer on Portland“s official station, is the fact that the fans tonight at the Rose Garden clearly saw a thrown game. As a fan of sports, and of the Blazers, I highly resent the idea that fans ought to be told to accept thrown games. Just because Philadelphia played good defense, and went on a couple of runs, does not excuse the NBA refs for throwing this game, nor does it remove responsibility from them for altering its outcome.
Someone might try to deny that the game was thrown. Well, denial is a common response when we are confronted with difficult to accept realities. Nobody wants to live in a world where our sacred sports are fixed. They let this blind them to the obvious reality.
Anyone who watches much NBA knows that this type of bullshit officiating is not uncommon; sometimes it is better masked than others, but it“s always obvious when one team or player is getting all the calls. Apologists such as Harvey make every attempt to minimize the prevalence of thrown games in the NBA, and it“s fairly easy to deny that many of these games are thrown because the refs do not try to make it obvious. However sometimes it is clear as day, and this is one of those times.
It went like this. Throughout the four quarters of regulation and overtime period, a number of bad calls were made against the Blazers. In fact, it was so uneven that ultimately, even though Portland hit more two-pointers, more three-pointers, had more offensive rebounds, more assists, and more blocks, still, Philadelphia was granted more than twice as many free-throw attempts.
Yet as the game wore on, Portland picked up its play and led by one point with 5:39 to play in the fourth quarter. That was when Rudy Fernandez tripped forwards and accidentally clipped Andre Iguodala about one second after he released the ball on a three-point jump shot. The contact clearly came well after the ball was released; yet the refs called a shooting foul. Even Antonio Harvey admitted that this call was egregiously bad. Iguodala then hit two of his three free throws to put Philly up by one.
Then, despite however well Philly may have played, and all the bad calls the refs tried to sneak in along the way, Portland still led 96-94 with 1:22 remaining in regulation. From that point until the end of regulation, all of Philadelphia“s points were from free throws.
The Blazers led 98-96 with less than one minute left, after a Greg Oden dunk on which he was obviously fouled (but no call was made). Then, the officials made yet another bad call, calling Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge for fouling Andre Iguodala for the second time in a row (he had been called for fouling Iguodala on the 76ers“ previous possession), even though this time, there was far less contact than there had been on Oden on the previous play, not to mention that it was an obvious charge. This bad call allowed Philly to tie the game at 98-98. Then, on the final play of the game, Roy was fouled as he shot the ball and again, no call was made.
Then, in the OT came another no-call on which Travis Outlaw had his finger literally broken. Despite this, and despite falling behind by four, Portland yet again bounced back with an Oden dunk and a Rudy three-pointer to lead it 103-102 with 2:13 remaining in overtime.
At this point, it looked for all the world like Portland was going to shut the door on Philly, but these refs were not about to have their fix-job spoiled by a resilient Blazers club. The referees then allowed the 76ers to freely foul Aldridge and Roy on the next two successive Portland possessions. This allowed Philly to get two easy fast breaks, since after the no-calls (which were very, very obvious) the Blazers stood around somewhat shocked, allowing Philly to get two easy transition buckets, such that they were up by five points, 108-103, with only 38 seconds left.
The fans booed, and chanted "Ref You Suck" after the clear contact on the arms of LaMarcus Aldridge, and next Brandon Roy—fouls that were visible from outer space.
So what should be done about this, and why?
These no-calls by the refs ought to result in the loss of their jobs; it certainly resulted in the loss of this game for the Blazers. I“m not saying Harvey should step down from his job, but I think that he should rethink his position on this matter.
Players play the game, and fans watch the game, in order that the actual play of the players would determine the outcome of the game. Whether or not the Blazers could have done X, Y, or Z differently is not the point; the fact is that they should be able to make up for some of the poor play by certain players with the better play of other players. If Roy and Outlaw have tough nights for Portland, then Rudy, Oden, and Blake should be able to win the game for the team if they make great plays.
The refs should not be allowed to prevent a team from winning a game by allowing the other team to commit fouls without being called at the end of a game. Also, based on the consistent horrible calls throughout the entire game, this was an obvious fix-job by the refs. Whether or not it could be proven to be a deliberate fix, or just plain incompetence, these refs three should all be fired. Personally though, I fail to believe that these refs acted out of incompetence; I think it was obvious that they were going to ensure that Portland did not gain too large of a lead, and that in the end, Philadelphia would be allowed to foul Portland at will and not be called for it, thus preventing a Blazers“ victory.
The refs shut down the Blazers at the end when it counted most. It was the most obvious fix-job I have ever seen, and it was utterly reprehensible. If I lied and cheated at my place of work, then I would be fired. The NBA should fire these refs; there is absolutely no excuse for someone that gets paid so much to be allowed to keep their job despite such obvious dishonesty.
Further, it is shameful for so-called "Blazer" Antonio Harvey to come out on FM radio and publicly defend the corrupt/utterly incompetent refs—especially after the Tim Donaghy incident has shown us that NBA refs are not above fixing games. The fact that the congressional "investigation" in to NBA refereeing did not turn up any other guilty refs has probably just made these guys feel like they can get away with anything. With all the gambling that goes on surrounding NBA games, how is it any surprise when the refs pull this stuff?
This is just further evidence that sports gambling needs to be outlawed from Vegas because it can affect the world outside of Vegas too much. There is far too much doubt cast by events such as these for this to be allowed to continue. The NBA needs to clean up its house, as does 95.5 The Game. I can understand why Brandon Roy could not personally come out and speak out against these refs, but I cannot understand why Antonio Harvey would defend their actions that cost Portland this game.
You simply cannot make the excuse that Portland could have hit more threes, when the obvious fact is that Portand was winning the game with 30 seconds left, and then again with 2:23 left in overtime. And both times, the opposing team was allowed to take the lead back based on bad calls. The argument that Portland played poorly does not hold water since, had they won (as they should have), no one would be talking about how poor they played. People would be saying how well they played; people would be saying how despite a couple of guys having off nights, the team pulled together and won the game.
To have such a satisfying home victory robbed by a last-second three-pointer by Hedo Turkoglu (as was done by Orlando earlier this season) is a time when a team can look to its own play for the reason why they lost. However, when the game is robbed by the NBA refs themselves, there is nothing the players could have done, since all they can do is play within the rules. If the refs break the rules, then they should be fired. Period.
Further, there is something very wrong when the media (whose job it is to be critical of things) is towing the NBA corporate line. Harvey stated on the air that this could actually be good for the Blazers because it shows them how the refs call games in the playoffs, as opposed to during the regular season. Huh? Since when did the rules of the game change depending on whether or not it was the post-season? The only thing that changes when it becomes the playoffs is that more people start betting on the games, and so there is more incentive for refs to fix games. Is 95.5 FM afraid of losing their exclusive rights to broadcast NBA games if their talk-show stooges like Harvey come out and criticize the refs directly? Or are the talk-show hosts afraid of mafia retaliation?
Personally I think that there ought to be a class-action lawsuit against the NBA if they do not fire these refs and refund the fans for the tickets they bought to this game. And Antonio Harvey owes the people of Portland, and the Blazers, an apology.
I do not blame the Philadelphia 76ers; they played a great game. Had the Blazers lost fairly in this game, then that would have at least been acceptable to a sports fan, even if it would have been disappointing to a Blazers fan. Any time you know that you just saw a fantastic game, and your team just came up short, that“s something you can accept. However, that“s not how it went down tonight, and everyone in the Rose Garden knew it, except, apparently, Antonio Harvey. If he was even there.
It“s important to understand that bad officiating ruined Monday“s game in the Rose Garden. Regardless of whether the Blazers benefitted or were harmed by the bad calls, it is totally unacceptable for officials to throw games, and that“s exactly what they did tonight. The refs threw the game.
Yet Harvey“s argument on the air is that tonight“s bad officiating is excusable because Portland shot only 10 of 34 from three-point land—that Portalnd would have won the game had they played better, and that you cannot blame the refs when the team itself is equally responsible. However, this argument is fallacious, because following Harvey“s logic, refs can only be blamed for the outcomes of games in which the losing team has played flawlessly—but if a team has played flawlessly, they would not be losing.
More likely, the real reason why Harvey does not take issue with the no-calls at the end of the game is probably the fact that he only shot 51% from the line through his NBA career. Only hitting one of two every time has probably made him appreciate no-calls by the officials. Who would want to get sent to the line, only to miss their shots and get yelled at later by the coaching staff? Nobody.
What should matter to Harvey, as an announcer on Portland“s official station, is the fact that the fans tonight at the Rose Garden clearly saw a thrown game. As a fan of sports, and of the Blazers, I highly resent the idea that fans ought to be told to accept thrown games. Just because Philadelphia played good defense, and went on a couple of runs, does not excuse the NBA refs for throwing this game, nor does it remove responsibility from them for altering its outcome.
Someone might try to deny that the game was thrown. Well, denial is a common response when we are confronted with difficult to accept realities. Nobody wants to live in a world where our sacred sports are fixed. They let this blind them to the obvious reality.
Anyone who watches much NBA knows that this type of bullshit officiating is not uncommon; sometimes it is better masked than others, but it“s always obvious when one team or player is getting all the calls. Apologists such as Harvey make every attempt to minimize the prevalence of thrown games in the NBA, and it“s fairly easy to deny that many of these games are thrown because the refs do not try to make it obvious. However sometimes it is clear as day, and this is one of those times.
It went like this. Throughout the four quarters of regulation and overtime period, a number of bad calls were made against the Blazers. In fact, it was so uneven that ultimately, even though Portland hit more two-pointers, more three-pointers, had more offensive rebounds, more assists, and more blocks, still, Philadelphia was granted more than twice as many free-throw attempts.
Yet as the game wore on, Portland picked up its play and led by one point with 5:39 to play in the fourth quarter. That was when Rudy Fernandez tripped forwards and accidentally clipped Andre Iguodala about one second after he released the ball on a three-point jump shot. The contact clearly came well after the ball was released; yet the refs called a shooting foul. Even Antonio Harvey admitted that this call was egregiously bad. Iguodala then hit two of his three free throws to put Philly up by one.
Then, despite however well Philly may have played, and all the bad calls the refs tried to sneak in along the way, Portland still led 96-94 with 1:22 remaining in regulation. From that point until the end of regulation, all of Philadelphia“s points were from free throws.
The Blazers led 98-96 with less than one minute left, after a Greg Oden dunk on which he was obviously fouled (but no call was made). Then, the officials made yet another bad call, calling Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge for fouling Andre Iguodala for the second time in a row (he had been called for fouling Iguodala on the 76ers“ previous possession), even though this time, there was far less contact than there had been on Oden on the previous play, not to mention that it was an obvious charge. This bad call allowed Philly to tie the game at 98-98. Then, on the final play of the game, Roy was fouled as he shot the ball and again, no call was made.
Then, in the OT came another no-call on which Travis Outlaw had his finger literally broken. Despite this, and despite falling behind by four, Portland yet again bounced back with an Oden dunk and a Rudy three-pointer to lead it 103-102 with 2:13 remaining in overtime.
At this point, it looked for all the world like Portland was going to shut the door on Philly, but these refs were not about to have their fix-job spoiled by a resilient Blazers club. The referees then allowed the 76ers to freely foul Aldridge and Roy on the next two successive Portland possessions. This allowed Philly to get two easy fast breaks, since after the no-calls (which were very, very obvious) the Blazers stood around somewhat shocked, allowing Philly to get two easy transition buckets, such that they were up by five points, 108-103, with only 38 seconds left.
The fans booed, and chanted "Ref You Suck" after the clear contact on the arms of LaMarcus Aldridge, and next Brandon Roy—fouls that were visible from outer space.
So what should be done about this, and why?
These no-calls by the refs ought to result in the loss of their jobs; it certainly resulted in the loss of this game for the Blazers. I“m not saying Harvey should step down from his job, but I think that he should rethink his position on this matter.
Players play the game, and fans watch the game, in order that the actual play of the players would determine the outcome of the game. Whether or not the Blazers could have done X, Y, or Z differently is not the point; the fact is that they should be able to make up for some of the poor play by certain players with the better play of other players. If Roy and Outlaw have tough nights for Portland, then Rudy, Oden, and Blake should be able to win the game for the team if they make great plays.
The refs should not be allowed to prevent a team from winning a game by allowing the other team to commit fouls without being called at the end of a game. Also, based on the consistent horrible calls throughout the entire game, this was an obvious fix-job by the refs. Whether or not it could be proven to be a deliberate fix, or just plain incompetence, these refs three should all be fired. Personally though, I fail to believe that these refs acted out of incompetence; I think it was obvious that they were going to ensure that Portland did not gain too large of a lead, and that in the end, Philadelphia would be allowed to foul Portland at will and not be called for it, thus preventing a Blazers“ victory.
The refs shut down the Blazers at the end when it counted most. It was the most obvious fix-job I have ever seen, and it was utterly reprehensible. If I lied and cheated at my place of work, then I would be fired. The NBA should fire these refs; there is absolutely no excuse for someone that gets paid so much to be allowed to keep their job despite such obvious dishonesty.
Further, it is shameful for so-called "Blazer" Antonio Harvey to come out on FM radio and publicly defend the corrupt/utterly incompetent refs—especially after the Tim Donaghy incident has shown us that NBA refs are not above fixing games. The fact that the congressional "investigation" in to NBA refereeing did not turn up any other guilty refs has probably just made these guys feel like they can get away with anything. With all the gambling that goes on surrounding NBA games, how is it any surprise when the refs pull this stuff?
This is just further evidence that sports gambling needs to be outlawed from Vegas because it can affect the world outside of Vegas too much. There is far too much doubt cast by events such as these for this to be allowed to continue. The NBA needs to clean up its house, as does 95.5 The Game. I can understand why Brandon Roy could not personally come out and speak out against these refs, but I cannot understand why Antonio Harvey would defend their actions that cost Portland this game.
You simply cannot make the excuse that Portland could have hit more threes, when the obvious fact is that Portand was winning the game with 30 seconds left, and then again with 2:23 left in overtime. And both times, the opposing team was allowed to take the lead back based on bad calls. The argument that Portland played poorly does not hold water since, had they won (as they should have), no one would be talking about how poor they played. People would be saying how well they played; people would be saying how despite a couple of guys having off nights, the team pulled together and won the game.
To have such a satisfying home victory robbed by a last-second three-pointer by Hedo Turkoglu (as was done by Orlando earlier this season) is a time when a team can look to its own play for the reason why they lost. However, when the game is robbed by the NBA refs themselves, there is nothing the players could have done, since all they can do is play within the rules. If the refs break the rules, then they should be fired. Period.
Further, there is something very wrong when the media (whose job it is to be critical of things) is towing the NBA corporate line. Harvey stated on the air that this could actually be good for the Blazers because it shows them how the refs call games in the playoffs, as opposed to during the regular season. Huh? Since when did the rules of the game change depending on whether or not it was the post-season? The only thing that changes when it becomes the playoffs is that more people start betting on the games, and so there is more incentive for refs to fix games. Is 95.5 FM afraid of losing their exclusive rights to broadcast NBA games if their talk-show stooges like Harvey come out and criticize the refs directly? Or are the talk-show hosts afraid of mafia retaliation?
Personally I think that there ought to be a class-action lawsuit against the NBA if they do not fire these refs and refund the fans for the tickets they bought to this game. And Antonio Harvey owes the people of Portland, and the Blazers, an apology.
I do not blame the Philadelphia 76ers; they played a great game. Had the Blazers lost fairly in this game, then that would have at least been acceptable to a sports fan, even if it would have been disappointing to a Blazers fan. Any time you know that you just saw a fantastic game, and your team just came up short, that“s something you can accept. However, that“s not how it went down tonight, and everyone in the Rose Garden knew it, except, apparently, Antonio Harvey. If he was even there.
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