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So let’s be clear

by Tommy Dee on March 26th, 2009 at 9:45 am

As I said last night, I was at the game and Mike Dunleavy totally called the tech. The official who made that call was right next to the Clippers coach and couldn’t see that Al Thorton was under Al Harrington for a brief second. He was 30 feet away. The other two officials, both with perfect views, swallowed their whistles.

Then I heard Kelly Tripuka say that Harrington “pulled up” on the rim, which I felt was nitpicky. Calling it a bonehead play, I believe, is too strong. The only coincidences on the play in LA is that it was against the Clippers and it was less than a minute in a tight game.

I gave Al a pass for the slap in LA because the refs generally don’t make that call. Swallow the whistle punk no one’s here to see you. But last night,  I believe it was Scott Foster who claimed Al slapped the backboard, which he clearly did not.

The ref got the call wrong.

“…I spun baseline and my momentum took me that way, all you got to do is look at the tape,” a ticked-off Harrington said. “It was crazy. He also said I slapped the backboard. I didn’t slap the backboard. Al Thornton walked underneath, and I tried to get off as quick as I could.”

Again, look at the refs visible on the video. Both were looking right at the play. The ref who made the call was at half court right next to Dunleavy.

Two separate plays in similar situations ironically against the same team. I’m not going to call Al the bonehead, i believe that name should be bestowed on the official for claiming to see something he didn’t see and for listening to the Clippers coach.

Either way the Knicks should have won.
  • Shinobi

    Tommy, you amaze me. You constantly nitpick and slam Knicks players(Nate, Lee, etc) for their flaws and suggest ridiculous scenarios in which they are traded for practically nothing. NOW, a legitimate opportunity to speak out against a dumb move and you sympathize with the guy Give me a break. Harrington had enough time to get off of the rim, He was up there so long that Thorton walked underneath to get the ball inbounds. Harrington didn’t know what was going on underneath him because he never looked down. He messed up and it cost the game. Period. Be careful, Tommy, you’re quickly becoming one of the most biased Knicks bloggers. I hope you show Nate or Lee the same grace the next time they make a mistake.

  • EQ1217

    Sorry Tommy-

    But Al deserved a tech 100% the first time he did it in LA, and last night while not as blatant I had a feeling he was going to get another T.

    Also, how can you blame the refs for giving him a T late in a game twice, shouldn’t the player be more to blame for this? he’s not a rookie, he’s a playoff veteran who knows the rules.

  • EQ1217

    IF you look at the video, even Baron Davis is pointing to the refs to give Al a tech

  • BiggieSmalls

    I had this game in the W column in my rosey scenario of 5 wins in the last 13 games.

    I really can see this loss leading to a complete shut down of the team energy in the last dozen games.

    The next 4 games in 5 nights including three roadies against playoff bound teams might be brutal.

    Tought break last night but the team had a double digit lead in the 4th quarter and blew it again. So to lay this all at Al Buckets T isnt really right..

  • DaJoka

    I hope we lose all these games coming up.
    That was clearly a tech on Al and anybody that says different is crazy. The fact that he would put himself in that position again is crazy.
    I don’t care how much Donnie likes this kid….if he is not involved in some kind of trade this offseason I would be very shocked. He is not the type of player to even have around on the type of team we’re trying to put together. If Isiah gets that Clippers job I hope he takes Curry and Jeffries off our hands in exchange of Donnie not doing him dirty. Donnie has been great to Isiah and I can see Isiah making a deal with us.
    Listen…we all knew this season was going to be a wash because it’s the first step. Let’s see what next year looks like, then we can judge Walsh and Dontoni better. Donnie so far is doing a good job so we can’t bash him…but next year will be key in his 2010 plans.

  • Anthony Masons Haircut

    100% agree.

    anyone that would argue that the first tech in LA was the wrong call has a gross misunderstanding of the NBA rules.

  • CircleLimit4

    The call in L.A. was legit. No doubt about it, he slapped the backboard. AH cost us that game.

    Last night was much different. It was a bullshit call. Just because Al likes to hang on the rim doesn’t mean it was unnecessary. I think the crowd influenced that call, everyone got excited including Harrington, Dunleavy and the refs. That crowd had every reason to go crazy. Al’s basket was not only clutch, but that roll to the hoop was beautiful and Olajuwon-esque too. Nasty dunk to cap it off.

    If Harrington wasn’t turning 30, I’d be all about resigning him. Ironically, maturity has been his major issue. He’s made a lot of bonehead plays this year but he’s also kicked a lot of ass. Perhaps overshadowed by Lebron’s memorable performance at MSG, I was almost equally impressed with Al putting up 39p/13r and going 16-24 from the field against a bigger and better defense.

  • Mucha

    Am I crazy then?

    With a little bit of decency the refs would have never called a tech. He did not slap the backboard, he hanged on the rim to avoid Al Thornton and everything looks slower when you look at the replays – but it is OBVIOUS that he thought that Thornton was underneath him. That call was BS I mean it’s not the WNBA.

    Al played like a knucklehead in Los Angeles but I’m with him on that one.

  • aknickted

    We all knew when the trade was made al harrington is not coming here long term. the only way i see al being traded this summer is for a good point guard or a( dantoni style big man center),because duhon clearly aint gonna win you a champoinship or let alone take you deep in the playoffs. and a good point guard is the key to coach d’antonis system.

  • Mucha

    Al saved our dignity against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. He has been a knucklehead on several occasions (and I always criticize him for that) but we would be FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR behind in the standings if we didn’t have Harrington. What he does is overlooked because he gets his numbers in the first three quarters.

  • Mucha

    The medias should have defended Harrington IMO, I appreciate what you did Tommy.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    You mean high school rules…

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Fair assessment except I’ve never knocked Nate for showboating. I think he has a brilliant marketing mind. Good for him I respect that, although many people don’t. Nate getting T’d up for trash talking from the bench in front of his owner is just plain stupid.

    So as far as nate is concerned, no I haven’t been that hard on his showboating.

    Al showboated in LA and I thought the call was weak. Granted, you don’t want the whole league hanging and slapping, but geez Shaq tried to break rims for a decade and Nate would have 15 Ts if they called it all the time.

    Al didn’t slap and the ref who made the call was out of position and let the coach get in his ear. Both refs in position to make the call…didn’t.

    If you think Al showboated there that;s your prerogative. I think he was trying to protect himself and the ref who made the call didn;t have good angle.

    End of story.

    and as far as being a “biased knick blogger” your whole post says the contrary…how can I supposedly kill Nate and Lee and give Al a pass and be “biased?”

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    T or no T that is the most important point Big…who was guarding Taylor?

  • madmax2170

    So you’re allowed to do a pullup on the rim in the NBA? Maybe the calling of T’s for hanging on the rim is varied, but what Al did is technically against the rules. Even with the Camby clip shown in a later post, he doesn’t pull himself up with his arms. He simply swings back into place. Al did a pullup on the rim. I’d rather him give Thornton a crotch ride then do anything close to what he has now down twice.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Why didn’t the two officials who had the plainest look call it then?

    Hanging on rims is frowned upon in high school and college. He wasn’t showboating or showing up the other team.

    why wasn’t nate t’d up here?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDMEznT7Lz0&feature=related

  • Shinobi

    Come on Tommy, Nate has a “brilliant marketing mind?????” Anyone who consistently watches Knicks games can recognize that Nate isn’t exactly the best decision maker. He lacks the focus and commitment to be this cunning and selfish mastermind that you would have everyone believe he is. Stated simply, Nate is a man who is led by his emotions. Can it be awesome at times? Yup. Can it backfire at others? You bet. Is it something that he has to work at to get under control? Absolutely. Does it make him an evil con man who’s bent on sticking it to the franchise that gave him a shot in this league? NO WAY. All that guy wants to do is win. Of course he has to learn the best way to go about it. He has a chip on his shoulder because he’s had to justify his existence in the world of athletics for so many years. And by the way, the “Brilliant Marketing Minds” are the ones in suits, not in jerseys. Ask Michael Jordan and David Stern.

    Moving On…

    TOMMY :”how can I supposedly kill Nate and Lee and give Al a pass and be “biased?””

    BIAS (noun): an inclination of temperament or outlook ; especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment.

    Your bias shows in your inability to equally judge. Seeing you defend one player with such fervor while mercilessly berating others shows your partiality. And I saw the videos. You’re reaching at best.

  • Shinobi

    One more thing, I’m not questioning the reason why Harrington hung on the rim, I never used the word showboating. He could have decided to hang on the rim to spread awareness about pollen counts in the upcoming allergy season for all I care. I can’t presume to know his motives any more than you can presume to know Nate Robinson’s. But what I can judge are his ACTIONS. He may not have been showboating, but he sure hung on the rim and raised him self up even though he had sufficient time to come down in a timely manner. Even if he didn’t slap the backboard, which I don’t believe he did. A questionable call would not have been made if he didn’t make a questionable move, that’s his fault.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    fair enough…I think it was a horsesh*t call.

    we’ll leave it at that.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    I have no idea what you’re talking about…