Quote:
Originally Posted by SMC0007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDO0l1M1lV0
Well he kinda did get two hands on him fwiw. First off he hits him across the face at :37 secs and has two hands on him shortly after. Now he didn't blatantly grab him with two hands and fling him down as it looked in regular speed but surely you aren't arguing that we wouldn't want a flagrant called if it were ANYONE doing that to Dirk?!
I agree with your overall point that it looked worse because of the fall/landing. I can see how Haywood has a legit argument especially seen in slow motion that he didn't mean for it to end up the way it did. I just think this situation calls for a little common sense and fairness. Yeah, he isn't wearing a Mav uni, isn't Dirk and isn't our kid but obviously that was at the very least questionable and I'm ok with the call. Can't say I wouldn't have called it the same.
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Well, that's true.. Haywood's right hand on Griffin's hip slid back to Griffin's back as the left hand got ahold of the arm. By that time, the right hand was making contact but Griffin was moving away - Haywood didn't have ahold of him with both hands at any point. But my point was, he was attempting to get him around the waist and didn't get there in time b/c Griffin is such a beast. Guys get wrapped up around the arms/waist/chest under the basket all the time and it's not a flagrant.
I think if it had happened to Dirk, there's a chance it's not called for a flagrant, but there's a chance that it is. I'm good either way. I don't necessarily agree with it as a Flagrant, but it's consistent with the rules. I just think in this case, where a guy was grounded and had full body control, decided to go up and spin as contact was made, and came down awkwardly, isn't the same thing as a guy getting fouled away from the ball while in the air, where he's got less body control.
It's not something to get all riled about if you're a LAC fan, or if it happened to Dirk, if you're a Dirk fan. It was an awkward ending to a hard foul with clean intent. Griffin's athleticism and quickness will get him into that position more often than other guys his size, so it's going to look worse. If it happened to Roddy, I bet it wouldn't be called a Flagrant, because he weighs 175 dripping wet. The attitude is, "oh, well, he's little, anything can bring him down." Nobody's considering the amount of power and strength that Griffin has and where that momentum is going to carry him if someone grabs his arm for a tiny split second when he's spinning/jumping and slightly out of control.
So no, I wouldn't get too upset if it happened to Dirk, with or without the Flagrant call, being able to recognize what the defensive player intended to do. If there was no Flagrant call, I'd probably say, "if that happens to any other star in this league, it's a Flagrant one." Because we all find ourselves saying that with Dirk, right? But I can also recognize it's not a malicious move, just a hard foul.
And that's my fair/common sense analysis.